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Spatial Variability of Channel Erosion by Debris-Flows (Field Observations in the French Alps)

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Engineering Geology for Society and Territory - Volume 3

Abstract

Debris-flows are known to have important volume growth from channel erosion on steep slopes. However, it is still difficult to quantify the relationship of debris-flow scouring and slope. High densities of multi-date cross-sections in both the Manival and Réal debris-flow catchments (French Alps) have clearly shown that debris-flows have significant scouring with large spatial variability. Bedload transport was observed to be at equilibrium with little variability. Field observations of channel deformations show that debris-flow scouring is strongly controlled by upstream slope and storage conditions. A logarithmic relationship is proposed as an empirical fit for the prediction of channel erosion. Since the important volumes of debris-flows are composed of scoured material, this empirical model provides a basis for estimating potential magnitudes using simple channel profile and active channel width.

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Correspondence to Theule Joshua .

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© 2015 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

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Joshua, T., Frédéric, L., Dominique, L. (2015). Spatial Variability of Channel Erosion by Debris-Flows (Field Observations in the French Alps). In: Lollino, G., Arattano, M., Rinaldi, M., Giustolisi, O., Marechal, JC., Grant, G. (eds) Engineering Geology for Society and Territory - Volume 3. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-09054-2_19

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