Performance of Models for Flash Flood Warning and Hazard Assessment: The 2015 Kali Gandaki Landslide Dam Breach in Nepal

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jeremy D. Bricker

2017-02-01

Full Text Available The 2015 magnitude 7.8 Gorkha earthquake and its aftershocks weakened mountain slopes in Nepal. Co- and postseismic landsliding and the formation of landslide-dammed lakes along steeply dissected valleys were widespread, among them a landslide that dammed the Kali Gandaki River. Overtopping of the landslide dam resulted in a flash flood downstream, though casualties were prevented because of timely evacuation of low-lying areas. We hindcast the flood using the BREACH physically based dam-break model for upstream hydrograph generation, and compared the resulting maximum flow rate with those resulting from various empirical formulas and a simplified hydrograph based on published observations. Subsequent modeling of downstream flood propagation was compromised by a coarse-resolution digital elevation model with several artifacts. Thus, we used a digital-elevation-model preprocessing technique that combined carving and smoothing to derive topographic data. We then applied the 1-dimensional HEC-RAS model for downstream flood routing, and compared it to the 2-dimensional Delft-FLOW model. Simulations were validated using rectified frames of a video recorded by a resident during the flood in the village of Beni, allowing estimation of maximum flow depth and speed. Results show that hydrological smoothing is necessary when using coarse topographic data (such as SRTM or ASTER, as using raw topography underestimates flow depth and speed and overestimates flood wave arrival lag time. Results also show that the 2-dimensional model produces more accurate results than the 1-dimensional model but the 1-dimensional model generates a more conservative result and can be run in a much shorter time. Therefore, a 2-dimensional model is recommended for hazard assessment and planning, whereas a 1-dimensional model would facilitate real-time warning declaration.

Physical Modeling of Landslide Generated Tsunamis and the 50th Anniversary of the Vajont Dam Disaster

Science.gov (United States)

McFall, Brian C.; Mohammed, Fahad; Fritz, Hermann M.

2013-04-01

The Vajont river is an affluent of the Piave River located in the Dolomite Alps of the Veneto Region, about 100km north of Venice. A 265.5 m high double curved arch dam was built across a V-shaped gorge creating a reservoir with a maximum storage capacity of 0.169 km3. A maximum water depth of 250 m was reached by early September 1963 during the third filling attempt of the reservoir, but as creeping on the southern flank increased the third reservoir draw down was initiated. By October 9, 1963 the water depth was lowered to 240m as the southern flank of Vajont reservoir catastrophically collapsed on a length of more than 2km. Collapse occurred during reservoir drawdown in a final attempt to reduce flank creeping and the reservoir was only about two-thirds full. The partially submerged rockslide with a volume of 0.24 km3 penetrated into the reservoir at velocities up to 30 m/s. The wave runup in direct prolongation of slide axis reached the lowest houses of Casso 270m above reservoir level before impact corresponding to 245m above dam crest (Müller, 1964). The rockslide deposit came within 50m of the left abutment and towers up to 140m above the dam crest. The lateral spreading of the surge overtopped the dam crest by more than 100m. The thin arch dam withstood the overtopping and sustained no damage to the structural shell and the abutments. The flood wave dropped more than 500m down the Vajont gorge and into the Piave Valley causing utter destruction to the villages of Longarone, Pirago, Villanova, Rivalta and Fae. More than 2000 persons perished. The Vajont disaster highlights an extreme landslide tsunami event in the narrowly confined water body of a reservoir. Landslide tsunami hazards exist even in areas not exposed to tectonic tsunamis. Source and runup scenarios based on real world events are physically modeled in the three dimensional NEES tsunami wave basin (TWB) at Oregon State University (OSU). A novel pneumatic landslide tsunami generator (LTG) was

33 CFR 162.220 - Hoover Dam, Lake Mead, and Lake Mohave (Colorado River), Ariz.-Nev.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Hoover Dam, Lake Mead, and Lake... REGULATIONS § 162.220 Hoover Dam, Lake Mead, and Lake Mohave (Colorado River), Ariz.-Nev. (a) Lake Mead and... the axis of Hoover Dam and that portion of Lake Mohave (Colorado River) extending 4,500 feet...

Debris flow from 2012 failure of moraine-dammed lake, Three Fingered Jack volcano, Mount Jefferson Wilderness, Oregon

Science.gov (United States)

Sherrod, David R.; Wills, Barton B.

2014-01-01

In the late spring or early summer of 2012, a flood emanated from a small moraine-dammed lake on the northeast flank of Three Fingered Jack in the Mount Jefferson Wilderness. Channel erosion or slope collapse breached the natural dam of the lake, leading to a sudden lowering of lake level by 2.8 m and discharge of 12,700 cubic meters (m3) of water. The resulting debris flow formed a bouldery deposit extending about 0.35 km downslope.

Rise and fall of a small ice-dammed lake - Role of deglaciation processes and morphology

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Nehyba, Slavomír; Hanáček, Martin; Engel, Zbyněk; Stachoň, Zdeněk

2017-10-01

A small ice-dammed lake, which developed along the margin of Nordenskiöldbreen on the northern coast of Adolfbukta, (central Spitsbergen, Svalbard) has been studied by a combination of facies analysis, ground penetrating radar, analysis of photos and satellite imagery, and by surface mapping by Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (drone). The lake existed between the years 1990-2012 and occupied two partial depressions in the bedrock, separated by a bedrock ridge for the dominant period of its history. Whereas the eastern depression was almost completely infilled due to direct fluvial input, the western depression revealed only thin sedimentary cover and was dotted from the eastern depression by an outflow of surficial waters. Gilbert delta deposits with typical tripartite zones of topset, foreset and bottomset were recognised in the eastern depression. Topset was comprised by deposits of a braided river. Foreset is formed by deposits of sediment gravity flows (turbidity currents and debris flows). Bottomset is represented by alternating suspension deposits and deposits of hyperpycnal underflows (low-density turbidity currents). The ruling factors of the evolution of the delta were glacier retreat, bedrock morphology, both affecting the relative lake level, and the rate of sediment delivery. Glacier retreat over stepped and inclined bedrock morphology led to delta prograding and downstepping. The recognised fluvio-deltaic terraces revealed four lake level falls followed by fluvial downcutting, erosion and redeposition of the older deltaic/lake deposits, the shifting of the lake's position towards the damming glacier and the transition of the sediment input in the same direction. The termination of the lake was a result of further glacier retreat and the opening of subglacial drainage.

Satellite Monitoring and Characterization of the 2010 Rockslide-Dammed Lake Gojal, North Pakistan

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Leonard, G. J.; Kargel, J. S.; Crippen, R. E.; Evans, S. G.; Delaney, K. B.; Schneider, J. F.

2010-12-01

On January 4, 2010, a landslide blocked the Hunza River at Attabad, northern Pakistan (36.308°N, 74.820°E). The landslide destroyed the village of Attabad killing 19 people, and formed a dam approximately 1200m long, 350 meters wide, and 125 meters high. The flow of the Hunza river was blocked for 144 days, forming Lake Gojal. In addition to inundating several villages and submerging 22 km of the regionally critical Karakoram Highway, >25,000 people have been displaced or remain cut off from overland connection with the rest of the country. Lake overtopping began on May 29 via a 15m deep spillway excavated through the saddle of the dam. Remarkably, the slowly eroding natural structure remains largely intact and currently represents a new geologic feature, although a threat remains from possible catastrophic outburst flooding. We have monitored growth of the lake with multi-temporal satellite imagery collected from ASTER (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal and Reflection Radiometer) and ALI (Advanced Land Imager) sensors. We applied NASA’s ASTER Global Digital Elevation Model (GDEM) and SRTM-3 digital terrain data, along with field data obtained onsite by Schneider, and by Pakistan’s NDMA to derive volumes of the growing lake. Lake size peaked during mid-summer when it was ~22 km long, 12 km2, 119m deep, and contained 540 to 620 Mm3 water (SRTM-3 and GDEM +5m global correction estimates respectively). Our estimates indicated lake volumes three to four times higher than media quotes, and before spillover, were used to improve predictions of possible flood discharge and disaster management planning. Estimates of valley inflow based on a 31-year hydrographic history (Archer, D., 2003, Jour. Hydrology 274, 198-210) are consistent with our volume infilling estimates. As early as April 14 our volume assessments, coupled with hydrographic and seepage data were used to project a spillover date range of May 28-June 2, bracketing the actual overflow date. Additionally, we have

Seasonal deformation and active landslide thickness revealed by spaceborne InSAR observations: a case study of Crescent lake landslide, WA

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Hu, X.; Lu, Z.; Pierson, T. C.; Kramer, R.

2017-12-01

Understanding the precipitation triggering mechanism and quantifying the creeping landslide thickness are important to conduct early warnings and estimate potential failure volume and runout extent. However, it is problematic to use traditional geodetic methods to identify the active landslide boundaries and capture the transient mobility over hilly and vegetated landslide landscape. Here we present a novel InSAR processing strategy to characterize the spatial distribution and temporal behavior of the landslide movement in response to precipitation over Crescent lake landslide, WA using spaceborne SAR data of ALOS-1 PALSAR-1, ALOS-2 PALSAR-2 and Sentinel-1A. Time-series measurements reveal the seasonal deformation of landslide lobe, showing a much larger magnitude compared to the motion at lower elevated terrain expressed by an off-slide GPS station, suggesting an amplified hydrological loading effect associated with thick unconsolidated zone. Thanks to the high temporal resolution of Sentinel-1A and on-slide GPS data, we capture the progressive incipient motions in the wet season, characterized by the elastic slope-normal contraction due to loading during antecedent rainfall, followed by downslope slip and lateral propagation in less than one-month intense precipitation, because the elevated pore pressure and the reduced friction at the basal instigate the shear motion. The proposed threshold precipitation concept, in terms of the intensity and duration, can be an integral part of the landslide warning system. The active thickness can be inverted using three-dimensional (3D) displacement map based on the principle of mass conservation. We extract quasi-3D displacements using two independent (ascending and descending) InSAR measurements assuming that the targets move exclusively along the aspect direction on the slope-parallel plane. This routine of the extraction of quasi-3D displacement and the inversion of active lobe thickness can be utilized in the study of

Challenges in understanding, modelling, and mitigating Lake Outburst Flood Hazard: experiences from Central Asia

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Mergili, Martin; Schneider, Demian; Andres, Norina; Worni, Raphael; Gruber, Fabian; Schneider, Jean F.

2010-05-01

Lake Outburst Floods can evolve from complex process chains like avalanches of rock or ice that produce flood waves in a lake which may overtop and eventually breach glacial, morainic, landslide, or artificial dams. Rising lake levels can lead to progressive incision and destabilization of a dam, to enhanced ground water flow (piping), or even to hydrostatic failure of ice dams which can cause sudden outflow of accumulated water. These events often have a highly destructive potential because a large amount of water is released in a short time, with a high capacity to erode loose debris, leading to a powerful debris flow with a long travel distance. The best-known example of a lake outburst flood is the Vajont event (Northern Italy, 1963), where a landslide rushed into an artificial lake which spilled over and caused a flood leading to almost 2000 fatalities. Hazards from the failure of landslide dams are often (not always) fairly manageable: most breaches occur in the first few days or weeks after the landslide event and the rapid construction of a spillway - though problematic - has solved some hazardous situations (e.g. in the case of Hattian landslide in 2005 in Pakistan). Older dams, like Usoi dam (Lake Sarez) in Tajikistan, are usually fairly stable, though landsildes into the lakes may create floodwaves overtopping and eventually weakening the dams. The analysis and the mitigation of glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) hazard remains a challenge. A number of GLOFs resulting in fatalities and severe damage have occurred during the previous decades, particularly in the Himalayas and in the mountains of Central Asia (Pamir, Tien Shan). The source area is usually far away from the area of impact and events occur at very long intervals or as singularities, so that the population at risk is usually not prepared. Even though potentially hazardous lakes can be identified relatively easily with remote sensing and field work, modeling and predicting of GLOFs (and also

The 2014 Lake Askja rockslide tsunami - optimization of landslide parameters comparing numerical simulations with observed run-up

Science.gov (United States)

Sif Gylfadóttir, Sigríður; Kim, Jihwan; Kristinn Helgason, Jón; Brynjólfsson, Sveinn; Höskuldsson, Ármann; Jóhannesson, Tómas; Bonnevie Harbitz, Carl; Løvholt, Finn

2016-04-01

The Askja central volcano is located in the Northern Volcanic Zone of Iceland. Within the main caldera an inner caldera was formed in an eruption in 1875 and over the next 40 years it gradually subsided and filled up with water, forming Lake Askja. A large rockslide was released from the Southeast margin of the inner caldera into Lake Askja on 21 July 2014. The release zone was located from 150 m to 350 m above the water level and measured 800 m across. The volume of the rockslide is estimated to have been 15-30 million m3, of which 10.5 million m3 was deposited in the lake, raising the water level by almost a meter. The rockslide caused a large tsunami that traveled across the lake, and inundated the shores around the entire lake after 1-2 minutes. The vertical run-up varied typically between 10-40 m, but in some locations close to the impact area it ranged up to 70 m. Lake Askja is a popular destination visited by tens of thousands of tourists every year but as luck would have it, the event occurred near midnight when no one was in the area. Field surveys conducted in the months following the event resulted in an extensive dataset. The dataset contains e.g. maximum inundation, high-resolution digital elevation model of the entire inner caldera, as well as a high resolution bathymetry of the lake displaying the landslide deposits. Using these data, a numerical model of the Lake Askja landslide and tsunami was developed using GeoClaw, a software package for numerical analysis of geophysical flow problems. Both the shallow water version and an extension of GeoClaw that includes dispersion, was employed to simulate the wave generation, propagation, and run-up due to the rockslide plunging into the lake. The rockslide was modeled as a block that was allowed to stretch during run-out after entering the lake. An optimization approach was adopted to constrain the landslide parameters through inverse modeling by comparing the calculated inundation with the observed run

78 FR 77397 - Flood Control Regulations, Marshall Ford Dam (Mansfield Dam and Lake Travis), Colorado River, Texas

Science.gov (United States)

2013-12-23

... Regulations, Marshall Ford Dam (Mansfield Dam and Lake Travis), Colorado River, Texas AGENCY: U.S. Army Corps... Marshall Ford Dam (Mansfield Dam and Lake Travis), Colorado River, Texas. In 1997, the Lower Colorado River... regulations to reflect changes in ownership and responsibilities of flood control management of Marshall Ford...

Relationship between landslide in the western edge of Nitra Upland and coming Siladice dam

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Petrydesova, L.

2010-01-01

Today, implementation of the Siladice dam (hereafter VD) to the Vah river between the towns Hlohovec - Sered mentions more frequently. In connection with this prospective construction the issue of stability of the landslide areas of the western boundary of the Nitrianska upland is coming to spotlight. Impact of landslides on the VD, and contrariwise is not only positive but also negative in nature. Regular monitoring of slope deformations, particularly landslides is important not only for existing water works, but even before their construction phase. A failure of monitoring prior to construction, during construction or during operation VD can lead to major damage not only financial (equity), but also the loss of human lives (Vajont, Italy). The detailed monitoring of slope deformations is performed, the better and the accurate can be identified the causes of the mechanism of slope movements. Use and correlation of different methods of monitoring enable better monitoring of landslide movement. Aim of this paper is to outline briefly the issue of landslides of the area in relation to the future dam. The contribution is focused mainly on the critical (most sensitive) sections, which come into direct contact with VD during its construction and use.

Supporting response with science: the Oso, Washington, landslide

Science.gov (United States)

Godt, J.

2014-12-01

On 22 March 2014 a large, rapidly moving landslide impacted the community of Steelhead Haven, near Oso, Washington, killing 43 people. The slide displaced about 8 million m3 of sand and silt from a 200-m high glacial terrace destroying 40 homes and burying more than 1.0 km of State Route 530. The landslide temporarily dammed the North Fork of the Stillaguamish River flooding an area of about 1.4 km2. The unusually long travel distance, in excess of 700 m from the base of the slope, and apparent speed of the slide led to the great loss of life and destruction. Landslide science was critical in supporting the response to the disaster. Landslide monitoring, process understanding, pre- and post-event high-resolution digital topography, and numerical simulations were used to advise search operations. Recognizing that buildings and their contents were swept tens to hundreds of meters from their original locations, maps of deposit thickness, and estimates of landslide trajectories were used to develop safer and more efficient search strategies. Teams of county, state, and federal scientists, engineers, and specialists were formed to assess the stability of the landslide dam and to monitor stream flow and the level of the lake impounded by the slide, and to assess the geomorphic response of the river to the landslide for gauging future effects on flood hazards and aquatic ecosystems. Another scientific team assessed the threat of additional landslide activity to search operations. This team's activities included establishing a communications protocol among landslide watch officers and search operations, deploying instrument platforms developed for use on volcanoes (Spiders) to remotely detect ground movement by means of GPS technology and to detect vibrations indicative of landslide movement using seismometers. The team was responsible for monitoring and integrating data from the Spiders and other instruments and making determinations with regards to the potential for

Spruce Lake Dam reconstruction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Snyder, G. [SGE Acres Ltd., Fredericton, NB (Canada); Barnard, J. [SGE Acres Ltd., St. John' s, NF (Canada); Vriezen, C. [City of Saint John, NF (Canada); Stephenson, M. [Jacques Whitford Environment Ltd., Fredericton, NB (Canada)

2004-09-01

Spruce Lake Dam was constructed in 1898 as part of the water supply system for Saint John, New Brunswick. The original dam was a 6 meter high, 140 meter long concrete gravity dam with an intake structure at its mid point and an overflow spillway at the left abutment. A rehabilitation project was launched in 2001 to bring the deteriorated dam into conformance with the dam safety guidelines of the Canadian Dam Association. The project criteria included minimal disruption to normal operation of water supply facilities and no negative effect on water quality. The project involved installation of a new low level outlet, removal of a gate house and water intake pipes, replacement of an access road culvert in the spillway channel, and raising the earth dam section by 1.8 meters to allow for increased water storage. The new raised section has an impervious core. The project also involved site and geotechnical investigations as well as hydrotechnical and environmental studies. This presentation described the final design of the remedial work and the environmental permitting procedures. Raising the operating level of the system proved successful as demonstrated by the fewer number of pumping days required after dam rehabilitation. The dam safety assessment under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act began in April 2001, and the rehabilitation was completed by the end of 2002. 1 tab., 8 figs.

Cordova Lake dam hydroelectric generating station case study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kerr, D.; Huxley, J.

1993-01-01

The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources released a Crown owned site to the private water power industry as part of the small hydro site release program initiated by the Ontario Government in the mid 1980's. The Cordova Lake Dam Hydroelectric Generating Station, built on this site, has been in operation since the first week of October, 1992. Since that time, the plant has been operating with less than 1 % down time and has generated over 2,400 MWh of electricity. Algonquin Power Systems is responsible for the management and operations of the plant which includes full time monitoring from the company's Mississauga office and a part time employee at Cordova Lake. Cordova Lake Dam is located on the Crowe River at the outlet of Cordova Lake, approximately 125 kilometers east of Toronto, Ontario. The total cost of the Cordova Lake Dam project was $1.6 million. Algonquin Power contributed 20% equity to the project. Algonquin Power was also responsible for all engineering and geotechnical work and for completing the construction and equipment contracts. 1 tab., 2 figs

33 CFR 208.34 - Norman Dam and Lake Thunderbird, Little River, Okla.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Norman Dam and Lake Thunderbird... OF THE ARMY, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE FLOOD CONTROL REGULATIONS § 208.34 Norman Dam and Lake Thunderbird, Little River, Okla. The Bureau of Reclamation, or its designated agent, shall operate Norman Dam and Lake...

Landslide deposit boundaries for the Little North Santiam River Basin, Oregon

Science.gov (United States)

Sobieszczyk, Steven

2010-01-01

This layer is an inventory of existing landslides deposits in the Little North Santiam River Basin, Oregon (2009). Each landslide deposit shown on this map has been classified according to a number of specific characteristics identified at the time recorded in the GIS database. The classification scheme was developed by the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (Burns and Madin, 2009). Several significant landslide characteristics recorded in the database are portrayed with symbology on this map. The specific characteristics shown for each landslide are the activity of landsliding, landslide features, deep or shallow failure, type of landslide movement, and confidence of landslide interpretation. These landslide characteristics are determined primarily on the basis of geomorphic features, or landforms, observed for each landslide. This work was completed as part of the Master's thesis "Turbidity Monitoring and LiDAR Imagery Indicate Landslides are Primary Source of Suspended-Sediment Load in the Little North Santiam River Basin, Oregon, Winter 2009-2010" by Steven Sobieszczyk, Portland State University and U.S. Geological Survey.Data layers in this geodatabase include: landslide deposit boundaries (Deposits); field-verfied location imagery (Photos); head scarp or scarp flanks (Scarp_Flanks); and secondary scarp features (Scarps).The geodatabase template was developed by the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (Burns and Madin, 2009).

Ice-Dammed Lake Drainage Evolution at Russell Glacier, West Greenland

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Jonathan L. Carrivick

2017-11-01

Full Text Available KEY POINTS/HIGHLIGHTSTwo rapid ice-dammed lake drainage events gauged and ice dam geometry measured.A melt enlargement model is developed to examine the evolution of drainage mechanism(s.Lake temperature dominated conduit melt enlargement and we hypothesize a flotation trigger.Glaciological and hydraulic factors that control the timing and mechanisms of glacier lake outburst floods (GLOFs remain poorly understood. This study used measurements of lake level at 15 min intervals and known lake bathymetry to calculate lake outflow during two GLOF events from the northern margin of Russell Glacier, west Greenland. We used measured ice surface elevation, interpolated subglacial topography and likely conduit geometry to inform a melt enlargement model of the outburst evolution. The model was tuned to best-fit the hydrograph rising limb and timing of peak discharge in both events; it achieved Mean Absolute Errors of <5%. About one third of the way through the rising limb, conduit melt enlargement became the dominant drainage mechanism. Lake water temperature, which strongly governed the enlargement rate, preconditioned the high peak discharge and short duration of these floods. We hypothesize that both GLOFs were triggered by ice dam flotation, and localized hydraulic jacking sustained most of their early-stage outflow, explaining the particularly rapid water egress in comparison to that recorded at other ice-marginal lakes. As ice overburden pressure relative to lake water hydraulic head diminished, flow became confined to a subglacial conduit. This study has emphasized the inter-play between ice dam thickness and lake level, drainage timing, lake water temperature and consequently rising stage lake outflow and flood evolution.

Review Article: Lake and breach hazard assessment for moraine-dammed lakes: an example from the Cordillera Blanca (Peru

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A. Emmer

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs and related debris flows represent a significant threat in high mountainous areas across the globe. It is necessary to quantify this threat so as to mitigate their catastrophic effects. Complete GLOF hazard assessment incorporates two phases: the probability of water release from a given glacial lake is estimated through lake and breach hazard assessment while the endangered areas are identified during downstream hazard assessment. This paper outlines a number of methods of lake and breach hazard assessment, which can be grouped into three categories: qualitative, of which we outline eight; semi-quantitative, of which we outline two; and quantitative, of which we outline three. It is considered that five groups of critical parameters are essential for an accurate regionally focused hazard assessment method for moraine-dammed lakes in the Cordillera Blanca. These comprise the possibility of dynamic slope movements into the lake, the possibility of a flood wave from a lake situated upstream, the possibility of dam rupture following a large earthquake, the size of the dam freeboard (or ratio of dam freeboard, and a distinction between natural dams and those with remedial work. It is shown that none of the summarised methods uses all these criteria with, at most, three of the five considered by the outlined methods. A number of these methods were used on six selected moraine-dammed lakes in the Cordillera Blanca: lakes Quitacocha, Checquiacocha, Palcacocha, Llaca, Rajucolta, and Tararhua. The results have been compared and show that each method has certain advantages and disadvantages when used in this region. These methods demonstrate that the most hazardous lake is Lake Palcacocha.

Dam geology and basic treatment(2). Adit substitution technique and measures against landslide involved in excavation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shimizu, Kin' ichi [Kinki Geological Center, Co. Ltd., Kyoto, Japan (JP)

1988-12-25

This paper discusses the adit substitution technique which is a method for special treatment of dams and measures against landslide involved in excavation. The adit substitution technique consists of excavating an adit in the natural ground, excavating another adit which is in contact with the first adit and is at a level higher than the first adit, placing concrete from the upper adit to the lower adit to fill first adit completely with concrete, excavating a third adit, filling the second adit with concrete similarly, and proceeding with this process to construct a water barrier within the natural ground until the water barrier reaches the required height. The paper explains examples of this technique used on four dams. It also explains examples of measures against excavation-induced landslide adopted on three dams. 13 refs., 8 figs., 2 tabs.

Phytoplankton composition of Sazlidere Dam lake, Istanbul, Turkey

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Nese Yilmaz

2013-05-01

Full Text Available The phytoplankton composition of Sazlidere Dam lake was studied at 5 sampling sites between December 2003 - November 2005. A total of 67 taxa were recorded, representing Bacillariophyta (31, Chlorophyta (18, Cyanophyta (9, Chrysophyta (1, Cryptophyta (1, Dinophyta (3 and Euglenophyta (4. Bacillariophyta members constituted the dominant phytoplankton group in terms of species number. Nygaard’s compound index value and composition of phytoplankton indicate that the trophic state of Sazlidere Dam lake was changing from oligotrophic to mesotrophic.

Small scale karst features (tube karren) as evidence of a latest Quaternary fossil landslide

Science.gov (United States)

Stöger, Tobias; Plan, Lukas; Draganits, Erich

2017-04-01

At least since 1933 numerous small dissolutional holes in the ceilings of overhangs and small caves have been known from a restricted area in the Northern Calcareous Alps in Lower Austria but not investigated yet. These tube-shaped structures are a few centimetres in diameter, more or less vertical, taper upwards, are closed at the top and penetrate some tens of centimetres into the Middle Triassic limestone. Very similar features were described by Simms (2002) from the shores of three lakes in western Ireland and termed Röhrenkarren or tube karren. According to his model they formed by condensation corrosion within air pockets trapped by seasonal floods. The features investigated in the present study occur on both sides of a valley in the north eastern part of the Northern Calcareous Alps south of the city Sankt Pölten. Presently there is no lake and so far no paleo lake is known from this area. Based on airborne laser scanning data and field observations in a narrow section of the valley downstream of the tube karren sites, a previously unknown potential fossil landslide was discovered. The clayey silty sediments upstream of the landslide are interpreted as palaeo-lake sediments. This interpretation is supported by the existence of abundant dragonfly eggs within these deposits. The same fine-grained sediments are partly also found inside the tube karren. These observations are interpreted that a landslide-dammed palaeo-lake formed due to the mass movement that blocked the river and the tube karren were formed by seasonal fluctuations of the lake level. Geochronological dating of calcite crusts covering the karren and of the organic material of the dragonfly eggs are on the way. As the karren features look quite fresh and unweathered and from the diffuse shape of the landslide a late Quaternary age is estimated. References Simms, M.J. 2002. The origin of enigmatic, tubular, lake-shore karren: a mechanism for rapid dissolution of limestone in carbonate

33 CFR 208.32 - Sanford Dam and Lake Meredith, Canadian River, Tex.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Sanford Dam and Lake Meredith... OF THE ARMY, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE FLOOD CONTROL REGULATIONS § 208.32 Sanford Dam and Lake Meredith, Canadian River, Tex. The Bureau of Reclamation, or its designated agent, shall operate the Sanford Dam and...

Surficial geologic map of the Red Rock Lakes area, southwest Montana

Science.gov (United States)

Pierce, Kenneth L.; Chesley-Preston, Tara L.; Sojda, Richard L.

2014-01-01

The Centennial Valley and Centennial Range continue to be formed by ongoing displacement on the Centennial fault. The dominant fault movement is downward, creating space in the valley for lakes and the deposition of sediment. The Centennial Valley originally drained to the northeast through a canyon now represented by a chain of lakes starting with Elk Lake. Subsequently, large landslides blocked and dammed the drainage, which created Lake Centennial, in the Centennial Valley. Sediments deposited in this late Pleistocene lake underlie much of the valley floor and rest on permeable sand and gravel deposited when the valley drained to the northeast. Cold Pleistocene climates enhanced colluvial supply of gravelly sediment to mountain streams and high peak flows carried gravelly sediment into the valley. There, the lower gradient of the streams resulted in deposition of alluvial fans peripheral to Lake Centennial as the lake lowered through time to the level of the two present lakes. Pleistocene glaciers formed in the high Centennial Range, built glacial moraines, and also supplied glacial outwash to the alluvial fans. Winds from the west and south blew sand to the northeast side of the valley building up high dunes. The central part of the map area is flat, sloping to the west by only 0.6 meters in 13 kilometers (2 feet in 8 miles) to form a watery lowland. This lowland contains Upper and Lower Red Rock Lakes, many ponds, and peat lands inside the “water plane,” above which are somewhat steeper slopes. The permeable sands and gravels beneath Lake Centennial sediments provide a path for groundwater recharged from the adjacent uplands. This groundwater leaks upward through Lake Centennial sediments and sustains wetland vegetation into late summer. Upper and Lower Red Rock Lakes are formed by alluvial-fan dams. Alluvial fans converge from both the south and the north to form outlet thresholds that dam the two shallow lakes upstream. The surficial geology aids in

33 CFR 208.19 - Marshall Ford Dam and Reservoir (Mansfield Dam and Lake Travis), Colorado River, Tex.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Marshall Ford Dam and Reservoir... Marshall Ford Dam and Reservoir (Mansfield Dam and Lake Travis), Colorado River, Tex. The Secretary of the Interior, through his agent, the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) shall operate the Marshall Ford Dam...

The Sasso Pizzuto landslide dam and seismically induced rockfalls along the Nera River gorge (Central Italy).

Science.gov (United States)

Romeo, Saverio; Di Matteo, Lucio; Melelli, Laura; Cencetti, Corrado; Dragoni, Walter; Fredduzzi, Andrea; De Rosa, Pierluigi

2017-04-01

taking into account the inclination, horizontal, vertical and slope distance. Through topographical calculations and GIS analysis, it has been possible to reconstruct the size and shape of debris accumulation estimating a volume of about 70000 m3 (±8000 m3 due to measurements accuracy). This agrees with qualitative measures independently performed. The maximum distance between the debris accumulation and rockfall source area is about 200 m; the altitude difference is 270 m. The landslide debris partially dammed the Nera River, generating a lake upstream: currently the stream is flowing on the road among debris.

33 CFR 208.29 - Arbuckle Dam and Lake of the Arbuckles, Rock Creek, Okla.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Arbuckle Dam and Lake of the..., DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE FLOOD CONTROL REGULATIONS § 208.29 Arbuckle Dam and Lake of the... Dam and Lake of the Arbuckles in the interest of flood control as follows: (a) Flood control storage...

Drainage of ice-dammed lakes and glacier retreat - a link

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kjeldsen, Kristian Kjellerup; Kjaer, K. H.; Rysgaard, Søren

2011-01-01

surface freshwater run-off is found in the top of the water column in the fjord while sub-glacial meltwater is entrained deeper in the water column. The latter is highly important as this colder buoyant freshwater is pushed to the water surface followed by a compensating deeper landward current bringing...... in the fjord. The large quantity of buoyant freshwater changed the osmotic pressure and pushed redfish to the water surface causing them to die from divers disease. Further investigation suggested that three ice-dammed lakes adjacent to the Narssap Sermia glacier had drained within the previous year. Analysis......-30 times the volume of an ice-dammed lake prior to drainage. The warm water influx in turn causes the glacier to retreat and to gradually become thinner which feeds back to an increase in drainage events of ice-dammed lakes over time. On a larger scale the feedback mechanism between the drainage of lakes...

Drainage of the ice-dammed Lake Tinninilik, West Greenland; implication on bedrock uplift

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kjeldsen, Kristian Kjellerup; Khan, Shfaqat Abbas; Bjørk, Anders Anker

Drainage of ice-dammed lakes is regularly observed along the margin of the Greenland Ice Sheet. However, the speed of the drainage events and implications can vary depending on the size of the lakes and the local settings. Here, we assess the drainage pattern of Lake Tinninilik, dammed...

Assessment of landslide hazards resulting from the February 13, 2001, El Salvador earthquake; a report to the government of El Salvador and the U. S. Agency for International Development

Science.gov (United States)

Baum, Rex L.; Crone, Anthony J.; Escobar, Demetreo; Harp, Edwin L.; Major, Jon J.; Martinez, Mauricio; Pullinger, Carlos; Smith, Mark E.

2001-01-01

On February 13, 2001, a magnitude 6.5 earthquake occurred about 40 km eastsoutheast of the capital city of San Salvador in central El Salvador and triggered thousands of landslides in the area east of Lago de Ilopango. The landslides are concentrated in a 2,500-km2 area and are particularly abundant in areas underlain by thick deposits of poorly consolidated, late Pleistocene and Holocene Tierra Blanca rhyolitic tephras that were erupted from Ilopango caldera. Drainages in the tephra deposits are deeply incised, and steep valley walls failed during the strong shaking. Many drainages are clogged with landslide debris that locally buries the adjacent valley floor. The fine grain-size of the tephra facilitates its easy mobilization by rainfall runoff. The potential for remobilizing the landslide debris as debris flows and in floods is significant as this sediment is transported through the drainage systems during the upcoming rainy season. In addition to thousands of shallow failures, two very large landslides occurred that blocked the Rio El Desague and the Rio Jiboa. The Rio El Desague landslide has an estimated volume of 1.5 million m3, and the Rio Jiboa landslide has an estimated volume of 12 million m3. Field studies indicate that catastrophic draining of the Rio El Desague landslide-dammed lake would pose a minimal flooding hazard, whereas catastrophic draining of the Rio Jiboa lake would pose a serious hazard and warrants immediate action. Construction of a spillway across part of the dam could moderate the impact of catastrophic lake draining and the associated flood. Two major slope failures on the northern side of Volcan San Vicente occurred in the upper reaches of Quebrada Del Muerto and the Quebrada El Blanco. The landslide debris in the Quebrada Del Muerto consists dominantly of blocks of well-lithified andesite, whereas the debris in the Quebrada El Blanco consists of poorly consolidated pyroclastic sediment. The large blocks of lithified rock in

Efficiency testing of Red Lake protection dam on Rosu stream by 210Pb method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Robert-Csaba Begy; Hedvig Simon; Edina Reizer

2015-01-01

The Red lake, a small lake from Romania is threatened by massive sedimentation, therefore two protection dams were constructed on Oii and Rosu brooks. The aim of this study is to get information about the variation of the retention capability of the dams using the 210 Pb method. 210 Pb, 226 Ra and 137 Cs were measured by gamma- and 210 Po by alpha spectrometry. The values for mass sedimentation are between 0.17 ± 0.03-2.3 ± 0.4 g/cm 2 y for the Red Lake and 0.21 ± 0.03-0.9 ± 0.1 g/cm 2 y for the dam lake. Due to these high values, the dam lake will fill up in 20 ± 8y and 80 % of the Red Lake in 81 ± 30y. (author)

Reconstructing Sediment Supply, Transport and Deposition Behind the Elwha River Dams

Science.gov (United States)

Beveridge, C.

2017-12-01

The Elwha River watershed in Olympic National Park of Washington State, USA is predominantly a steep, mountainous landscape where dominant geomorphic processes include landslides, debris flows and gullying. The river is characterized by substantial variability of channel morphology and fluvial processes, and alternates between narrow bedrock canyons and wider alluvial reaches for much of its length. Literature suggests that the Elwha watershed is topographically and tectonically in steady state. The removal of the two massive hydropower dams along the river in 2013 marked the largest dam removal in history. Over the century long lifespan of the dams, approximately 21 million cubic meters of sediment was impounded behind them. Long term erosion rates documented in this region and reservoir sedimentation data give unprecedented opportunities to test watershed sediment yield models and examine dominant processes that control sediment yield over human time scales. In this study, we aim to reconstruct sediment supply, transport and deposition behind the Glines Canyon Dam (most upstream dam) over its lifespan using a watershed modeling approach. We developed alternative models of varying complexity for sediment production and transport at the network scale driven by hydrologic forcing. We simulate sediment supply and transport in tributaries upstream of the dam. The modeled sediment supply and transport dynamics are based on calibrated formulae (e.g., bedload transport is simulated using Wilcock-Crowe 2003 with modification based on observed bedload transport in the Elwha River). Observational data that aid in our approach include DEM, channel morphology, meteorology, and streamflow and sediment (bedload and suspended load) discharge. We aim to demonstrate how the observed sediment yield behind the dams was influenced by upstream transport supply and capacity limitations, thereby demonstrating the scale effects of flow and sediment transport processes in the Elwha River

National Dam Safety Program. Clove Lake Dam (NJ 00259) Delaware River Basin, Shimers Brook, Sussex County, New Jersey. Phase I Inspection Report.

Science.gov (United States)

1981-08-01

it be reclassified as low hazard. The spillway will pass the 100-year flood and is considered adequate. e. Ownership. The dam is owned by Clubhouse ...Associates. For information, contact Mr. Gerald Roby, Clubhouse Associates, RD 4, Box 108, Montague, New Jersey 07827. f. Purpose. The Clove Lake Dam...into what appears to be a man-made lake downstream of Clove Lake Dam about 0.5 mile. Although no homes are presently constructed around this downstream

Satellite Monitoring of Pakistan's Rockslide-Dammed Lake Gojal

Science.gov (United States)

Kargel, Jeffrey S.; Leonard, Gregory; Crippen, Robert E.; Delaney, Keith B.; Evans, Stephen G.; Schneider, Jean

2010-10-01

On 4 January 2010, a rockslide 1200 meters long, 350 meters wide, and 125 meters high dammed the Hunza River in Attabad, northern Pakistan, and formed Lake Gojal. The initial mass movement of rock killed 20 people and submerged several villages and 22 kilometers of the strategic Karakoram Highway linking Pakistan and China. Tens of thousands of people were displaced or cut off from overland connection with the rest of the country. On 29 May, the lake overflow began to pour through a spillway excavated by Pakistani authorities. On approximately 20 July, the lake attained a maximum depth of 119 meters and a torrent at least 9 meters deep issued over the spillway, according to Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). To date, the natural dam is holding and eroding slowly. However, the threat of a catastrophic outburst flood remains.

Spatial distribution and temporal development of high-mountain lakes in western Austria

Science.gov (United States)

Merkl, Sarah; Emmer, Adam; Mergili, Martin

2015-04-01

Glacierized high-mountain environments are characterized by active morphodynamics, favouring the rapid appearance and disappearance of lakes. On the one hand, such lakes indicate high-mountain environmental changes such as the retreat of glaciers. On the other hand, they are sometimes susceptible to sudden drainage, leading to glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) putting the downstream population at risk. Whilst high-mountain lakes have been intensively studied in the Himalayas, the Pamir, the Andes or the Western Alps, this is not the case for the Eastern Alps. A particular research gap, which is attacked with the present work, concerns the western part of Austria. We consider a study area of approx. 6,140 km², covering the central Alps over most of the province of Tyrol and part of the province of Salzburg. All lakes ≥250 m² located higher than 2000 m asl are mapped from high-resolution Google Earth imagery and orthophotos. The lakes are organized into seven classes: (i) ice-dammed; near-glacial (ii) moraine-dammed and (iii) bedrock-dammed; (iv) moraine-dammed and (v) bedrock-dammed distant to the recent glaciers; (vi) landslide-dammed; (vii) anthropogenic. The temporal development of selected lakes is investigated in detail, using aerial photographs dating back to the 1950s. 1045 lakes are identified in the study area. Only eight lakes are ice-dammed (i). One third of all lakes is located in the immediate vicinity of recent glacier tongues, half of them impounded by moraine (ii), half of them by bedrock (iii). Two thirds of all lakes are impounded by features (either moraines or bedrock) shaped by LIA or Pleistocenic glaciers at some distance to the present glacier tongues (iv and v). Only one landslide-dammed lake (vi) is identified in the study area, whilst 21 lakes are of anthropogenic origin (vii). 72% of all lakes are found at 2250-2750 m asl whilst less than 2% are found above 3000 m asl. The ratio of rock-dammed lakes increases with increasing

Glaciolacustrine deposits formed in an ice-dammed tributary valley in the south-central Pyrenees: New evidence for late Pleistocene climate

Science.gov (United States)

Sancho, Carlos; Arenas, Concha; Pardo, Gonzalo; Peña-Monné, José Luis; Rhodes, Edward J.; Bartolomé, Miguel; García-Ruiz, José M.; Martí-Bono, Carlos

2018-04-01

Combined geomorphic features, stratigraphic characteristics and sedimentologic interpretation, coupled with optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dates, of a glacio-fluvio-lacustrine sequence (Linás de Broto, northern Spain) provide new information to understand the palaeoenvironmental significance of dynamics of glacier systems in the south-central Pyrenees during the Last Glacial Cycle (≈130 ka to 14 ka). The Linás de Broto depositional system consisted of a proglacial lake fed primarily by meltwater streams emanating from the small Sorrosal glacier and dammed by a lateral moraine of the Ara trunk glacier. The resulting glacio-fluvio-lacustrine sequence, around 55 m thick, is divided into five lithological units consisting of braided fluvial (gravel deposits), lake margin (gravel and sand deltaic deposits) and distal lake (silt and clay laminites) facies associations. Evolution of the depositional environment reflects three phases of progradation of a high-energy braided fluvial system separated by two phases of rapid expansion of the lake. Fluvial progradation occurred during short periods of ice melting. Lake expansion concurred with ice-dam growth of the trunk glacier. The first lake expansion occurred over a time range between 55 ± 9 ka and 49 ± 11 ka, and is consistent with the age of the Viu lateral moraine (49 ± 8 ka), which marks the maximum areal extent of the Ara glacier during the Last Glacial Cycle. These dates confirm that the maximum areal extent of the glacier occurred during Marine Isotope Stages 4 and 3 in the south-central Pyrenees, thus before the Last Glacial Maximum. The evolution of the Linás de Broto depositional system during this maximum glacier extent was modulated by climate oscillations in the northern Iberian Peninsula, probably related to latitudinal shifts of the atmospheric circulation in the southern North-Atlantic Ocean, and variations in summer insolation intensity.

Digital inventory of landslides and related deposits in Honduras triggered by Hurricane Mitch

Science.gov (United States)

Harp, Edwin L.; Hagaman, Kirk W.; Held, Matthew D.; McKenna, Jonathan P.

2002-01-01

Intense rainfall from Hurricane Mitch from October 27-31, 1998, exceeded 900 mm in places in Honduras and triggered in excess of 500,000 landslides throughout the country. Landslides damaged an estimated 70% of the road network in Honduras based on estimates by the U. S Army Corps of Engineers. Numbers of fatalities due to landslides are not accurately known due to the fact that numerous small villages throughout Honduras lost residents to landslides without an official count being recorded. A conservative estimate would place the number at near 1,000. Debris flows accounted for over 95% of the landslides and ranged in thickness from 1 to 15 m. Flow path lengths of these failures ranged from several meters to 7.5 km. The highest concentrations of debris flows occurred in the mountains near the town of Choluteca where over 900 mm of rain fell in three days. Although landslides other than debris flows were few, several deep-seated landslides in the city of Tegucigalpa severely impacted people and property. The 'El Berrinche' rotational slump/earth flow of approximately six million cubic meters volume destroyed the entire neighborhood of Colonia Soto near the center of the city. The landslide also dammed the Rio Choluteca and created a lagoon behind the landslide dam, which immediately posed a health problem for the city, because raw, untreated sewage was emptying into the Rio Choluteca. Several areas of highly concentrated landslides have been responsible for much of the flooding problem as well. Huge sediment influxes from landslide source areas near La Ceiba, La Libertad, Marale, and in several arms of El Cajon Reservoir have reduced stream capacities to practically nothing and have exacerbated flooding conditions in even the moderate rainfall seasons since Hurricane Mitch. The ongoing hazard to communities from landslides triggered during Hurricane Mitch are being analyzed using aerial photography taken by the U.S. Air Force and by supplemental photography taken

Transient Tsunamis in Lakes

Science.gov (United States)

Couston, L.; Mei, C.; Alam, M.

2013-12-01

A large number of lakes are surrounded by steep and unstable mountains with slopes prone to failure. As a result, landslides are likely to occur and impact water sitting in closed reservoirs. These rare geological phenomena pose serious threats to dam reservoirs and nearshore facilities because they can generate unexpectedly large tsunami waves. In fact, the tallest wave experienced by contemporary humans occurred because of a landslide in the narrow bay of Lituya in 1958, and five years later, a deadly landslide tsunami overtopped Lake Vajont's dam, flooding and damaging villages along the lakefront and in the Piave valley. If unstable slopes and potential slides are detected ahead of time, inundation maps can be drawn to help people know the risks, and mitigate the destructive power of the ensuing waves. These maps give the maximum wave runup height along the lake's vertical and sloping boundaries, and can be obtained by numerical simulations. Keeping track of the moving shorelines along beaches is challenging in classical Eulerian formulations because the horizontal extent of the fluid domain can change over time. As a result, assuming a solid slide and nonbreaking waves, here we develop a nonlinear shallow-water model equation in the Lagrangian framework to address the problem of transient landslide-tsunamis. In this manner, the shorelines' three-dimensional motion is part of the solution. The model equation is hyperbolic and can be solved numerically by finite differences. Here, a 4th order Runge-Kutta method and a compact finite-difference scheme are implemented to integrate in time and spatially discretize the forced shallow-water equation in Lagrangian coordinates. The formulation is applied to different lake and slide geometries to better understand the effects of the lake's finite lengths and slide's forcing mechanism on the generated wavefield. Specifically, for a slide moving down a plane beach, we show that edge-waves trapped by the shoreline and free

Natural and artificial radioactivity assessment of dam lakes sediments in Coruh River, Turkey

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yasar Kobya; Sabit Korcak; Cafer Mert Yesilkanat

2015-01-01

In the sediment samples collected from 3 different dam reservoirs and 10 different stations on Coruh River, U-238, Th-232, K-40 and Cs-137 activity concentration levels were measured using high-resolution gamma-ray spectrometry. The mean concentrations of U-238, Th-232, K-40 and Cs-137 were found to be 15.8, 13.9, 551.5 and 18.1 Bq/kg in Deriner Dam Lake, 3.7, 12.5, 473.8 and 6.8 Bq/kg in Borcka Dam Lake, 14.4, 30.0, 491.7 and 18.2 Bq/kg in Muratli Dam Lake, respectively. Estimation calculations were made for the non-sampling zones by using Kriging method. Furthermore, results were compared with the similar studies done in different countries. (author)

Fault-dominated deformation in an ice dam during annual filling and drainage of a marginal lake

Science.gov (United States)

Walder, J.S.; Trabant, D.C.; Cunico, M.; Anderson, S.P.; Anderson, R. Scott; Fountain, A.G.; Malm, A.

2005-01-01

Ice-dammed Hidden Creek Lake, Alaska, USA, outbursts annually in about 2-3 days. As the lake fills, a wedge of water penetrates beneath the glacier, and the surface of this 'ice dam' rises; the surface then falls as the lake drains. Detailed optical surveying of the glacier near the lake allows characterization of ice-dam deformation. Surface uplift rate is close to the rate of lake-level rise within about 400 m of the lake, then decreases by 90% over about 100 m. Such a steep gradient in uplift rate cannot be explained in terms of ice-dam flexure. Moreover, survey targets spanning the zone of steep uplift gradient move relative to one another in a nearly reversible fashion as the lake fills and drains. Evidently, the zone of steep uplift gradient is a fault zone, with the faults penetrating the entire thickness of the ice dam. Fault motion is in a reverse sense as the lake fills, but in a normal sense as the lake drains. As the overall fault pattern is the same from year to year, even though ice is lost by calving, the faults must be regularly regenerated, probably by linkage of surface and bottom crevasses as ice is advected toward the lake basin.

Ice-dammed lake drainage evolution at Russell Glacier, west Greenland

Science.gov (United States)

Carrivick, Jonathan L.; Tweed, Fiona S.; Ng, Felix; Quincey, Duncan J.; Mallalieu, Joseph; Ingeman-Nielsen, Thomas; Mikkelsen, Andreas B.; Palmer, Steven J.; Yde, Jacob C.; Homer, Rachel; Russell, Andrew J.; Hubbard, Alun

2017-11-01

Glaciological and hydraulic factors that control the timing and mechanisms of glacier lake outburst floods (GLOFs) remain poorly understood. This study used measurements of lake level at fifteen minute intervals and known lake bathymetry to calculate lake outflow during two GLOF events from the northern margin of Russell Glacier, west Greenland. We used measured ice surface elevation, interpolated subglacial topography and likely conduit geometry to inform a melt enlargement model of the outburst evolution. The model was tuned to best-fit the hydrograph’s rising limb and timing of peak discharge in both events; it achieved Mean Absolute Errors of Lake water temperature, which strongly governed the enlargement rate, preconditioned the high peak discharge and short duration of these floods. We hypothesize that both GLOFs were triggered by ice dam flotation, and localised hydraulic jacking sustained most of their early-stage outflow, explaining the particularly rapid water egress in comparison to that recorded at other ice-marginal lakes. As ice overburden pressure relative to lake water hydraulic head diminished, flow became confined to a subglacial conduit. This study has emphasised the inter-play between ice dam thickness and lake level, drainage timing, lake water temperature and consequently rising stage lake outflow and flood evolution.

Field, Laboratory and Imaging spectroscopic Analysis of Landslide, Debris Flow and Flood Hazards in Lacustrine, Aeolian and Alluvial Fan Deposits Surrounding the Salton Sea, Southern California

Science.gov (United States)

Hubbard, B. E.; Hooper, D. M.; Mars, J. C.

2015-12-01

High resolution satellite imagery, field spectral measurements using a portable ASD spectrometer, and 2013 hyperspectral AVIRIS imagery were used to evaluate the age of the Martinez Mountain Landslide (MML) near the Salton Sea, in order to determine the relative ages of adjacent alluvial fan surfaces and the potential for additional landslides, debris flows, and floods. The Salton Sea (SS) occupies a pluvial lake basin, with ancient shorelines ranging from 81 meters to 113 meters above the modern lake level. The highest shoreline overlaps the toe of the 0.24 - 0.38 km3 MML deposit derived from hydrothermally altered granites exposed near the summit of Martinez Mountain. The MML was originally believed to be of early Holocene age. However, AVIRIS mineral maps show abundant desert varnish on the top and toe of the landslide. Desert varnish can provide a means of relative dating of alluvial fan (AF) or landslide surfaces, as it accumulates at determinable rates over time. Based on the 1) highest levels of desert varnish accumulation mapped within the basin, 2) abundant evaporite playa minerals on top of the toe of the landslide, and 3) the highest shoreline of the ancestral lake overtopping the toe of the landslide with gastropod and bivalve shells, we conclude that the MML predates the oldest alluvial fan terraces and lake sediments exposed in the Coachella and Imperial valleys and must be older than early Holocene (i.e. Late Pleistocene?). Thus, the MML landslide has the potential to be used as a spectral endmember for desert varnish thickness and thus proxy for age discrimination of active AF washes versus desert pavements. Given the older age of the MML landslide and low water levels in the modern SS, the risk from future rockslides of this size and related seiches is rather low. However, catastrophic floods and debris flows do occur along the most active AF channels; and the aftermath of such flows can be identified spectrally by montmorillonite crusts forming in

Crotch Lake dam rehabilitation project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brunet, G.; Dobrowolski, E.

1999-01-01

Replacement of the existing wood crib dam structure on Crotch Lake on the Mississippi River in eastern Ontario that provided water storage for the power production at High Falls Generating Station, became necessary when it was determined that the dam did not meet Ontario-Hydro's safety standards. This paper describes the project of replacing the existing structure with a PVC coated gabion wall with waterproofing. The entire structure was covered with three layers of wire mesh, laced together, and criss-crossed for superior strength and rigidity. The work was completed in 28 days with no environmental impact . Life expectancy of the new structure is in excess of 40 years. With periodic maintenance of the gabion mat cover, life span could be extended an additional 20 to 40 years. 5 figs

Assessing the potential hydrological impact of the Gibe III Dam on Lake Turkana water level using multi-source satellite data

Science.gov (United States)

Velpuri, N. M.; Senay, G. B.

2012-10-01

Lake Turkana, the largest desert lake in the world, is fed by ungauged or poorly gauged river systems. To meet the demand of electricity in the East African region, Ethiopia is currently building the Gibe III hydroelectric dam on the Omo River, which supplies more than 80% of the inflows to Lake Turkana. On completion, the Gibe III dam will be the tallest dam in Africa with a height of 241 m. However, the nature of interactions and potential impacts of regulated inflows to Lake Turkana are not well understood due to its remote location and unavailability of reliable in situ datasets. In this study, we used 12 yr (1998-2009) of existing multi-source satellite and model-assimilated global weather data. We used a calibrated multi-source satellite data-driven water balance model for Lake Turkana that takes into account model routed runoff, lake/reservoir evapotranspiration, direct rain on lakes/reservoirs and releases from the dam to compute lake water levels. The model evaluates the impact of the Gibe III dam using three different approaches - a historical approach, a rainfall based approach, and a statistical approach to generate rainfall-runoff scenarios. All the approaches provided comparable and consistent results. Model results indicated that the hydrological impact of the Gibe III dam on Lake Turkana would vary with the magnitude and distribution of rainfall post-dam commencement. On average, the reservoir would take up to 8-10 months, after commencement, to reach a minimum operation level of 201 m depth of water. During the dam filling period, the lake level would drop up to 1-2 m (95% confidence) compared to the lake level modeled without the dam. The lake level variability caused by regulated inflows after the dam commissioning were found to be within the natural variability of the lake of 4.8 m. Moreover, modeling results indicated that the hydrological impact of the Gibe III dam would depend on the initial lake level at the time of dam commencement. Areas

Wynoochee Lake and dam flood storage reevaluation study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lynch, C.J.

1993-01-01

With the desire to increase the revenue generating potential of the Wynoochee Lake and Dam Project the cities of Tacoma and Aberdeen, Washington, have pursued the potential for retrofitting a hydropower plant at the dam. The feasibility of the hydropower plant is dependent on higher average head for power generation. This paper discusses the Corps of Engineers reevaluation of the winter flood control requirements with the aim of raising the elevation of the winter operating pool

78 FR 49684 - Safety Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-08-15

...-AA00 Safety Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago... the Safety Zone; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines River, Chicago... the Safety Zone; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines River, Chicago...

Seismic risks at Elsie Lake Main Dam

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McCammon, N.R.; Momenzadeh, M.; Hawson, H.H.; Nielsen, N.M.

1991-01-01

The Elsie Lake dams are located on Vancouver Island in an area of high seismic risk. A safety review in 1986 indicated potential deficiencies in the earthfill main dam with respect to modern earthquake design standards. A detailed field investigation program comprising drilling and penetration tests was carried out and the results used in an assessment of seismic stability. A 0.8 m thick less dense layer in the granular shell of the dam, possibly caused by wet construction conditions, would likely liquefy in a major earthquake but sufficient residual strength would likely remain to prevent catastrophic failure. The dam shell might undergo some distortion, and an assessment was initiated to determine the requirements for reservoir drawdown following an extreme earthquake to ensure the timely lowering of the reservoir for inspection and repair. It was suggested that an adequate evacuation capability would be 25% and 50% drawdown in not more than 30 and 50 days, respectively. 9 refs., 11 figs., 1 tab

76 FR 65609 - Safety Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-10-24

... Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal... Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines River, Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, Chicago... INFORMATION: The Coast Guard will enforce a segment of the Safety Zone; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake...

78 FR 17099 - Safety Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines River, Chicago...

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2013-03-20

...-AA00 Safety Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines River, Chicago... the Safety Zone; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines River, Chicago... Guard will enforce a segment of the Safety Zone; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including...

78 FR 65874 - Safety Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-11-04

...-AA00 Safety Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago... the Safety Zone; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines River, Chicago... Guard will enforce a segment of the Safety Zone; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including...

78 FR 4071 - Safety Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago...

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2013-01-18

...-AA00 Safety Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago... the Safety Zone; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines River, Chicago... Coast Guard will enforce a segment of the Safety Zone; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan...

78 FR 36091 - Safety Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-06-17

... Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago Sanitary and Ship...; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines River, Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal... the Safety Zone; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines River, Chicago...

75 FR 64673 - Safety Zone, Brandon Road Lock and, Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-20

... Zone, Brandon Road Lock and, Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago Sanitary and... Safety Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines River, Chicago Ship and...: The Coast Guard will enforce Safety Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des...

77 FR 65478 - Safety Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines River, Chicago...

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2012-10-29

...-AA00 Safety Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines River, Chicago... the Safety Zone; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines River, Chicago... segment of the Safety Zone; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines River...

76 FR 63199 - Safety Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago...

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2011-10-12

... Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago Sanitary and Ship...; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines River, Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal...; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines River, Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal...

75 FR 64147 - Safety Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago...

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2010-10-19

... Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago Sanitary and Ship...; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines River, Chicago Ship and Sanitary Canal... . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Coast Guard will enforce Safety Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan...

77 FR 60044 - Safety Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-10-02

...-AA00 Safety Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago... the Safety Zone; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines River, Chicago... segment of the Safety Zone; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines River...

Geomorphologically effective floods from moraine-dammed lakes in the Cordillera Blanca, Peru

Science.gov (United States)

Emmer, Adam

2017-12-01

Outburst floods originating in moraine-dammed lakes represent a significant geomorphological process as well as a specific type of threat for local communities in the Cordillera Blanca, Peru (8.5°-10° S; 77°-78° W). An exceptional concentration of catastrophic floods has been reported from the Cordillera Blanca in the first half of 20th Century (1930s-1950s), leading to thousands of fatalities. The main objective of this paper is to provide a revised and comprehensive overview of geomorphologically effective floods in the area of interest, using various documentary data sources, verified by analysis of remotely sensed images (1948-2013) and enhanced by original field data. Verified events (n = 28; 4 not mentioned before) are analysed from the perspective of spatiotemporal distribution, pre-flood conditions, causes, mechanisms and geomorphological impacts as well as socioeconomical consequences, revealing certain patterns and similar features. GLOFs are further classified according to their magnitude: 5 extreme events, 8 major events and 15 minor events are distinguished, referring to the quantified geomorphological and socioeconomical impacts. Selected moraine dams and flood deposits are dated using lichenometric dating. Special attention is given to moraine dam breaches - the most frequent type of water release with the most significant consequences. Selected major events and their consequences are studied in detail in a separate section. Finally, a general schematic model of lake formation, growth and post-flood evolution reflecting initial topographical setting and glacier retreat is introduced and the utilization of the obtained results is outlined.

76 FR 78161 - Safety Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-12-16

... Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago Sanitary and Ship...; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines River, Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal... INFORMATION: The Coast Guard will enforce a segment of the Safety Zone; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake...

77 FR 20295 - Safety Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines River, Chicago...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-04-04

... Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines River, Chicago Sanitary and Ship...; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines River, Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal... enforce a segment of the Safety Zone; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines...

75 FR 73966 - Safety Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-11-30

... Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago Sanitary and Ship...; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines River, Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal... enforce a segment of the Safety Zone; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines...

77 FR 35854 - Safety Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-06-15

... Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago Sanitary and Ship...; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines River, Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal... enforce a segment of the Safety Zone; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines...

78 FR 40635 - Safety Zone; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-07-08

... Zone; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago Sanitary and Ship...; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines River, Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal... Coast Guard will enforce a segment of the Safety Zone; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan...

78 FR 36092 - Safety Zone; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-06-17

... Zone; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago Sanitary and Ship...; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines River, Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal... Coast Guard will enforce a segment of the Safety Zone; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan...

76 FR 2829 - Safety Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-01-18

... Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago Sanitary and Ship...; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines River, Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal... enforce a segment of the Safety Zone; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines...

75 FR 52462 - Safety Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-08-26

... Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago Sanitary and Ship...; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines River, Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal... enforce a segment of the Safety Zone; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines...

Landslides in moraines as triggers of glacial lake outburst floods: example from Palcacocha Lake (Cordillera Blanca, Peru)

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Klimeš, Jan; Novotný, J.; Novotná, I.; Urries de, B.J.; Vilímek, V.; Emmer, Adam; Strozzi, T.; Kusák, Michal; Rapre, A.C.; Hartvich, Filip; Frey, H.

2016-01-01

Roč. 13, č. 6 (2016), s. 1461-1477 ISSN 1612-510X R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GAP209/11/1000 Institutional support: RVO:67985891 ; RVO:67179843 Keywords : landslides * moraines * glacial lakes * slope stability calculation * glacial lake outburst floods * impact wave models * Cordillera Blanca Subject RIV: DE - Earth Magnetism, Geodesy, Geography; DE - Earth Magnetism, Geodesy, Geography (UEK-B) Impact factor: 3.657, year: 2016

Detection to the DepositFan Occurring in the Sun Moon Lake Using Geophysical Sonar Data

Science.gov (United States)

Mimi, L.

2014-12-01

Located in central Taiwan, the Sun Moon Lake is an U-shaped basin with the waters capacity for 138.68 × 106m³. The water is input through two underground tunnels from the Wu-Jie dam in the upstream of the Zhuo-shui river. Although the Wu-Jie dam has been trying to keep the tunnels transporting clean water into the lake, the water is still mixed with muds. The silty water brings the deposits accumulating outwards from positions of the tunnel outlets resulting in a deposit fan formed in the lake. To monitor how the fan is accumulated is then very important in terms of environmental issue, tourism and electric power resources. Institute of Oceanography, National Taiwan University therefore conducted projects to use the multi-beam echo sounders to collect bathymetric data, and used the Chirp sub-bottom profiler to explore silted pattern inside the deposit fan. With these data, underwater topographic maps were plotted to observe the shape and internal structure of the fan. Moreover, two sets of data obtained in 2006 and 2012 were used to estimate the siltation magnitude and pattern in the six years period.The multi-beam sounder is Resons Seabat 9001s model; it collects 60 values in each of the swaths positioned by the DGPS method.The sub-bottom profiler is the EdgeTech 3100P Chirp Sonar, its acoustic wave frequency is in 2 ~ 16kHz. The data give the siltation amount in the Sun Moon Lake was around 3× 106 m³, which gives annual siltation rate at 5× 105 m³. The leading edge of the deposit fan has been expanded westwards 2 km from the water outlet since the tunnel was built 70 years ago; however, outside the deposit fan, the siltation shows insignificant amount on the water bottom.In the past few years the siltation mainly occurs outside in the east side of lake, more closer to the water outlets, the terrain had been increased from 744 m to 746 m (748.5 meters is stranded level of the lake).Observing sub-bottom profiler data, we can clearly see the location of the

Lake Robertson hydroelectric project. Construction of a roller compacted concrete dam

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Labelle, M.; Robitaille, F. [Hydro-Quebec, Montreal, PQ (Canada)

1995-12-31

Construction of the Lake Robertson hydroelectric project on Quebec`s Lower North Shore was discussed in detail. The dam and powerhouse, located on the HaHa River, consists of a 134 m long concrete gravity dam, and a 21 MW powerhouse with two 69 kV transmission lines and four substations. The climate, terrain, and geography of the region, all of them characterized as severe, and the logistics of construction of the dam and power lines, aggravated by the isolation and severe conditions at the site, were described. The roller compacted concrete design and construction were noted, and justification for a concrete dam over an earth-fill dam was provided. Economics, properties, and composition of the roller compacted concrete (RCC) were examined, and control test results for the RCC concrete were provided. The use of RCC for the Lake Robertson development was described as successful in terms of the quality, watertightness, and completion time. The experience gained by the participants will make it possible to offer RCC as an alternative on various other projects. 2 figs.

Integrated Application of Remote Sensing, GIS and Hydrological Modeling to Estimate the Potential Impact Area of Earthquake-Induced Dammed Lakes

OpenAIRE

Bo Cao; Shengmei Yang; Song Ye

2017-01-01

Dammed lakes are an important secondary hazard caused by earthquakes. They can induce further damage to nearby humans. Current hydrology calculation research on dammed lakes usually lacks spatial expressive ability and cannot accurately conduct impact assessment without the support of remote sensing, which obtains important characteristic information of dammed lakes. The current study aims to address the issues of the potential impact area estimate of earthquake-induced dammed lakes by combin...

Preliminary Map of Landslide Deposits in the Mesa Verde National Park Area, Colorado

Science.gov (United States)

Carrara, Paul E.

2009-01-01

This report presents a preliminary map of landslide deposits in the Mesa Verde National Park area (see map sheet) at a compilation scale of 1:50,000. Landslide is a general term for landforms produced by a wide variety of gravity-driven mass movements, including various types of flows, slides, topples and falls, and combinations thereof produced by the slow to rapid downslope transport of surficial materials or bedrock. The map depicts more than 200 landslides ranging in size from small (0.01 square miles) earthflows and rock slumps to large (greater than 0.50 square miles) translational slides and complex landslides (Varnes, 1978). This map has been prepared to provide a regional overview of the distribution of landslide deposits in the Mesa Verde area, and as such constitutes an inventory of landslides in the area. The map is suitable for regional planning to identify broad areas where landslide deposits and processes are concentrated. It should not be used as a substitute for detailed site investigations. Specific areas thought to be subject to landslide hazards should be carefully studied before development. Many of the landslides depicted on this map are probably stable as they date to the Pleistocene (approximately 1.8-0.011 Ma) and hence formed under a different climate regime. However, the recognition of these landslides is important because natural and human-induced factors can alter stability. Reduction of lateral support (by excavations or roadcuts), removal of vegetation (by fire or development), or an increase in pore pressure (by heavy rains) may result in the reactivation of landslides or parts of landslides.

Landslides in the western Columbia Gorge, Skamania County, Washington

Science.gov (United States)

Pierson, Thomas C.; Evarts, Russell C.; Bard, Joseph A.

2016-11-04

SummaryRecent light detection and ranging (lidar) imagery has allowed us to identify and map a large number of previously unrecognized landslides, or slides, in heavily forested terrain in the western Columbia Gorge, Skamania County, Washington, and it has revealed that the few previously recognized areas of instability are actually composites of multiple smaller landslides. The high resolution of the imagery further reveals that landslides in the map area have complex movement histories and span a wide range of relative ages. Movement histories are inferred from relative landslide locations and crosscutting relations of surface features. Estimated age ranges are based on (1) limited absolute dating; (2) relative fineness of landscape surface textures, calibrated by comparison with surfaces of currently active and dated landslides as interpreted from interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR), global positioning system (GPS), and historical records; (3) sharpness and steepness of larger-scale surface morphologic features, calibrated by comparison with similar dated features in other regions; (4) degree of surface erosion; and (5) evidence of erosion or deposition by late Pleistocene (15–22 ka) Missoula floods at or below 200 m altitude. The relative age categories are recent (0 to ~1,000 years old), intermediate-age (~1,000 to ~15,000 years old), and old (>~15,000 years old). Within the 221.5 km2 map area, we identified 215 discrete landslides, covering 140.9 km2 (64 percent of the map area). At least 12 of the recent landslides are currently moving or have moved within the last two decades. Mapping for this study expanded the area of previously recognized unstable terrain by 56 percent. Landslide geometries suggest that more than half (62 percent) of these slope failures are translational landslides or composite landslides with translational elements, with failure occurring along gently sloping bedding planes in zones of deeply weathered, locally clay rich

Large landslides, composed of megabreccia, interbedded in Miocene basin deposits, southeastern Arizona

Science.gov (United States)

Krieger, Medora Louise Hooper

1977-01-01

The landslides in the Kearny and El Capitan Mountain quadrangles, Pinal and Gila Counties, Ariz., are tabular or lens like masses of megabreccia enclosed in Miocene basin deposits. The megabreccias within individual slide blocks are composed of pervasively brecciated Precambrian and younger formations that remain in normal stratigraphic sequence, indicating that each landslide moved as a fairly coherent mass. The megabreccias consist of fresh, mostly angular rock fragments in a comminuted matrix of the same composition as the fragments. The matrix ranges in amount from sparse to abundant. Where the matrix is sparse, the fragments fit tightly with little or no rotation. Locally fragments are rotated but not moved far; most units within a slide block are lithologically homogeneous. The Kearny landslides are conformably interbedded in steeply east-dipping playa and alluvial deposits. They form map units from a few tens of meters to nearly 4 km long and from less than 1 to 270 m wide. Narrow ridges expose sections through the landslides at about right angles to the direction of movement. The upper (proximal) ends have been eroded; the lower (distal) ends are buried. The El Capitan landslide dips very gently southward. Although partly dissected during erosion of the enclosing alluvial and lakebed deposits, its approximate original outline is still preserved. It forms a thin sheet, 5-15 m thick and at least 3.8 km long; the maximum outcrop width, near its distal end, is about 1.5 km. The Kearny landslides show little evidence of having exerted differential pressure on the underlying soft playa and alluvial deposits, and the contacts with the underlying sediments have little relief. The distal end of the El Capitan landslide, on the other hand, has considerable relief. As the landslide came to an abrupt stop, the end plowed into the underlying sediments, compressing them into fol9.s and forming sandstone dikes. The source of the El Capitan landslide is a well

Regional-scale analysis of lake outburst hazards in the southwestern Pamir, Tajikistan, based on remote sensing and GIS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Mergili

2011-05-01

Full Text Available This paper presents an analysis of the hazards emanating from the sudden drainage of alpine lakes in South-Western Tajik Pamir. In the last 40 yr, several new lakes have formed in the front of retreating glacier tongues, and existing lakes have grown. Other lakes are dammed by landslide deposits or older moraines. In 2002, sudden drainage of a glacial lake in the area triggered a catastrophic debris flow. Building on existing approaches, a rating scheme was devised allowing quick, regional-scale identification of potentially hazardous lakes and possible impact areas. This approach relies on GIS, remote sensing and empirical modelling, largely based on medium-resolution international datasets. Out of the 428 lakes mapped in the area, 6 were rated very hazardous and 34 hazardous. This classification was used for the selection of lakes requiring in-depth investigation. Selected cases are presented and discussed in order to understand the potentials and limitations of the approach used. Such an understanding is essential for the appropriate application of the methodology for risk mitigation purposes.

Environmental-impact assessment of dams and reservoir projects (review and a case study)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shah, S.M.

2009-01-01

Dams and reservoirs are among one of the most sensitive of all development Project, in terms of pervasiveness of their influence in altering the environmental conditions and resources. In the present study, major dams and reservoir projects are reviewed, from the environmental point of view. Dams and Reservoir projects bring about major changes in the immediate environment, thus affecting public health, settlements, farmlands, roads and historical sites. Impacts on human population and wildlife may be profound. Tropical diseases, involving fresh-water hosts or vectors in their transmission, are often common around new reservoirs. Large lakes create limnological changes, excessive evaporation, seepage, disturbance in water-table and increased tendencies of landslides and earthquakes. Micro climatic changes are possible, such as fog formation, increased cloudiness and modified rainfall-patterns. Retention of sediment results in silting up of reservoirs. Water shortages on mountain rivers may leave unsightly dry river-beds below a dam. Sediment deposition and growth of vegetation in reservoir affects the water-extraction for navigation power-generation and fishing. Various dams and reservoir projects in the world are critically studied, in terms of creating environmental impacts. The Kala Bagh Dam project (Pakistan), which is ready for construction, has been analysed as a case study, by matrix method. Analyses show that adverse effects of this dam are less than the benefits. It is recommended that based on the experience, appropriate lines and strategies may be drawn up to evaluate the local projects. Multidisciplinary experts need to be involved, for assessing environmental impacts and suggesting mitigation measures, to combat the adverse effects. (author)

Stormwater Volume Control to Prevent Increases in Lake Flooding and Dam Failure Risk

Science.gov (United States)

Potter, K. W.

2017-12-01

Urban expansion is not often considered a major factor contributing to dam failure. But if urbanization occurs without mitigation of the hydrologic impacts, the risk of dam failure will increase. Of particular concern are increases in the volume of storm runoff resulting from increases in the extent of impervious surfaces. Storm runoff volumes are not regulated for much the U.S, and where they are, the required control is commonly less than 100%. Unmitigated increases in runoff volume due to urbanization can pose a risk to dams. A recent technical advisory committee of Dane County has recommended that the county require 100% control of stormwater volumes for new developments. The primary motivation was to prevent increases in the water levels in the Yahara Lakes, slowly draining lakes that are highly sensitive to runoff volume. The recommendations included the use of "volume trading" to achieve efficient compliance. Such recommendations should be considered for other slowly draining lakes, including those created by artificial structures.

An integrated approach to dam safety evaluation. A case study: Upper Lake Falls Dam, Nova Scotia, Canada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pelletier, P.M.; Rattue, D.A.; Brown, E.R.

1990-01-01

Upper Lake Falls Dam is located in southwestern Nova Scotia. It is the uppermost hydroelectric development in a series of six developments on the Mersey River. The total capacity of the Mersey River system is 42 MW. The reservoir of Upper Lake Falls, Lake Rossignol, is the largest in Nova Scotia with a total area of 66 square miles and a gross storage of 800,000 acre-feet. An overview is presented of the hydrologic and hydraulic investigations carried out for the dam, which is classified as having high hazard potential because of permanent village and urban developments located downstream. The general methodology adopted in the study consisted of the following: gathering and verifying all meteorologic and hydrologic data; evaluating the Probable Maximum Precipitation (PMP) assumed to occur over the basin, and of the antecedent conditions prior to the PMP; calibrating a watershed model on flood events generated by rainfall, and by a combination of snowmelt and rainfall, and verifying the model using additional hydrologic events; deriving the Probable Maximum Flood (PMF) using the PMP results simulated on the calibrated watershed model; hydrodynamic routing of the flood hydrograph through all the developments; dambreak analysis, following sequential or independent failures; and flood inundation mapping. Details are given of safety analysis of the earthfill and concrete dam structures, reservoir management and cost-benefit analyses. 7 refs., 8 figs., 1 tab

75 FR 26094 - Safety Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines River, Chicago...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-05-11

...-AA00 Safety Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines River, Chicago... establishing a temporary safety zone from Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan. This temporary safety...

Dam-breach analysis and flood-inundation mapping for Lakes Ellsworth and Lawtonka near Lawton, Oklahoma

Science.gov (United States)

Rendon, Samuel H.; Ashworth, Chad E.; Smith, S. Jerrod

2012-01-01

Dams provide beneficial functions such as flood control, recreation, and reliable water supplies, but they also entail risk: dam breaches and resultant floods can cause substantial property damage and loss of life. The State of Oklahoma requires each owner of a high-hazard dam, which the Federal Emergency Management Agency defines as dams for which failure or misoperation probably will cause loss of human life, to develop an emergency action plan specific to that dam. Components of an emergency action plan are to simulate a flood resulting from a possible dam breach and map the resulting downstream flood-inundation areas. The resulting flood-inundation maps can provide valuable information to city officials, emergency managers, and local residents for planning the emergency response if a dam breach occurs. Accurate topographic data are vital for developing flood-inundation maps. This report presents results of a cooperative study by the city of Lawton, Oklahoma, and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to model dam-breach scenarios at Lakes Ellsworth and Lawtonka near Lawton and to map the potential flood-inundation areas of such dam breaches. To assist the city of Lawton with completion of the emergency action plans for Lakes Ellsworth and Lawtonka Dams, the USGS collected light detection and ranging (lidar) data that were used to develop a high-resolution digital elevation model and a 1-foot contour elevation map for the flood plains downstream from Lakes Ellsworth and Lawtonka. This digital elevation model and field measurements, streamflow-gaging station data (USGS streamflow-gaging station 07311000, East Cache Creek near Walters, Okla.), and hydraulic values were used as inputs for the dynamic (unsteady-flow) model, Hydrologic Engineering Center's River Analysis System (HEC-RAS). The modeled flood elevations were exported to a geographic information system to produce flood-inundation maps. Water-surface profiles were developed for a 75-percent probable maximum

76 FR 23524 - Safety Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-04-27

...-AA00 Safety Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago... safety zone from Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan. This proposed safety zone will cover 77.... This TIR established a 77 mile long safety zone from Brandon Road Lock to Lake Michigan in Chicago, IL...

Some rapid and long traveled landslides triggered by the May 12, 2008 Sichuan earthquake

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, G.; Kamai, T.; Chigira, M.; Wu, X. Y.; Zhang, D. X.

2009-04-01

On May 12, 2008, a 7.9M earthquake struck Sichuan province of China, causing a huge number of death and injuries, and great loss of properties, becoming the most damaging earthquake since the 1976 Tangshan earthquake, in China. The collapse of buildings during the earthquake is the main reason for the casualties. There are a huge number of landslides that had been triggered by this earthquake. Almost all the roads to the mountainous areas had been blocked and many dams were formed by the displaced landslide materials, resulting in great difficulties for the aftershock rescue activities. Also a big portion of the casualties was directly caused by the landslides. The authors had reconnaissance field trips of the landslides, and performed preliminary investigation on some of the catastrophic ones. In this report, four landslides, i.e., Xiejiadian landslide in Pengzhou city, Donghekou landslide and Magongxiang landslide in Qingchuan County, and Niujuangou landslide on the epicenter area of Yingxiu Town, are introduced. The characteristics of deposited landslide masses in Donghekou landslide were investigated by means of a multichannel surface wave technique. Two earthquake recorders were installed at the upper part and deposit area of Donghekou landslide. The seismic responses of different parts of the landslides were monitored, and recorded successfully during the aftershocks that occurred in Qingchuan County on July 24, 2008. Also the drained and undrained dynamic shear behaviors of samples from the landslide areas were examined. Some preliminary analyzing results will be presented in this report.

Tsunami-generated sediment wave channels at Lake Tahoe, California-Nevada, USA

Science.gov (United States)

Moore, James G.; Schweickert, Richard A.; Kitts, Christopher A.

2014-01-01

A gigantic ∼12 km3 landslide detached from the west wall of Lake Tahoe (California-Nevada, USA), and slid 15 km east across the lake. The splash, or tsunami, from this landslide eroded Tioga-age moraines dated as 21 ka. Lake-bottom short piston cores recovered sediment as old as 12 ka that did not reach landslide deposits, thereby constraining the landslide age as 21–12 ka.Movement of the landslide splashed copious water onto the countryside and lowered the lake level ∼10 m. The sheets of water that washed back into the lake dumped their sediment load at the lowered shoreline, producing deltas that merged into delta terraces. During rapid growth, these unstable delta terraces collapsed, disaggregated, and fed turbidity currents that generated 15 subaqueous sediment wave channel systems that ring the lake and descend to the lake floor at 500 m depth. Sheets of water commonly more than 2 km wide at the shoreline fed these systems. Channels of the systems contain sediment waves (giant ripple marks) with maximum wavelengths of 400 m. The lower depositional aprons of the system are surfaced by sediment waves with maximum wavelengths of 300 m.A remarkably similar, though smaller, contemporary sediment wave channel system operates at the mouth of the Squamish River in British Columbia. The system is generated by turbidity currents that are fed by repeated growth and collapse of the active river delta. The Tahoe splash-induced backwash was briefly equivalent to more than 15 Squamish Rivers in full flood and would have decimated life in low-lying areas of the Tahoe region.

Holocene lake-level fluctuations of Lake Aricota, Southern Peru

Science.gov (United States)

Placzek, C.; Quade, Jay; Betancourt, J.L.

2001-01-01

Lacustrine deposits exposed around Lake Aricota, Peru (17?? 22???S), a 7.5-km2 lake dammed by debris flows, provide a middle to late Holocene record of lake-level fluctuations. Chronological context for shoreline deposits was obtained from radiocarbon dating of vascular plant remains and other datable material with minimal 14C reservoir effects (Titicaca (16?? S), which is only 130 km to the northeast and shares a similar climatology. Comparisons with other marine and terrestrial records highlight emerging contradictions over the nature of mid-Holocene climate in the central Andes. ?? 2001 University of Washington.

77 FR 25595 - Safety Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-05-01

... Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago Sanitary and Ship...; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines River, Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal... Safety Zone; Brandon Road Lock and [[Page 25596

Climate change and the global pattern of moraine-dammed glacial lake outburst floods

Science.gov (United States)

Harrison, Stephan; Kargel, Jeffrey S.; Huggel, Christian; Reynolds, John; Shugar, Dan H.; Betts, Richard A.; Emmer, Adam; Glasser, Neil; Haritashya, Umesh K.; Klimeš, Jan; Reinhardt, Liam; Schaub, Yvonne; Wiltshire, Andy; Regmi, Dhananjay; Vilímek, Vít

2018-04-01

Despite recent research identifying a clear anthropogenic impact on glacier recession, the effect of recent climate change on glacier-related hazards is at present unclear. Here we present the first global spatio-temporal assessment of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) focusing explicitly on lake drainage following moraine dam failure. These floods occur as mountain glaciers recede and downwaste. GLOFs can have an enormous impact on downstream communities and infrastructure. Our assessment of GLOFs associated with the rapid drainage of moraine-dammed lakes provides insights into the historical trends of GLOFs and their distributions under current and future global climate change. We observe a clear global increase in GLOF frequency and their regularity around 1930, which likely represents a lagged response to post-Little Ice Age warming. Notably, we also show that GLOF frequency and regularity - rather unexpectedly - have declined in recent decades even during a time of rapid glacier recession. Although previous studies have suggested that GLOFs will increase in response to climate warming and glacier recession, our global results demonstrate that this has not yet clearly happened. From an assessment of the timing of climate forcing, lag times in glacier recession, lake formation and moraine-dam failure, we predict increased GLOF frequencies during the next decades and into the 22nd century.

Depositional environment of a fan delta in a Vistulian proglacial lake (Skaliska Basin, north-eastern Poland

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Woronko Barbara

2013-06-01

Full Text Available The study reconstructed the environment of a fan delta filling the vast end depression of the Skaliska Basin, and its overlying aeolian deposits. The formation of the large fan delta is associated with the presence of an ice-dammed lake functioning during the retreat of the Vistulian Glaciation (MIS 2. The examined material was collected from five boreholes. Sediments were analysed for their granulometric composition and subjected to analyses of frosting and rounding of quartz grains. Grain size analysis showed that the fan delta deposits are built of sand sediments of very low lateral and vertical variability. The fan delta was supplied with fluvioglacial sediments. Accumulation of sediments occurred in shallow water with a very low-gradient slope. The exposed fan delta became a site conducive to aeolian processes after the lake waters fell and the Skaliska Basin depression dried. Dune deposits overlying the fan were affected by short-distance transport so they did not acquire features typical for aeolian deposits.

Periodic outburst floods from an ice-dammed lake in East Greenland.

Science.gov (United States)

Grinsted, Aslak; Hvidberg, Christine S; Campos, Néstor; Dahl-Jensen, Dorthe

2017-08-30

We report evidence of four cycles of outburst floods from Catalina Lake, an ice-dammed lake in East Greenland, identified in satellite imagery between 1966-2016. The lake measures 20-25 km 2 , and lake level drops 130-150 m in each event, corresponding to a water volume of 2.6-3.4 Gt, and a release of potential energy of 10 16  J, among the largest outburst floods reported in historical times. The drainage cycle has shortened systematically, and the lake filling rate has increased over each cycle, suggesting that the drainage pattern is changing due to climate warming with possible implications for environmental conditions in Scoresbysund fjord.

Hydro-dam - A nature-based solution or an ecological problem: The fate of the Tonlé Sap Lake.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Zihan; Qi, Jiaguo

2017-10-01

Recent proliferation of hydro-dams was one of the nature-based solutions to meet the increasing demand for energy and food in the Lower Mekong River Basin (LMRB). While construction of these hydro-dams generated some hydropower and facilitated expansion of irrigated lands, it also significantly altered the basin-wide hydrology and subsequently impacted wetland ecosystems. Unintended adverse consequences of ecosystem services from lakes and wetlands offset the intended gains in hydroelectricity and irrigated agriculture. The trade-offs between gains in energy and food production and losses in aquatic ecosystem services were perceived to be significant but knowledge of the magnitude, spatial extent, and type of ecosystem services change is lacking and, therefore, the question whether the hydro-dam is an optimized solution or a potential ecological problem remains unanswered. In this study, as the first step to answer this question and using the Tonlé Sap Lake as an example, we quantified one of the impacts of hydro-dams on lake ecosystem's phenology in terms of open water area, a critical ecological characteristic that affects lake systems' fish production, biodiversity, and livelihoods of the local communities. We used the MODIS-NDVI time series, forecast function and the Mann-Kendall trend test method to first quantify the open water area, analyzed its changes over time, and then performed correlation analysis with climate variables to disentangle dam impacts. The results showed reduced hydro-periods, diminishing lake seasonality and a declining trend in Tonlé Sap Lake open water area over the past 15 years. These changes were insignificantly related to climatic influence during the same period. It is concluded that basin-wide hydro-dam construction and associated agricultural irrigation were deemed to be the primary cause of these ecological changes. Further analyses of changes in the lake's ecosystem services, including provision and cultural services, need to

Geochemical discrimination of five pleistocene Lava-Dam outburst-flood deposits, western Grand Canyon, Arizona

Science.gov (United States)

Fenton, C.R.; Poreda, R.J.; Nash, B.P.; Webb, R.H.; Cerling, T.E.

2004-01-01

Pleistocene basaltic lava dams and outburst-flood deposits in the western Grand Canyon, Arizona, have been correlated by means of cosmogenic 3He (3Hec) ages and concentrations of SiO2, Na2O, K2O, and rare earth elements. These data indicate that basalt clasts and vitroclasts in a given outburst-flood deposit came from a common source, a lava dam. With these data, it is possible to distinguish individual dam-flood events and improve our understanding of the interrelations of volcanism and river processes. At least five lava dams on the Colorado River failed catastrophically between 100 and 525 ka; subsequent outburst floods emplaced basalt-rich deposits preserved on benches as high as 200 m above the current river and up to 53 km downstream of dam sites. Chemical data also distinguishes individual lava flows that were collectively mapped in the past as large long-lasting dam complexes. These chemical data, in combination with age constraints, increase our ability to correlate lava dams and outburst-flood deposits and increase our understanding of the longevity of lava dams. Bases of correlated lava dams and flood deposits approximate the elevation of the ancestral river during each flood event. Water surface profiles are reconstructed and can be used in future hydraulic models to estimate the magnitude of these large-scale floods.

76 FR 35106 - Safety Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-06-16

...-AA00 Safety Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan Including Des Plaines River, Chicago..., DHS. ACTION: Final rule. SUMMARY: The Coast Guard is establishing a permanent safety zone from Brandon... Safety Zones; Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines River, Chicago Sanitary...

Gigantic landslides versus glacial deposits: on origin of large hummock deposits in Alai Valley, Northern Pamir

Science.gov (United States)

Reznichenko, Natalya

2015-04-01

As glaciers are sensitive to local climate, their moraines position and ages are used to infer past climates and glacier dynamics. These chronologies are only valid if all dated moraines are formed as the result of climatically driven advance and subsequent retreat. Hence, any accurate palaeoenvironmental reconstruction requires thorough identification of the landform genesis by complex approach including geomorphological, sedimentological and structural landform investigation. Here are presented the implication of such approach for the reconstruction of the mega-hummocky deposits formation both of glacial and landslide origin in the glaciated Alai Valley of the Northern Pamir with further discussion on these and similar deposits validity for palaeoclimatic reconstructions. The Tibetan Plateau valleys are the largest glaciated regions beyond the ice sheets with high potential to provide the best geological record of glacial chronologies and, however, with higher probabilities of the numerous rock avalanche deposits including those that were initially considered of glacial origin (Hewitt, 1999). The Alai Valley is the largest intermountain depression in the upper reaches of the Amudarja River basin that has captured numerous unidentified extensive hummocky deposits descending from the Zaalai Range of Northern Pamir, covering area in more than 800 km2. Such vast hummocky deposits are usually could be formed either: 1) glacially by rapid glacial retreat due to the climate signal or triggered a-climatically glacial changes, such as glacial surge or landslide impact, or 2) during the landslide emplacement. Combination of sediment tests on agglomerates forming only in rock avalanche material (Reznichenko et al., 2012) and detailed geomorphological and sedimentological descriptions of these deposits allowed reconstructing the glacial deposition in the Koman and Lenin glacial catchments with identification of two gigantic rock avalanches and their relation to this glacial

Massive accumulation of highly polluted sedimentary deposits by river damming

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Palanques, Albert, E-mail: albertp@icm.csic.es [Institute of Marine Sciences (CSIC), Passeig Maritim de la Barceloneta, 37-49, Barcelona 08003 (Spain); Grimalt, Joan [Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (CSIC), Jordi Girona, 18, Barcelona 08034 (Spain); Belzunces, Marc; Estrada, Ferran; Puig, Pere; Guillén, Jorge [Institute of Marine Sciences (CSIC), Passeig Maritim de la Barceloneta, 37-49, Barcelona 08003 (Spain)

2014-11-01

Uncontrolled dumping of anthropogenic waste in rivers regulated by dams has created contaminated deposits in reservoirs that have remained unidentified for decades. The Flix Reservoir is located in the Ebro River, the second largest river flowing into the NW Mediterranean, has been affected by residue dumping from a chlor-alkali electrochemical plant for decades. High-resolution seismic profiles, bathymetric data, surficial sediment samples and sediment cores were obtained in the Flix Reservoir to study the characteristics of the deposit accumulated by this dumping. These data were used to reconstruct the waste deposit history. Since the construction of the Flix Dam in 1948, more than 3.6 × 10{sup 5} t of industrial waste has accumulated in the reservoir generating a delta-like deposit formed by three sediment lobes of fine-grained material highly contaminated by Hg, Cd, Zn and Cr (max: 640, 26, 420 and 750 mg kg{sup −1}, respectively). This contamination was associated with the Hg that was used for the cathode in the electrochemical plant from 1949 and with the production of phosphorite derivatives from 1973. After the construction of two large dams only a few kilometres upstream during the 1960s, the solids discharged from the industrial complex became the main sediment source to the Flix Reservoir. The deposit has remained in the reservoir forming a delta that obstructs about 50% of the river water section. Its stability only depended on the flow retention by the Flix Dam. At present, this contaminated waste deposit is being removed from the water reservoir as it is a cause of concern for the environment and for human health downriver. - Highlights: • A delta-like anthropogenic deposit prograded into the reservoir behind the Flix dam. • More than 3.6 × 10{sup 5} t of anthropogenic waste was accumulated in less than 4 decades. • A waste deposit with extreme levels of Hg and Cd was trapped in the Flix Reservoir. • The main pollution was related to

Climate change and the global pattern of moraine-dammed glacial lake outburst floods

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Harrison

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Despite recent research identifying a clear anthropogenic impact on glacier recession, the effect of recent climate change on glacier-related hazards is at present unclear. Here we present the first global spatio-temporal assessment of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs focusing explicitly on lake drainage following moraine dam failure. These floods occur as mountain glaciers recede and downwaste. GLOFs can have an enormous impact on downstream communities and infrastructure. Our assessment of GLOFs associated with the rapid drainage of moraine-dammed lakes provides insights into the historical trends of GLOFs and their distributions under current and future global climate change. We observe a clear global increase in GLOF frequency and their regularity around 1930, which likely represents a lagged response to post-Little Ice Age warming. Notably, we also show that GLOF frequency and regularity – rather unexpectedly – have declined in recent decades even during a time of rapid glacier recession. Although previous studies have suggested that GLOFs will increase in response to climate warming and glacier recession, our global results demonstrate that this has not yet clearly happened. From an assessment of the timing of climate forcing, lag times in glacier recession, lake formation and moraine-dam failure, we predict increased GLOF frequencies during the next decades and into the 22nd century.

Energy dissipation by submarine obstacles during landslide impact on reservoir - potentially avoiding catastrophic dam collapse

Science.gov (United States)

Kafle, Jeevan; Kattel, Parameshwari; Mergili, Martin; Fischer, Jan-Thomas; Tuladhar, Bhadra Man; Pudasaini, Shiva P.

2017-04-01

Dense geophysical mass flows such as landslides, debris flows and debris avalanches may generate super tsunami waves as they impact water bodies such as the sea, hydraulic reservoirs or mountain lakes. Here, we apply a comprehensive and general two-phase, physical-mathematical mass flow model (Pudasaini, 2012) that consists of non-linear and hyperbolic-parabolic partial differential equations for mass and momentum balances, and present novel, high-resolution simulation results for two-phase flows, as a mixture of solid grains and viscous fluid, impacting fluid reservoirs with obstacles. The simulations demonstrate that due to the presence of different obstacles in the water body, the intense flow-obstacle-interaction dramatically reduces the flow momentum resulting in the rapid energy dissipation around the obstacles. With the increase of obstacle height overtopping decreases but, the deflection and capturing (holding) of solid mass increases. In addition, the submarine solid mass is captured by the multiple obstacles and the moving mass decreases both in amount and speed as each obstacle causes the flow to deflect into two streams and also captures a portion of it. This results in distinct tsunami and submarine flow dynamics with multiple surface water and submarine debris waves. This novel approach can be implemented in open source GIS modelling framework r.avaflow, and be applied in hazard mitigation, prevention and relevant engineering or environmental tasks. This might be in particular for process chains, such as debris impacts in lakes and subsequent overtopping. So, as the complex flow-obstacle-interactions strongly and simultaneously dissipate huge energy at impact such installations potentially avoid great threat against the integrity of the dam. References: Pudasaini, S. P. (2012): A general two-phase debris flow model. J. Geophys. Res. 117, F03010, doi: 10.1029/ 2011JF002186.

Distribution of 137Cs and 226Ra in the sediments of Aswan High Dam lake

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ismail, S.S.; Unfried, E.; Grass, F.

1994-01-01

Sediment samples of the High Dam lake were investigated for their 137 Cs, 226 Ra, 228 Th, and 40 K content, using low-level γ-spectroscopy. The results show that at the beginning of the lake (500 km from the High Dam), where sediments consist mostly of sand, the level of 137 Cs is very low (0.1 Bq*kg -1 ). The maximum value (22.3 Bq*kg -1 ) was found 40 km from the wall of the High Dam, where the composition of the sediments is nearly 50% clays. The distribution of the natural nuclides 226 Ra, 228 Th and 40 K shows a different trend. (author) 9 refs.; 9 figs.; 1 tab

Endangering of the dam stability of Palcacocha Lake by slope movements, in Peru

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Vilímek, V.; Zapata, M. L.; Klimeš, Jan; Patzelt, Z.; Santillán, N.

2005-01-01

Roč. 2, č. 2 (2005), s. 107-115 ISSN 1612-510X Grant - others:GA MŠk(CZ) LA 157 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z30460519 Keywords : landslides * glacial lakes * Cordillera Blanca Subject RIV: DC - Siesmology, Volcanology, Earth Structure

Integrated Application of Remote Sensing, GIS and Hydrological Modeling to Estimate the Potential Impact Area of Earthquake-Induced Dammed Lakes

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Bo Cao

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Dammed lakes are an important secondary hazard caused by earthquakes. They can induce further damage to nearby humans. Current hydrology calculation research on dammed lakes usually lacks spatial expressive ability and cannot accurately conduct impact assessment without the support of remote sensing, which obtains important characteristic information of dammed lakes. The current study aims to address the issues of the potential impact area estimate of earthquake-induced dammed lakes by combining remote sensing (RS, a geographic information system (GIS, and hydrological modeling. The Tangjiashan dammed lake induced by the Wenchuan earthquake was selected as the case for study. The elevation-versus-reservoir capacity curve was first calculated using the seed-growing algorithm based on digital elevation model (DEM data. The simulated annealing algorithm was applied to train the hydrological modeling parameters according to the historical hydrologic data. Then, the downstream water elevation variational process under different collapse capacity conditions was performed based on the obtained parameters. Finally, the downstream potential impact area was estimated by the highest water elevation values at different hydrologic sections. Results show that a flood with a collapse elevation of at least 680 m will impact the entire downstream region of Beichuan town. We conclude that spatial information technology combined with hydrological modeling can accurately predict and demonstrate the potential impact area with limited data resources. This paper provides a better guide for future immediate responses to dammed lake hazard mitigation.

Hunza Landslide and Monsoon Flooding in Pakistan Call for International Attention to Transboundary Natural Hazards

Science.gov (United States)

Kargel, J. S.; Fink, W.; Furfaro, R.; Leonard, G. J.; Patterson, M.; Glims, Gaphaz

2010-12-01

Two major disasters in Pakistan and innumerable lesser disasters throughout the Himalaya-Karakoram region in 2010 highlight geologic events and extreme weather (perhaps climate change) in affecting the well being of whole nations and commerce and relations between nations. Two chief events in Pakistan include the Jan. 4 rockslide into the Hunza River and the subsequent formation of a natural dam lake (Lake Gojal); and the monsoon precipitation-fed flooding across the Indus Basin. The first event severed Pakistan’s major land link with China. The second event devastated Pakistan’s national land-based transportation infrastructure and agriculture and displaced millions of people. In a country plagued by monsoon-driven floods, the lack of catastrophic breakout of Lake Gojal is welcome. Satellite-based monitoring shows the spillway to be eroding more rapidly (but not alarmingly) under August’s monsoon peak flow. Similar events have occurred before in the region and will occur again. These mega-events in Pakistan should be an alert for all of South Asia, as climate change increases or shifts the hazard environment, encroaching development and urbanization increases the vulnerabilities, and as improved capacity for trans-national commerce breaks down the Himalayan barrier and both promotes new opportunities and possible conflicts. 2010's natural mega-calamities in Pakistan and widespread landsliding and flooding elsewhere in South Asia underscores the subcontinent’s need for a thorough field-, remote sensing-, and modeling-based assessment of the disaster potential related to landslides, glacier surges, extreme monsoon precipitation events, natural glacier and landslide dam lake outbursts, and unseasonal snow melting. The Himalayan-Karakoram region is remarkable for its heterogeneous responses to climate change. For instance, some areas are undergoing rapid glacier recession and stagnation; others are undergoing glacier growth. We take the instance of the

Holocene Lake-Level Fluctuations of Lake Aricota, Southern Peru

Science.gov (United States)

Placzek, Christa; Quade, Jay; Betancourt, Julio L.

2001-09-01

Lacustrine deposits exposed around Lake Aricota, Peru (17° 22‧S), a 7.5-km2 lake dammed by debris flows, provide a middle to late Holocene record of lake-level fluctuations. Chronological context for shoreline deposits was obtained from radiocarbon dating of vascular plant remains and other datable material with minimal 14C reservoir effects (<350 yr). Diatomites associated with highstands several meters above the modern lake level indicate wet episodes. Maximum Holocene lake level was attained before 6100 14C yr B.P. and ended ∼2700 14C yr B.P. Moderately high lake levels occurred at 1700 and 1300 14C yr B.P. The highstand at Lake Aricota during the middle Holocene is coeval with a major lowstand at Lake Titicaca (16°S), which is only 130 km to the northeast and shares a similar climatology. Comparisons with other marine and terrestrial records highlight emerging contradictions over the nature of mid-Holocene climate in the central Andes.

National Dam Safety Program. Junior Lake Dam, (MO 11526) Missouri - Kansas City Basin, Callaway County, Missouri. Phase I Inspection Report.

Science.gov (United States)

1980-10-01

Lake, Dam Inspection, Private Dams 20 AWTACT (Ce ffm ew - m*1et N naeey ad identfy by block number) This report was prepared under the National Program...cO r " 7 - IM-.r Il: r’ o .rrr4 QM zc PLT DL1 ~OC.4..NW to~.. c pz acca ~ ~ ~ 0 AaO cr~c 0000000000 ca~cc 0 NOCC~C ~ j...a ~ in =o ,0 0 00 O 0~ co

Great landslide events in Italian artificial reservoirs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Panizzo

2005-01-01

Full Text Available The empirical formulations to forecast landslide generated water waves, recently defined in the framework of a research program funded by the Italian National Dam Office RID (Registro Italiano Dighe, are here used to study three real cases of subaerial landslides which fell down italian artificial reservoirs. It is well known that impulse water waves generated by landslides constitute a very dangerous menace for human communities living in the shoreline of the artificial basin or downstream the dam. In 1963, the menace became tragedy, when a 270 millions m3 landslide fell down the Vajont reservoir (Italy, generated an impulse wave which destroyed the city of Longarone, and killed 2000 people. The paper is aimed at presenting the very satisfactorily reproduction of the events at hand by using forecasting formulations.  

Great landslide events in Italian artificial reservoirs

Science.gov (United States)

Panizzo, A.; de Girolamo, P.; di Risio, M.; Maistri, A.; Petaccia, A.

2005-09-01

The empirical formulations to forecast landslide generated water waves, recently defined in the framework of a research program funded by the Italian National Dam Office RID (Registro Italiano Dighe), are here used to study three real cases of subaerial landslides which fell down italian artificial reservoirs. It is well known that impulse water waves generated by landslides constitute a very dangerous menace for human communities living in the shoreline of the artificial basin or downstream the dam. In 1963, the menace became tragedy, when a 270 millions m3 landslide fell down the Vajont reservoir (Italy), generated an impulse wave which destroyed the city of Longarone, and killed 2000 people. The paper is aimed at presenting the very satisfactorily reproduction of the events at hand by using forecasting formulations.

Lakes near the glacier Maliy Azau on the Elbrus (Central Caucasus: dynamics and outbursts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. D. Dokukin

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The lake dynamics and the current state of them were analyzed on the basis of interpretation of aerial and satellite images of different years together with results of field surveys. Areas of six lakes existing in different years near the Maliy Azau Glacier had been determined. On August 22, 2011, the maximum area of one of the lakes was equal to 25.5 thousand m2. The first outburst was caused by the landslide deformations of the moraine massif forming a part of the lake basin, while the second one was a result of degradation of the lake ice dam and the water overflow on top of it. The present‑day lake dams (terminal‑moraine ramparts and medial moraine ridges are the result of the Maliy Azau Glacier advance in 1990s. The revealed feature of the lake dynamics on the mountain Elbrus was a drop of the water level and corresponding decrease of the lake areas in winter that was related to existence of the groundwater runoff into fractured volcanic rocks. At present, moraine dams of lakes and areas of the surface water runoff from the lakes are in stable condition due to which there is no threat of a lake outburst. However, the potential threat of outburst still remains because of high seismicity and possible volcanic activity in this region.

Landslide activity as a threat to infrastructure in river valleys - An example from outer Western Carpathians (Poland)

Science.gov (United States)

Łuszczyńska, Katarzyna; Wistuba, Małgorzata; Malik, Ireneusz

2017-11-01

Intensive development of the area of Polish Carpathians increases the scale of landslide risk. Thus detecting landslide hazards and risks became important issue for spatial planning in the area. We applied dendrochronological methods and GIS analysis for better understanding of landslide activity and related hazards in the test area (3,75 km2): Salomonka valley and nearby slopes in the Beskid Żywiecki Mts., Outer Western Carpathians, southern Poland. We applied eccentricity index of radial growth of trees to date past landslide events. Dendrochronological results allowed us to determine the mean frequency of landsliding at each sampling point which were next interpolated into a map of landslide hazard. In total we took samples at 46 points. In each point we sampled 3 coniferous trees. Landslide hazard map shows a medium (23 sampling points) and low (20 sampling points) level of landslide activity for most of the area. The highest level of activity was recorded for the largest landslide. Results of the dendrochronological study suggest that all landslides reaching downslope to Salomonka valley floor are active. LiDAR-based analysis of relief shows that there is an active coupling between those landslides and river channel. Thus channel damming and formation of an episodic lake are probable. The hazard of flooding valley floor upstream of active landslides should be included in the local spatial planning system and crisis management system.

National Dam Safety Program. Potake Lake Dam (Inventory Number N.Y. 970), Passaic River Basin, Lower Hudson River Area, Rockland County, New York. Phase I Inspection Report,

Science.gov (United States)

1981-08-14

facilitate thedischarge of storm flows. 2. The animal burrows, depressions , and tire ruts onthe crest of the dam should be filled, compacted and seeded. 3...storm flows. 2. The animal burrows, depressions , and tire ruts on the crest of the dam should be filled, compacted, and seeded...defined by the Recommended Guidelines for Safety Inspection of Dams (Reference 13, Appendix D). d. Hazard Classifications - Cranberry Lake Dam is one mile

Flood and rockslide mitigative measures for the concrete sections of the Daisy Lake Dam

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pataky, T.J.

1991-01-01

Studies conducted under British Columbia Hydro's dam safety program during the early 1980s indicated that dam sections of the Daisy Lake Dam would be overtopped by the probable maximum flood (PMF) and by a postulated slide generated wave (SGW). It was considered that the overtopping by either of the events could cause several sections of the concrete dam to fall, thereby resulting in uncontrolled release of the reservoir. The criteria used for determining foundation strength parameters, static and SGW induced water pressures, effective uplift and the appropriate factors of safety are discussed. The results of the analyses for the original dam sections and the design and implementation of the selected remedial measures are also described. These measures included lowering the Wing Dam and Saddle Dam by about 2 m to increase the spillway capacity and the installation of 43 post-tensioned anchors in the various sections of the main concrete and Wing dams. 9 refs., 8 figs., 3 tabs

The 22 March 2014 Oso Landslide, Snohomish County, Washington: Findings of the GEER Reconnaissance Investigation

Science.gov (United States)

Wartman, J.; Keaton, J. R.; Scott, A.; Benoit, J.; delaChapelle, J.; Gilbert, R.; Montgomery, D. R.

2014-12-01

We report the findings of the NSF-supported Geotechnical Extreme Events Reconnaissance (GEER) investigation of the Oso Landslide. Our findings are principally based on data collected during a four-day team reconnaissance across the entire landslide area, but also draw upon other data sources including lidar surveys, high-resolution imagery, geologic mapping, precipitation data, and seismic records. The Oso Landslide claimed 43 lives, making it the deadliest landslide disaster in U.S. history. The landslide occurred within a thick sequence of glacial sediments that were deposited into the North Fork Stillaguamish River valley during the last glacial advance. Geomorphic evidence suggests that the valley in the vicinity of Oso Landslide has experienced multiple large landslides over at least the past 6,000 years. Intense three-week rainfall that immediately preceded the event very probably played an important role in triggering the landslide; however, many other factors likely contributed to destabilization of the landslide mass. These include: (i) alteration of the local groundwater recharge and hydrogeological regime due to previous landsliding and, possibly, land use practices, (ii) weakening and alteration of the landslide mass due to previous landsliding and other natural geologic processes, and (iii) changes in stress distribution resulting from removal and deposition of material from earlier landsliding. During our field reconnaissance we identified six distinctive landslide zones and several subzones that are characterized by different geomorphic expression resulting from deformation styles, geologic materials, vegetation, and sequence of deposition. Based on the reconnaissance observations and other available data, we hypothesize that the landslide occurred in two major stages. The first stage of movement is interpreted to be a remobilization of the 2006 slide mass and headward extension that included part or all of the forested slope of an ancient landslide

Automated Means of Identifying Landslide Deposits using LiDAR Data using the Contour Connection Method Algorithm

Science.gov (United States)

Olsen, M. J.; Leshchinsky, B. A.; Tanyu, B. F.

2014-12-01

Landslides are a global natural hazard, resulting in severe economic, environmental and social impacts every year. Often, landslides occur in areas of repeated slope instability, but despite these trends, significant residential developments and critical infrastructure are built in the shadow of past landslide deposits and marginally stable slopes. These hazards, despite their sometimes enormous scale and regional propensity, however, are difficult to detect on the ground, often due to vegetative cover. However, new developments in remote sensing technology, specifically Light Detection and Ranging mapping (LiDAR) are providing a new means of viewing our landscape. Airborne LiDAR, combined with a level of post-processing, enable the creation of spatial data representative of the earth beneath the vegetation, highlighting the scars of unstable slopes of the past. This tool presents a revolutionary technique to mapping landslide deposits and their associated regions of risk; yet, their inventorying is often done manually, an approach that can be tedious, time-consuming and subjective. However, the associated LiDAR bare earth data present the opportunity to use this remote sensing technology and typical landslide geometry to create an automated algorithm that can detect and inventory deposits on a landscape scale. This algorithm, called the Contour Connection Method (CCM), functions by first detecting steep gradients, often associated with the headscarp of a failed hillslope, and initiating a search, highlighting deposits downslope of the failure. Based on input of search gradients, CCM can assist in highlighting regions identified as landslides consistently on a landscape scale, capable of mapping more than 14,000 hectares rapidly (help better define these regions of risk.

78 FR 49735 - Intent To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Dam Safety Study, Lake Lewisville...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-08-15

... determine appropriate permanent methods for correcting potential problems, interim risk reduction measures... Environmental Impact Statement for Dam Safety Study, Lake Lewisville Dam, Elm Fork Trinity River, Denton County... primary purposes of the project are flood risk management, [[Page 49736

Sediment depositions upstream of open check dams: new elements from small scale models

Science.gov (United States)

Piton, Guillaume; Le Guern, Jules; Carbonari, Costanza; Recking, Alain

2015-04-01

Torrent hazard mitigation remains a big issue in mountainous regions. In steep slope streams and especially in their fan part, torrential floods mainly result from abrupt and massive sediment deposits. To curtail such phenomenon, soil conservation measures as well as torrent control works have been undertaken for decades. Since the 1950s, open check dams complete other structural and non-structural measures in watershed scale mitigation plans1. They are often built to trap sediments near the fan apexes. The development of earthmoving machinery after the WWII facilitated the dredging operations of open check dams. Hundreds of these structures have thus been built for 60 years. Their design evolved with the improving comprehension of torrential hydraulics and sediment transport; however this kind of structure has a general tendency to trap most of the sediments supplied by the headwaters. Secondary effects as channel incision downstream of the traps often followed an open check dam creation. This sediment starvation trend tends to propagate to the main valley rivers and to disrupt past geomorphic equilibriums. Taking it into account and to diminish useless dredging operation, a better selectivity of sediment trapping must be sought in open check dams, i.e. optimal open check dams would trap sediments during dangerous floods and flush them during normal small floods. An accurate description of the hydraulic and deposition processes that occur in sediment traps is needed to optimize existing structures and to design best-adjusted new structures. A literature review2 showed that if design criteria exist for the structure itself, little information is available on the dynamic of the sediment depositions upstream of open check dams, i.e. what are the geomorphic patterns that occur during the deposition?, what are the relevant friction laws and sediment transport formula that better describe massive depositions in sediment traps?, what are the range of Froude and Shields

An approach for estimating the breach probabilities of moraine-dammed lakes in the Chinese Himalayas using remote-sensing data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

X. Wang

2012-10-01

Full Text Available To make first-order estimates of the probability of moraine-dammed lake outburst flood (MDLOF and prioritize the probabilities of breaching posed by potentially dangerous moraine-dammed lakes (PDMDLs in the Chinese Himalayas, an objective approach is presented. We first select five indicators to identify PDMDLs according to four predesigned criteria. The climatic background was regarded as the climatic precondition of the moraine-dam failure, and under different climatic preconditions, we distinguish the trigger mechanisms of MDLOFs and subdivide them into 17 possible breach modes, with each mode having three or four components; we combined the precondition, modes and components to construct a decision-making tree of moraine-dam failure. Conversion guidelines were established so as to quantify the probabilities of components of a breach mode employing the historic performance method combined with expert knowledge and experience. The region of the Chinese Himalayas was chosen as a study area where there have been frequent MDLOFs in recent decades. The results show that the breaching probabilities (P of 142 PDMDLs range from 0.037 to 0.345, and they can be further categorized as 43 lakes with very high breach probabilities (P ≥ 0.24, 47 lakes with high breach probabilities (0.18 ≤ P < 0.24, 24 lakes with mid-level breach probabilities (0.12 ≤ P < 0.18, 24 lakes with low breach probabilities (0.06 ≤ P < 0.12, and four lakes with very low breach probabilities (p < 0.06.

Geochemical investigation of Sasa tailings dam material and its influence on the Lake Kalimanci surficial sediments (Republic of Macedonia – preliminary study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Petra Vrhovnik

2011-12-01

Full Text Available This research is aimed at investigating the mineralogical characteristics of the tailings material and heavy metal contents of the tailings material deposited close to the Sasa Pb-Zn Mine in the Osogovo Mountains (eastern Macedonia and on its possible impact on Lake Kalimanci. The mineral composition of Sasa Mine tailings materialis dominated by quartz, pyrite, galena, sphalerite, magnetite and others. Geochemical analysis was performed in a certified commercial laboratory for the following elements: Mo, Cu, Pb, Zn, Ni, As, Cd, Sb, Bi, Ag, Al, Fe, Mn, S.Analysis revealed very high concentrations of toxic metals in the tailing material – with average values [ mg kg-1]:Mo 2.9, Cu 279, Pb 3975, Zn 5320, Ni 30, As 69, Cd 84, Sb 4.2, Bi 9.4 and Ag 4.1. The multi-element contamination of Sasa Mine tailings material was assigned a pollution index greater of 15, indicating that the tailings material from Sasa Mine contains very high amounts of toxic metals and represents a high environmental risk for surrounding ecosystems. For this reason the influence of discharged tailings dam material into Lake Kalimanci which liesapproximately 12 km lower than Sasa Mine, was also established. Calculated pollution index values for Lake Kalimancisediments vary from 21 to 65 and for Sasa mine surficial tailings dam material from 15 to 60.

The role of Lake Dongting in regulating the sediment budget of the Yangtze River

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shi-bao Dai

2005-01-01

Full Text Available Lake Dongting, the second largest freshwater lake in China and located in the middle reaches of the River Yangtze catchment, was formed at the beginning of the Holocene period by sea level rise and has varied in size with changes in local weather patterns. The sedimentation rate in Lake Dongting during the Holocene is about 50×106 m3 yr-1, or 80×106 t yr-1 (a sand bulk density of 1.6×103 kg m-3, given the sediment deposition rate as 10 mm yr-1 and the average lake size as 5000 km2. By comparing the sediment import and export, it is estimated that the sediment deposition rate of Lake Dongting was 110.6×106 t yr-1 from 1956 to 2003. Siltation and raised embankments reduced the size of the lake and its capacity to accommodate floods. The sediment delivery ratio (SDR of the middle and lower Yangtze is about 0.92 (total sediment output divided by total sediment input given that the total sediment supply into the middle and lower Yangtze is 455.1×106 t yr-1 and the total sediment discharge into the sea is 419×106 t yr-1. Therefore, if it were not for Lake Dongting, the sediment flux at Datong would be 73.6×106 t yr-1 (80×106 t yr-1×0.92 more, an increase of 27% during the Holocene and an increase of 26% to 101.75×106 t yr-1 from 1956 to 2003. Historically, Lake Dongting had a considerable influence in regulating the sediment budget of the Yangtze. However, afforestation and the construction of large dams, such as the Three Gorges Dam, reduced significantly the sediment deposition in Lake Dongting. In 2003, the completion of the Three Gorges Dam and the subsequent impoundment of water reduced the sediment input from the Yangtze and net deposition in Lake Dongting dropped to 25% and 18% of the mean values of the historic records (1956-2003. During the same period, the amount of sediment deposited in Lake Dongting was only 10% of the sediment discharge at Datong. The influence of the sediment deposited in Lake Dongting on the sediment flux to

Trace elements in sediment samples of the Aswan High Dam Lake

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sherief, M.K.; Awadallah, R.M.; Grass, F.

1981-01-01

Main and trace elements in Nile sediments of the Aswan High Dam Lake were investigated by means of Instrumental Activation Analysis. It was shown that the composition of the Nile sediments changes in accordance with the large gradients in flow rate and with elution and absorption processes. Particles containing Ca, Ba, Hf, Ti, V, and Na are sedimented preferentially near the headwater of Lake Nubia, whereas some elements are rather uniformly distributed, e.g. Fe, Co, Sm, and Eu, and some, such as Al, Sc, Cs, Th, La, and Ce, show a distinct increase downstream. Some elements do not fit into any of these three groups. (author)

Hydrograph Predictions of Glacial Lake Outburst Floods From an Ice-Dammed Lake

Science.gov (United States)

McCoy, S. W.; Jacquet, J.; McGrath, D.; Koschitzki, R.; Okuinghttons, J.

2017-12-01

Understanding the time evolution of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs), and ultimately predicting peak discharge, is crucial to mitigating the impacts of GLOFs on downstream communities and understanding concomitant surface change. The dearth of in situ measurements taken during GLOFs has left many GLOF models currently in use untested. Here we present a dataset of 13 GLOFs from Lago Cachet Dos, Aysen Region, Chile in which we detail measurements of key environmental variables (total volume drained, lake temperature, and lake inflow rate) and high temporal resolution discharge measurements at the source lake, in addition to well-constrained ice thickness and bedrock topography. Using this dataset we test two common empirical equations as well as the physically-based model of Spring-Hutter-Clarke. We find that the commonly used empirical relationships based solely on a dataset of lake volume drained fail to predict the large variability in observed peak discharges from Lago Cachet Dos. This disagreement is likely because these equations do not consider additional environmental variables that we show also control peak discharge, primarily, lake water temperature and the rate of meltwater inflow to the source lake. We find that the Spring-Hutter-Clarke model can accurately simulate the exponentially rising hydrographs that are characteristic of ice-dammed GLOFs, as well as the order of magnitude variation in peak discharge between events if the hydraulic roughness parameter is allowed to be a free fitting parameter. However, the Spring-Hutter-Clarke model over predicts peak discharge in all cases by 10 to 35%. The systematic over prediction of peak discharge by the model is related to its abrupt flood termination that misses the observed steep falling limb of the flood hydrograph. Although satisfactory model fits are produced, the range in hydraulic roughness required to obtain these fits across all events was large, which suggests that current models do not

The Olympic Dam copper-uranium-gold deposit, Roxby Downs, South Australia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roberts, D.E.; Hudson, G.R.T.

1983-01-01

The Olympic Dam copper-uranium-gold deposit appears to be a new type of strata-bound sediment-hosted ore deposit. It is located 650 km north-northwest of Adelaide in South Australia and was discovered in 1975. It has an areal extent exceeding 20 km 2 with vertical thicknesses of mineralization up to 350 m. The deposit is estimated to contain in excess of 2,000 million metric tons of mineralized material with an average grade of 1.6 percent copper, 0.06 percent uranium oxide, and 0.6 g/metric ton gold. The deposit occurs in the basement beneath 350 m of unmineralized, flat-lying Adelaidean (late Proterozoic) to Cambrian sediments in the Stuart shelf region of South Australia. The host rocks of the deposit are unmetamorphosed and are probably younger than 1,580 m.y. The deposit is spatially related to coincident gravity and magnetic anomalies and the intersection of west-northwest- and north-northwest-trending lineaments. The Proterozoic sediments comprising the local basement sequence are predominantly sedimentary breccias ranging from matrix-poor granite breccias to matrix-rich polymict breccias containing clasts of a variety of rock types. This sequence is over 1 km thick and has been divided into two main units--the Olympic Dam Formation and the Greenfield Formation. The Olympic Dam Formation has five members, three of which are matrix rich. The Greenfield Formation has three members, the lower two being very hematite rich while the upper has a significant volcanic component. Pervasive hematite, chlorite, and sericite alteration of varying intensity affects all the basement sequence

Cigar Lake, an original method for an exceptional deposit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Caleix, C.

1997-01-01

In 1976, the discovery of the high grade Deposit at Cluff Lake in the north of the province of Saskatchewan (Canada) opened new prospects in uranium deposits, which in turn quickly led to the discovery of exceptional deposits both in terms of grade (up 10 % in metal uranium) and tonnage (150, 000 tons of metal per deposit and more). Among these deposits are Key Lake, Cigar Lake, Midwest, MacClean, and more recently, Mac Arthur. These discoveries as well as future ones make the north of Saskatchewan the world's greatest and most interesting uranium-producing province. (authors)

Assessment of risks of loose landslide deposits formed by the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, S.; Zhang, L. M.; Peng, M.; Zhang, L. L.; Zhao, H. F.; Chen, H. X.

2012-05-01

A Geographic Information System (GIS)-based quantitative risk assessment methodology was adopted to evaluate the risks of loose deposits formed by the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake along a highway near the epicenter. A total of 305 loose deposits with a total volume of 4.0 × 107 m3 has been identified. A physical model was used to determine the failure probability of these loose deposits under six rainfall scenarios, assuming the loose deposits as infinite slopes. The calculated probability of rain-induced slope failures is verified by the recorded landslides at the same site during a storm in 2010. Seventy-nine out of the 112 rain-induced loose deposit failures are predicted by the reliability analysis, with an accuracy of 71%. The results of reliability analysis and information on the consequence of these rain-induced landslides enable the estimation of the annual societal and individual risks of the loose deposits. Under the rainfall scenarios of 30 mm/12 h and 70 mm/12 h, the estimated annual societal risks reach 8.8 and 7.5, respectively, and the individual risks reach 0.05 and 0.04, respectively, which are very high compared with present risk acceptance criteria. The preliminary assessment provides a benchmark for studying the long-term risks of these loose deposits and engineering decision.

Sulphate deposition by precipitation into Lake Ontario

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shaw, R W; Whelpdale, D M

1973-01-01

Measurements of sulphate concentration in precipitation from individual snow storms of several hours duration in the western Lake Ontario region indicate that approximately 9-66 mg/M/sub 2/ of SO/sub 4//sup 2 -/ is being deposited into the lake per storm. This amount is up to several times more than daily average values over long periods found by other workers. Using a mean sulphate concentration of 4 mg/l and an annual accumulation of precipitation of 760 mm, the yearly sulphate deposition by precipitation is about 0.1% of the total mass of sulphate in the lake; however, more significantly, it is of the same order of magnitude as that discharged directly into the lake by industry.

Enhanced ice sheet growth in Eurasia owing to adjacent ice-dammed lakes.

Science.gov (United States)

Krinner, G; Mangerud, J; Jakobsson, M; Crucifix, M; Ritz, C; Svendsen, J I

2004-01-29

Large proglacial lakes cool regional summer climate because of their large heat capacity, and have been shown to modify precipitation through mesoscale atmospheric feedbacks, as in the case of Lake Agassiz. Several large ice-dammed lakes, with a combined area twice that of the Caspian Sea, were formed in northern Eurasia about 90,000 years ago, during the last glacial period when an ice sheet centred over the Barents and Kara seas blocked the large northbound Russian rivers. Here we present high-resolution simulations with an atmospheric general circulation model that explicitly simulates the surface mass balance of the ice sheet. We show that the main influence of the Eurasian proglacial lakes was a significant reduction of ice sheet melting at the southern margin of the Barents-Kara ice sheet through strong regional summer cooling over large parts of Russia. In our simulations, the summer melt reduction clearly outweighs lake-induced decreases in moisture and hence snowfall, such as has been reported earlier for Lake Agassiz. We conclude that the summer cooling mechanism from proglacial lakes accelerated ice sheet growth and delayed ice sheet decay in Eurasia and probably also in North America.

Comparative growth models of big-scale sand smelt (Atherina boyeri Risso, 1810 sampled from Hirfanll Dam Lake, Klrsehir, Ankara, Turkey

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Benzer

2017-06-01

Full Text Available In this current publication the growth characteristics of big-scale sand smelt data were compared for population dynamics within artificial neural networks and length-weight relationships models. This study aims to describe the optimal decision of the growth model of big-scale sand smelt by artificial neural networks and length-weight relationships models at Hirfanll Dam Lake, Klrsehir, Turkey. There were a total of 1449 samples collected from Hirfanll Dam Lake between May 2015 and May 2016. Both model results were compared with each other and the results were also evaluated with MAPE (mean absolute percentage error, MSE (mean squared error and r2 (coefficient correlation data as a performance criterion. The results of the current study show that artificial neural networks is a superior estimation tool compared to length-weight relationships models of big-scale sand smelt in Hirfanll Dam Lake.

Timing of lake-level changes for a deep last-glacial Lake Missoula: optical dating of the Garden Gulch area, Montana, USA

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Smith, Larry N.; Sohbati, Reza; Buylaert, Jan-Pieter

2018-01-01

Glaciolacustrine sediments in the Clark Fork River valley at Garden Gulch, near Drummond, Montana, USA record highstand positions of the ice-dammed glacial Lake Missoula and repeated subaerial exposure. During these highstands the lake was at greater than 65% of its recognized maximum capacity......-level fluctuation, occurred over time scales of decades to ∼2 ka. Bioturbated sandy slopewash dated at 10.6 ± 0.9 ka and 11.9 ± 1.2 ka unconformably overlies the upper glaciolacustrine deposits. The uppermost sediments, above the glaciolacustrine section, are younger than the Glacier Peak tephra (13.7-13.4 cal ka B...... the lake's highstand position due to ice-dam failure likely led to scour in the downstream portions of the glacial Lake Missoula basin and megafloods in the Channeled Scabland....

Technical background information for the environmental and safety report, Volume 4: White Oak Lake and Dam

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oakes, T.W.; Kelly, B.A.; Ohnesorge, W.F.; Eldridge, J.S.; Bird, J.C.; Shank, K.E.; Tsakeres, F.S.

1982-03-01

This report has been prepared to provide background information on White Oak Lake for the Oak Ridge National Laboratory Environmental and Safety Report. The paper presents the history of White Oak Dam and Lake and describes the hydrological conditions of the White Oak Creek watershed. Past and present sediment and water data are included; pathway analyses are described in detail

Technical background information for the environmental and safety report, Volume 4: White Oak Lake and Dam

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oakes, T.W.; Kelly, B.A.; Ohnesorge, W.F.; Eldridge, J.S.; Bird, J.C.; Shank, K.E.; Tsakeres, F.S.

1982-03-01

This report has been prepared to provide background information on White Oak Lake for the Oak Ridge National Laboratory Environmental and Safety Report. The paper presents the history of White Oak Dam and Lake and describes the hydrological conditions of the White Oak Creek watershed. Past and present sediment and water data are included; pathway analyses are described in detail.

Geomorphologically effective floods from moraine-dammed lakes in the Cordillera Blanca, Peru

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Emmer, Adam

2017-01-01

Roč. 177, DEC (2017), s. 220-234 ISSN 0277-3791 R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) LO1415 Institutional support: RVO:86652079 Keywords : Andes * Documentary data * Geomorphology * glof * Lichenometry * Little Ice Age * Moraine-dammed lake * Outburst flood * South America Subject RIV: EH - Ecology, Behaviour OBOR OECD: Environmental sciences (social aspects to be 5.7) Impact factor: 4.797, year: 2016

Olympic Dam copper-uranium-gold deposit, South Australia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lalor, J.H.

1986-01-01

The Olympic Dam copper-uranium-gold deposit was discovered in July 1975. It is located 650 km north-northwest of Adelaide on Roxby Downs Station in South Australia. The first diamond drill hole, RD1, intersected 38 m of 1.05% copper. A further eight holes were drilled with only marginal encouragement to November 1976, when RD10 cored 170 m of 2.12% copper and 0.06% of uranium oxide, thus confirming an economic discovery. The discovery of Olympic Dam is an excellent example applying broad-scale, scientifically based conceptual studies to area selection. Exploration management supported its exploration scientists in testing their ideas with stratigraphic drilling. Geologic modeling, supported by geophysical interpretations and tectonic studies, was used to site the first hole. The discovery also illustrates the persistence required in mineral exploration. The deposit appears to be a new type of stratabound sediment-hosted ore. It has an areal extent exceeding 20 km 2 with vertical thicknesses of mineralization up to 350 m. It is estimated to contain more than 2000 million MT of mineralized material with an average grade of 1.6% copper, 0.06% uranium oxide, and 0.6 g/MT gold. The deposit occurs in middle Proterozoic basement beneath 350 m of unmineralized, flat upper Proterozoic sediments. The sediments comprising the local basement sequence are predominantly sedimentary breccias controlled by a northwest-trending graben

Use of oxidative stress biomarkers in Cyprinus carpio L. for the evaluation of water pollution in Ataturk Dam Lake (Adiyaman, Turkey).

Science.gov (United States)

Karadag, Hasan; Fırat, Özgür; Fırat, Özge

2014-03-01

Adiyaman city, which is located in the north of the Ataturk Dam Lake, has no wastewater purification facilities which results in municipal, agricultural, and industrial wastewater discharges directly entering the reservoir. To assess the pollution in the dam lake, we used several oxidative stress biomarkers in blood tissue of Cyprinus carpio. Fish samples were taken from Sitilce, polluted area by untreated wastewaters, and Samsat, relatively clean area, in the reservoir in August 2012. The activity of catalase and level of malondialdehyde increased while activity of superoxide dismutase and glutathione level decreased in fish from Sitilce site when compared to Samsat site. The findings of the present investigation suggest that the presence of certain prooxidative compounds that can lead to oxidative stress in the fish at the Sitilce site and oxidative stress biomarkers may be important in order to evaluate the effects of untreated wastewaters on living organisms in the dam lake.

Possible application of dam lake as a seasonal solar energy storage

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wakabayshi, Hiroaki; Murata, Hideto; Nishijima, Keiichi [Kanazawa Inst. of Technology, Dep. of Managerial Engineering, Ishikawa (Japan)

1996-12-31

For promoting efficient use of energy, a new concept is required that society can choose to make a positive approach toward a solar energy based rural community which maximizes harmony with nature. This basic concept uses a water lake as a thermal energy storage. Thermocline measurements were made at the Uchikawa Dam Lake located in Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan to evaluate several kind of exergy contents as a new energy supply potential. The data indicated that the system could be developed with full potential as a seasonal energy storage to be used for mostly regional cooling. This concept seems interesting to invite internationally an energy efficient society to be employed in LDCs as well as in developed countries. (author) 12 figs., 2 tabs., 7 refs.

Flood management of Dongting Lake after operation of Three Gorges Dam

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xi-jun Lai

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Full operation of the Three Gorges Dam (TGD reduces flood risk of the middle and lower parts of the Yangtze River Basin. However, Dongting Lake, which is located in the Yangtze River Basin, is still at high risk for potentially severe flooding in the future. The effects of the TGD on flood processes were investigated using a hydrodynamic model. The 1998 and 2010 flood events before and after the operation of the TGD, respectively, were analyzed. The numerical results show that the operation of the TGD changes flood processes, including the timing and magnitude of flood peaks in Dongting Lake. The TGD can effectively reduce the flood level in Dongting Lake, which is mainly caused by the flood water from the upper reach of the Yangtze River. This is not the case, however, for floods mainly induced by flood water from four main rivers in the catchment. In view of this, a comprehensive strategy for flood management in Dongting Lake is required. Non-engineering measures, such as warning systems and combined operation of the TGD and other reservoirs in the catchment, as well as traditional engineering measures, should be further improved. Meanwhile, a sustainable philosophy for flood control, including natural flood management and lake restoration, is recommended to reduce the flood risk.

Timing of lake-level changes for a deep last-glacial Lake Missoula: optical dating of the Garden Gulch area, Montana, USA

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Larry N.; Sohbati, Reza; Buylaert, Jan-Pieter; Lian, Olav B.; Murray, Andrew; Jain, Mayank

2018-03-01

Glaciolacustrine sediments in the Clark Fork River valley at Garden Gulch, near Drummond, Montana, USA record highstand positions of the ice-dammed glacial Lake Missoula and repeated subaerial exposure. During these highstands the lake was at greater than 65% of its recognized maximum capacity. The initial lake transgression deposited a basal sand unit. Subsequent cycles of lake-level fluctuations are recorded by sequences of laminated and cross laminated silt, sand, and clay deformed by periglacial processes during intervening periods of lower lake levels. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating of quartz sand grains, using single-aliquot regenerative-dose procedures, was carried out on 17 samples. Comparison of infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL) from K-rich feldspar to OSL from quartz for all the samples suggests that they were well bleached prior to deposition and burial. Ages for the basal sand and overlying glaciolacustrine exposure surfaces are indistinguishable within one standard deviation, and give a weighted mean age of 20.9 ± 1.3 ka (n = 11). Based on sedimentological and stratigraphic analysis we infer that the initial transgression, and at least six cycles of lake-level fluctuation, occurred over time scales of decades to ∼2 ka. Bioturbated sandy slopewash dated at 10.6 ± 0.9 ka and 11.9 ± 1.2 ka unconformably overlies the upper glaciolacustrine deposits. The uppermost sediments, above the glaciolacustrine section, are younger than the Glacier Peak tephra (13.7-13.4 cal ka B.P.), which was deposited across parts of the drained lake basin, but has not been found at Garden Gulch. Our study indicates that glacial Lake Missoula reached >65 percent of maximum capacity by about 20.9 ± 1.3 ka and either partially or completely drained twelve times from this position. Rapid lowering from the lake's highstand position due to ice-dam failure likely led to scour in the downstream portions of the glacial Lake Missoula basin and megafloods in the

Lake Austin uranium deposit, Western Australia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heath, A.G.; Deutscher, R.L.; Butt, C.R.M.

1984-01-01

The Lake Austin uranium deposit is a calcrete type deposit in the Yilgarn Block, near Cue, in a catchment area of granitoids and greenstones. The uranium is in valley fill and the sediments of the Lake Austin playa. The mineralization occurs over 1 to 6 meter thickness close to the water table in calcrete overlying clays and/or weathered bedrock. The principal uranium mineral is carnotite. Waters in nearby channels have an uranium content of over 30 ppb. The chloride content of the water increases downstream in the nearby drainages, as does the uranium and vanadium content. (author)

Mechanics of slide dams

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Young, G.A.

1970-01-01

Studies which promote the use of nuclear energy for peaceful projects in engineering are sponsored by the Atomic Energy Commission under the Plowshare program. Specific projects being considered include the construction of harbors, canals, and dams. Of these projects, perhaps the most difficult to accomplish will be the latter. This paper which is in two parts considers the problems which are associated with the construction of slide dams with nuclear explosives. It examines first the characteristics of conventional earth and rock-fill dams which are based upon proven techniques developed after many years of experience. The characteristics of natural landslide dams are also briefly considered to identify potential problems that must be overcome by slide dam construction techniques. Second, the mechanics of slide dams as determined from small-scale laboratory studies are presented. It is concluded that slide dams can be constructed and that small-scale field tests and additional laboratory studies are justified. (author)

Mechanics of slide dams

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Young, G A [Engineering, Agbabian-Jacobsen Associates, Los Angeles (United States)

1970-05-15

Studies which promote the use of nuclear energy for peaceful projects in engineering are sponsored by the Atomic Energy Commission under the Plowshare program. Specific projects being considered include the construction of harbors, canals, and dams. Of these projects, perhaps the most difficult to accomplish will be the latter. This paper which is in two parts considers the problems which are associated with the construction of slide dams with nuclear explosives. It examines first the characteristics of conventional earth and rock-fill dams which are based upon proven techniques developed after many years of experience. The characteristics of natural landslide dams are also briefly considered to identify potential problems that must be overcome by slide dam construction techniques. Second, the mechanics of slide dams as determined from small-scale laboratory studies are presented. It is concluded that slide dams can be constructed and that small-scale field tests and additional laboratory studies are justified. (author)

Volcanic influence of Mt. Fuji on the watershed of Lake Motosu and its impact on the lacustrine sedimentary record

Science.gov (United States)

Lamair, Laura; Hubert-Ferrari, Aurélia; Yamamoto, Shinya; El Ouahabi, Meriam; Vander Auwera, Jacqueline; Obrochta, Stephen; Boes, Evelien; Nakamura, Atsunori; Fujiwara, Osamu; Shishikura, Masanobu; Schmidt, Sabine; Siani, Giuseppe; Miyairi, Yosuke; Yokoyama, Yusuke; De Batist, Marc; Heyvaert, Vanessa M. A.; QuakeRecNankai Team

2018-01-01

Lacustrine sediments are particularly sensitive to modifications within the lake catchment. In a volcanic area, sedimentation rates are directly affected by the history of the volcano and its eruptions. Here, we investigate the impact of Mt. Fuji Volcano (Japan) on Lake Motosu and its watershed. The lacustrine infill is studied by combining seismic reflection profiles and sediment cores. We show evidence of changes in sedimentation patterns during the depositional history of Lake Motosu. The frequency of large mass-transport deposits recorded within the lake decreases over the Holocene. Before 8000 cal yr BP, large sublacustrine landslides and turbidites were filling the lacustrine depression. After 8000 cal yr BP, only one large sublacustrine landslide was recorded. The change in sedimentation pattern coincides with a change in sediment accumulation rate. Over the last 8000 cal yr BP, the sediment accumulation rate was not sufficient enough to produce large sublacustrine slope failures. Consequently, the frequency of large mass-transport deposits decreased and only turbidites resulting from surficial slope reworking occurred. These constitute the main sedimentary infill of the deep basin. We link the change in sediment accumulation rate with (i) climate and vegetation changes; and (ii) the Mt. Fuji eruptions which affected the Lake Motosu watershed by reducing its size and strongly modified its topography. Moreover, this study highlights that the deposition of turbidites in the deep basin of Lake Motosu is mainly controlled by the paleobathymetry of the lakefloor. Two large mass-transport deposits, occurring around 8000 cal yr BP and 2000 cal yr BP respectively, modified the paleobathymetry of the lakefloor and therefore changed the turbidite depositional pattern of Lake Motosu.

Preliminary interpretation of pre-2014 landslide deposits in the vicinity of Oso, Washington

Science.gov (United States)

Haugerud, Ralph A.

2014-01-01

High-resolution topographic surveys allow fairly precise mapping of landslide deposits and their relative ages. Relative ages are determined by cross-cutting relations and the amount of smoothing—more smoothed slide deposits are older—of these deposits. The Tulalip Tribes, in partnership with the Puget Sound Lidar Consortium, acquired a high-resolution lidar (light detection and ranging) survey of the North Fork Stillaguamish River valley in 2013. This report presents a preliminary interpretation of the topography of this area using the lidar data at a scale of 1:24,000.

Recent changes in Imja Glacial Lake and its damming moraine in the Nepal Himalaya revealed by in situ surveys and multi-temporal ASTER imagery

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fujita, Koji; Sakai, Akiko; Nuimura, Takayuki; Yamaguchi, Satoru; Sharma, Rishi R

2009-01-01

Changes in the area and bathymetry of Imja Glacial Lake and in the elevation of its damming moraine, Khumbu region, Nepal Himalaya are investigated. Previously reported changes in the lake area have been updated by multi-temporal ASTER images, which revealed a decreased expansion rate after 2000. A provisional expansion of the lake observed in 2004, from which some studies concluded an accelerated lake expansion due to global warming, has, from 2005, subsided to the glacier surface. Bathymetric changes for the period 1992-2002 that were first obtained for Himalayan glacial lakes suggest that the melting of debris-covered ice beneath the lake is insignificant in terms of the increase in lake volume, and that the retreat of a glacier in contact with the lake by calving is essential for the lake's expansion. Changes in the height of a damming moraine for the period 2001-2007 suggest a continuous surface lowering near the lake, though the lowering rates are smaller than those for the period 1989-1994.

Assessment of earthquake-induced landslides hazard in El Salvador after the 2001 earthquakes using macroseismic analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Esposito, Eliana; Violante, Crescenzo; Giunta, Giuseppe; Ángel Hernández, Miguel

2016-04-01

Two strong earthquakes and a number of smaller aftershocks struck El Salvador in the year 2001. The January 13 2001 earthquake, Mw 7.7, occurred along the Cocos plate, 40 km off El Salvador southern coast. It resulted in about 1300 deaths and widespread damage, mainly due to massive landsliding. Two of the largest earthquake-induced landslides, Las Barioleras and Las Colinas (about 2x105 m3) produced major damage to buildings and infrastructures and 500 fatalities. A neighborhood in Santa Tecla, west of San Salvador, was destroyed. The February 13 2001 earthquake, Mw 6.5, occurred 40 km east-southeast of San Salvador. This earthquake caused over 300 fatalities and triggered several landslides over an area of 2,500 km2 mostly in poorly consolidated volcaniclastic deposits. The La Leona landslide (5-7x105 m3) caused 12 fatalities and extensive damage to the Panamerican Highway. Two very large landslides of 1.5 km3 and 12 km3 produced hazardous barrier lakes at Rio El Desague and Rio Jiboa, respectively. More than 16.000 landslides occurred throughout the country after both quakes; most of them occurred in pyroclastic deposits, with a volume less than 1x103m3. The present work aims to define the relationship between the above described earthquake intensity, size and areal distribution of induced landslides, as well as to refine the earthquake intensity in sparsely populated zones by using landslide effects. Landslides triggered by the 2001 seismic sequences provided useful indication for a realistic seismic hazard assessment, providing a basis for understanding, evaluating, and mapping the hazard and risk associated with earthquake-induced landslides.

Estimating accumulation rates and physical properties of sediment behind a dam: Englebright Lake, Yuba River, northern California

Science.gov (United States)

Snyder, Noah P.; Rubin, David M.; Alpers, Charles N.; Childs, Jonathan R.; Curtis, Jennifer A.; Flint, Lorraine E.; Wright, Scott A.

2004-01-01

Studies of reservoir sedimentation are vital to understanding scientific and management issues related to watershed sediment budgets, depositional processes, reservoir operations, and dam decommissioning. Here we quantify the mass, organic content, and grain-size distribution of a reservoir deposit in northern California by two methods of extrapolating measurements of sediment physical properties from cores to the entire volume of impounded material. Englebright Dam, completed in 1940, is located on the Yuba River in the Sierra Nevada foothills. A research program is underway to assess the feasibility of introducing wild anadromous fish species to the river upstream of the dam. Possible management scenarios include removing or lowering the dam, which could cause downstream transport of stored sediment. In 2001 the volume of sediments deposited behind Englebright Dam occupied 25.5% of the original reservoir capacity. The physical properties of this deposit were calculated using data from a coring campaign that sampled the entire reservoir sediment thickness (6–32 m) at six locations in the downstream ∼3/4 of the reservoir. As a result, the sediment in the downstream part of the reservoir is well characterized, but in the coarse, upstream part of the reservoir, only surficial sediments were sampled, so calculations there are more uncertain. Extrapolation from one-dimensional vertical sections of sediment sampled in cores to entire three-dimensional volumes of the reservoir deposit is accomplished via two methods, using assumptions of variable and constant layer thickness. Overall, the two extrapolation methods yield nearly identical estimates of the mass of the reservoir deposit of ∼26 × 106 metric tons (t) of material, of which 64.7–68.5% is sand and gravel. Over the 61 year reservoir history this corresponds to a maximum basin-wide sediment yield of ∼340 t/km2/yr, assuming no contribution from upstream parts of the watershed impounded by other dams. The

Mining Input Data for Multivariate Probabilistic Modeling of Rainfall-Induced Landslide Hazard in the Lake ATITLÁN Watershed in Guatemala

Science.gov (United States)

Cobin, P. F.; Oommen, T.; Gierke, J. S.

2013-12-01

The Lake Atitlán watershed is home to approximately 200,000 people and is located in the western highlands of Guatemala. Steep slopes, highly susceptible to landslides during the rainy season, characterize the region. Typically these landslides occur during high-intensity precipitation events. Hurricane Stan hit Guatemala in October 2005; the resulting flooding and landslides devastated the region. Locations of landslide and non-landslide points were obtained from field observations and orthophotos taken following Hurricane Stan. Different datasets of landslide and non-landslide points across the watershed were used to compare model success at a small scale and regional scale. This study used data from multiple attributes: geology, geomorphology, distance to faults and streams, land use, slope, aspect, curvature, plan curvature, profile curvature and topographic wetness index. The open source software Weka was used for the data mining. Several attribute selection methods were applied to the data to predetermine the potential landslide causative influence. Different multivariate algorithms were then evaluated for their ability to predict landslide occurrence. The following statistical parameters were used to evaluate model accuracy: precision, recall, F measure and area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. The attribute combinations of the most successful models were compared to the attribute evaluator results. The algorithm BayesNet yielded the most accurate model and was used to build a probability map of landslide initiation points for the regions selected in the watershed. The ultimate aim of this study is to share the methodology and results with municipal contacts from the author's time as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer, to facilitate more effective future landslide hazard planning and mitigation.

Comparison of the mineralogy of the Boss-Bixby, Missouri copper-iron deposit, and the Olympic Dam copper-uranium-gold deposit, South Australia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brandom, R.T.; Hagni, R.D.; Allen, C.R.

1985-01-01

An ore microscopic examination of 80 polished sections prepared from selected drill core specimens from the Boss-Bixby, Missouri copper-iron deposit has shown that its mineral assemblage is similar to that of the Olympic Dam (Roxby Downs) copper-uranium-gold deposit in South Australia. A comparison with the mineralogy reported for Olympic Dam shows that both deposits contain: 1) the principal minerals, magnetite, hematite, chalcopyrite, and bornite, 2) the cobalt-bearing phases, carrollite and cobaltian pyrite, 3) the titanium oxides, rutile and anatase, 4) smaller amounts of martite, covellite, and electrum, 5) fluorite and carbonates, and 6) some alteration minerals. The deposits also are similar with regard to the sequence of mineral deposition: 1) early oxides, 2) then sulfide minerals, and 3) a final oxide generation. The deposits, however, are dissimilar with regard to their host rock lithologies and structural settings. The Boss-Bixby ores occupy breccia zones within a hydrothermally altered basic intrusive and intruded silicic volcanics, whereas the Olympic Dam ores are contained in sedimentary breccias in a graben or trough. Also, some minerals have been found thus far to occur at only one of the deposits. The similarity of mineralogy in these deposits suggests that they were formed from ore fluids that had some similarities in character and that the St. Francois terrane of Missouri is an important region for further exploration for deposits with this mineral assemblage

Ice-dammed lateral lake and epishelf lake insights into Holocene dynamics of Marguerite Trough Ice Stream and George VI Ice Shelf, Alexander Island, Antarctic Peninsula

Science.gov (United States)

Davies, Bethan J.; Hambrey, Michael J.; Glasser, Neil F.; Holt, Tom; Rodés, Angél; Smellie, John L.; Carrivick, Jonathan L.; Blockley, Simon P. E.

2017-12-01

We present new data regarding the past dynamics of Marguerite Trough Ice Stream, George VI Ice Shelf and valley glaciers from Ablation Point Massif on Alexander Island, Antarctic Peninsula. This ice-free oasis preserves a geological record of ice stream lateral moraines, ice-dammed lakes, ice-shelf moraines and valley glacier moraines, which we dated using cosmogenic nuclide ages. We provide one of the first detailed sediment-landform assemblage descriptions of epishelf lake shorelines. Marguerite Trough Ice Stream imprinted lateral moraines against eastern Alexander Island at 120 m at Ablation Point Massif. During deglaciation, lateral lakes formed in the Ablation and Moutonnée valleys, dammed against the ice stream in George VI Sound. Exposure ages from boulders on these shorelines yielded ages of 13.9 to 9.7 ka. Following recession of the ice stream, George VI Ice Shelf formed in George VI Sound. An epishelf lake formed at 15-20 m asl in Ablation and Moutonnée valleys, dated from 9.4 to 4.6 ka, suggesting that the lake was stable and persistent for some 5000 years. Lake-level lowering occurred after this, with the lake level at 12 m at 3.1 ± 0.4 ka and at 5 m asl today. A readvance of the valley glaciers on Alexander Island at 4.4 ± 0.7 ka is recorded by valley glacier moraines overlying epishelf lake sediments. We speculate that the glacier readvance, which occurred during a period of warmth, may have been caused by a dynamic response of the glaciers to a lowering in surface elevation of George VI Ice Shelf.

Morphodynamics of Travertine Dam/Waterfall Growth due to the Interaction of Biological Activity, Water Flow and Limestone Emplacement

Science.gov (United States)

Izumi, N.; Parker, G.

2012-12-01

Plitvice Lakes in Croatia are characterized by a step-like train of lakes and waterfalls. The waterfalls are located at the crests of naturally-emplaced dams. The top of each dam grows upward at the rate of a few millimeters per year. It is thought that the upward growth of these dams is caused by the interaction of water flow and biological activity, resulting in the precipitation of dissolved limestone. Dam evolution is initiated by the growth of mosses that favor swift, shallow water. Bacteria that inhabit the roots of the moss excrete solid limestone (travertine) from the water. The limestone fossilizes the moss, and then more moss grows on top of the travertine deposit. In this way, the natural dam can grow over to 10 m high, impounding the water behind it to form a lake. We propose a simple model to explain the formation of natural limestone dams by the interaction between water flow and biologically-mediated travertine deposition. We assume for simplicity that light is the only factor determining the growth of moss, which is then colonized by travertine-emplacing bacteria. We also assume that the water is saturated with dissolved limestone, so that the process is not limited by limestone availability. Photosynthesis, and thus the growth rate of moss are crudely approximated as decreasing linearly with depth. We employ the shallow water equations to describe water flow over the dam. In order to obtain a profile of permanent form for a dam migrating upward and downstream at constant speed, we solve the problem in a moving coordinate system. When water flows over the dam, it is accelerated in the streamwise direction, and the water surface forms a backwater curve. The flow regime changes from Froude-subcritical to Froude-supercritical at a point slightly downstream of the crest of the dam. Farther downstream, the flow attains a threshold velocity beyond which moss is detached. This threshold point defines the downstream end of the active part of the dam. The

Glacial Lake Pickering: stratigraphy and chronology of a proglacial lake dammed by the North Sea Lobe of the British-Irish Ice Sheet

OpenAIRE

Evans, David J.A.; Bateman, Mark D.; Roberts, David H.; Medialdea, Alicia; Hayes, Laura; Duller, Geoff A.T.; Fabel, Derek; Clark, Chris D.

2016-01-01

We report the first chronology, using four new optically stimulated luminescence dates, on the sedimentary record of Glacial Lake Pickering, dammed by the North Sea Lobe of the British–Irish Ice Sheet during the Dimlington Stadial (24–11 ka cal BP). Dates range from 17.6 ± 1.0 to 15.8 ± 0.9 ka for the sedimentation of the Sherburn Sands at East Heslerton, which were formed by multiple coalescing alluvial fans prograding into the falling water levels of the lake and fed by progressively larger...

Atmospheric nitrogen deposition influences denitrification and nitrous oxide production in lakes.

Science.gov (United States)

McCrackin, Michelle L; Elser, James J

2010-02-01

Microbially mediated denitrification is an important process that may ameliorate the effects of nitrogen (N) loading by permanently removing excess N inputs. In this study, we measured the rate of denitrification and nitrous oxide (N2O) production during denitrification in sediments from 32 Norwegian lakes at the high and low ends of a gradient of atmospheric N deposition. Denitrification and N2O production rates averaged 41.7 and 1.1 micromol N x m(-2) x h(-1), respectively, for high-deposition lakes. There was no detectable denitrification or N2O production in low-deposition lakes. Epilimnetic nitrate concentration was strongly correlated with denitrification rate (r2 = 0.67). We also measured the denitrification rate in response to experimental additions of organic carbon, nitrate, and phosphorus. Experimental nitrate additions stimulated denitrification in sediments of all lakes, regardless of N deposition level. In fact, the rate of denitrification in nitrate-amended treatments was the same magnitude for lakes in both deposition areas. These findings suggest that lake sediments possess considerable capacity to remove nitrate and that this capacity has not been saturated under conditions of chronic N loading. Further, nitrous oxide was nearly 3% of the total gaseous product during denitrification in high-deposition lakes, a fraction that is comparable to polluted marine sediments. Our findings suggest that, while lakes play an important role in N removal in the landscape, they may be a source of N2O emissions, especially in areas subject to elevated N inputs.

Recent changes in Imja Glacial Lake and its damming moraine in the Nepal Himalaya revealed by in situ surveys and multi-temporal ASTER imagery

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fujita, Koji; Sakai, Akiko; Nuimura, Takayuki [Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464-8601 (Japan); Yamaguchi, Satoru [Snow and Ice Research Center, National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention, Nagaoka 940-0821 (Japan); Sharma, Rishi R [Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology, Babar Mahal, Kathmandu (Nepal)

2009-10-15

Changes in the area and bathymetry of Imja Glacial Lake and in the elevation of its damming moraine, Khumbu region, Nepal Himalaya are investigated. Previously reported changes in the lake area have been updated by multi-temporal ASTER images, which revealed a decreased expansion rate after 2000. A provisional expansion of the lake observed in 2004, from which some studies concluded an accelerated lake expansion due to global warming, has, from 2005, subsided to the glacier surface. Bathymetric changes for the period 1992-2002 that were first obtained for Himalayan glacial lakes suggest that the melting of debris-covered ice beneath the lake is insignificant in terms of the increase in lake volume, and that the retreat of a glacier in contact with the lake by calving is essential for the lake's expansion. Changes in the height of a damming moraine for the period 2001-2007 suggest a continuous surface lowering near the lake, though the lowering rates are smaller than those for the period 1989-1994.

Regional distribution and relevance in paleonvironmental studies of lakes in the Tatra Mts. (Western Carpathians

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joanna POCIASK-KARTECZKA

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Scientific limnological research in the Tatra Mountains were initiated by Stanislaw Staszic in the early XIX century.  After the World War II, the evolution of Tatra lakes was investigated by Kondracki, Klimaszewski, Baumgart-Kotarba and. Extensive paleolimnological investigations in the Tatra Mountains were started by the group of scientists led by K. Starmach in the beginning of the second half of the 20th century. There has been not much research concerned to the regional distribution of lakes and their properties in the Tatra Mountains (Pociask-Karteczka 2013. Very early division of lakes presented A. Gadomski (1922, which distinguished four types of lakes: a tarns (cirque lake or corrie loch, b bedrock-dammed lakes, c moraine lakes. This division was concerned in subsequent publications (Choiński 2007. M. Lukniš (1973, 1985 recognized additional types: kettles and landslide-dammed lakes and M. Klimaszewski (1988 – inter-sheepback lakes. J. Pacl and K. Wit-Jóźwik in Klima Tatier (Pacl, Wit-Jóźwik 1974 were focused on the temperature of water in lakes in Polish and Slovak parts and M. Borowiak (2000a,b provided a comprehensive analysis of types, dimensions, temperature and chemical composition of water in lakes in the Tatra Mountains.According to present day state of knowledge, one may distinguish following genetic types of lakes: I glacial, II not-glacial. There are four types of the glacial origin lakes in the Tatra Mountains (Fig. 1: a tarns (cirque lakes or corrie loch, b bedrock-moraine dammed lakes, c inter-sheepback lakes, d moraine lakes, e kettles.Most of lakes in the Tatra Mountains are tarns and bedrock-moraine dammed lakes, and they are located at the elevation over 1400 m a.s.l. in the Western Tatra Mountains, and over 1600 m a.s.l. in the High Tatra Mountains. Some of them are paternoster lakes – a series of stair-stepped lakes formed in individual rock basins aligned down the course of a glaciated valley. Lakes in

Rapid reservoir erosion, hyperconcentrated flow, and downstream deposition triggered by breaching of 38 m tall Condit Dam, White Salmon River, Washington

Science.gov (United States)

Wilcox, Andrew C.; O'Connor, James E.; Major, Jon J.

2014-01-01

Condit Dam on the White Salmon River, Washington, a 38 m high dam impounding a large volume (1.8 million m3) of fine-grained sediment (60% sand, 35% silt and clay, and 5% gravel), was rapidly breached in October 2011. This unique dam decommissioning produced dramatic upstream and downstream geomorphic responses in the hours and weeks following breaching. Blasting a 5 m wide hole into the base of the dam resulted in rapid reservoir drawdown, abruptly releasing ~1.6 million m3 of reservoir water, exposing reservoir sediment to erosion, and triggering mass failures of the thickly accumulated reservoir sediment. Within 90 min of breaching, the reservoir's water and ~10% of its sediment had evacuated. At a gauging station 2.3 km downstream, flow increased briefly by 400 m3 s−1during passage of the initial pulse of released reservoir water, followed by a highly concentrated flow phase—up to 32% sediment by volume—as landslide-generated slurries from the reservoir moved downstream. This hyperconcentrated flow, analogous to those following volcanic eruptions or large landslides, draped the downstream river with predominantly fine sand. During the ensuing weeks, suspended-sediment concentration declined and sand and gravel bed load derived from continued reservoir erosion aggraded the channel by >1 m at the gauging station, after which the river incised back to near its initial elevation at this site. Within 15 weeks after breaching, over 1 million m3 of suspended load is estimated to have passed the gauging station, consistent with estimates that >60% of the reservoir's sediment had eroded. This dam removal highlights the influence of interactions among reservoir erosion processes, sediment composition, and style of decommissioning on rate of reservoir erosion and consequent downstream behavior of released sediment.

ESTIMATION OF FILTRATION CAPACITY OF POSTFLOTATION TAILINGS EMBEDDED IN DAMS OF TAILINGS DEPOSITION SITES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wojciech Tschuschke

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Construction of very big mine tailings deposition sites, such as postflotation tailings ponds, is a complicated engineering task, in which several technical and environmental problems need to be solved. Designing, construction and operation of such an object applying the monitoring method consists in the verification of design assumptions based on continuous observations. One of the primary tasks of monitoring while the deposition site is being filled with tailings is to control quality of the formed dam embankments, as the structural element of the object responsible for its stability. In order to use material selected from deposited tailings in the construction of dams it is necessary to define grain size and compaction criteria, which directly affect load bearing capacity and deformation of the structure. For this reason main control tests include the analyses of grain size distribution and physical properties of the material embedded in the dams. These data may also be used to estimate filtration capacity of the embankment. A lack of drainage, causing accumulation of water within the embankment, may potentially deteriorate stability conditions. This paper presents the use of empirical formulas, i.e. formulas typically applied to natural soils, to assess permeability coefficient of tailings. A simple empirical formula was also proposed for the estimation of permeability coefficient of tailings based on grain size and compaction parameters determined in routine quality tests of constructed dam embankments.

Evidence for the Importance of Atmospheric Nitrogen Deposition to Eutrophic Lake Dianchi, China

Science.gov (United States)

Zhan, X.; Bo, Y.; Zhou, F.; Liu, X.; Paerl, H. W.; Shen, J.; Wang, R.; Li, F. R.; Tao, S.; Yanjun, D.; Tang, X.

2017-12-01

Elevated atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition has significantly influenced aquatic ecosystems, especially with regard to their N budgets and phytoplankton growth potentials. Compared to a considerable number of studies on oligotrophic lakes and oceanic waters, little evidence for the importance of N deposition has been generated for eutrophic lakes, even though emphasis has been placed on reducing external N inputs to control eutrophication in these lakes. Our high-resolution observations of atmospheric depositions and riverine inputs of biologically reactive N species into eutrophic Lake Dianchi (the sixth largest freshwater lake in China) shed new light onto the contribution of N deposition to total N loads. Annual N deposition accounted for 15.7% to 16.6% of total N loads under variable precipitation conditions, 2-fold higher than previous estimates (7.6%) for the Lake Dianchi. The proportion of N deposition to total N loads further increased to 27-48% in May and June when toxic blooms of the ubiquitous non-N2 fixing cyanobacteria Microcystis spp. are initiated and proliferate. Our observations reveal that reduced N (59%) contributes a greater amount than oxidized N to total N deposition, reaching 56-83% from late spring to summer. Progress toward mitigating eutrophication in Lake Dianchi and other bloom-impacted eutrophic lakes will be difficult without reductions in ammonia emissions and subsequent N deposition.

Topographic and depositional signature of old anthropic lakes in northern part of the Moldavian Plateau (NE Romania)

Science.gov (United States)

Ciprian Margarint, Mihai; Niculita, Mihai; Nemeth, Alexandra; Cristea, Ionut

2017-04-01

The role of humans and theirs social activities in reshaping earth surface is obvious in many places of the world. Anthropic fingerprints on Earth's surface morphology are recognizable by theirs topographic and depositional signatures that can cause considerable changes in geomorphological organization of the landscape, with direct consequences on Earth surface processes. Anthropic dams and their associated sediments represent recent archives that record environmental changes. They can provide substantial data to reconstruct general models in geomorphic evolution of hydrologic catchments and the identification of extreme meteorological events and sediment fluxes. Also, geochemical tracers provide us relevant indicators about climatic patterns and local condition of sedimentation processes. Until quite recently, the identification and counting the old lakes have been carried out mostly by studying different old maps and less by analyzing their fingerprints on the Earth surface. Considered a real revolution in geomorphology, the high-resolution LiDAR data allow us nowadays a more precise recognition of minor landforms, their extent and cross-relationships, as well as to discover surface features that have escaped the attention before. Furthermore, by using Electrical Resistivity Tomography techniques, the 3D extension of the sediments can be revealed. Anthropic lakes are one of the most particular hydrological anthropic features of the landscape in the northern part of the Moldavian Plateau (Eastern Carpathian lowland). The need for water supply, have forced the inhabitants to build dams of various sizes along the entire river network. Over the time, many dams were abandoned, while others have been relocated with an impressive dynamic at historical time scale. For more than 3000 sq km we have carried out an accurate inventory of abandoned dams using LIDAR imagery. Taking into consideration the last appearance of the lakes on the old maps, they were classified: pre

A real two-phase submarine debris flow and tsunami

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pudasaini, Shiva P.; Miller, Stephen A.

2012-01-01

The general two-phase debris flow model proposed by Pudasaini is employed to study subaerial and submarine debris flows, and the tsunami generated by the debris impact at lakes and oceans. The model, which includes three fundamentally new and dominant physical aspects such as enhanced viscous stress, virtual mass, and generalized drag (in addition to buoyancy), constitutes the most generalized two-phase flow model to date. The advantage of this two-phase debris flow model over classical single-phase, or quasi-two-phase models, is that the initial mass can be divided into several parts by appropriately considering the solid volume fraction. These parts include a dry (landslide or rock slide), a fluid (water or muddy water; e.g., dams, rivers), and a general debris mixture material as needed in real flow simulations. This innovative formulation provides an opportunity, within a single framework, to simultaneously simulate the sliding debris (or landslide), the water lake or ocean, the debris impact at the lake or ocean, the tsunami generation and propagation, the mixing and separation between the solid and fluid phases, and the sediment transport and deposition process in the bathymetric surface. Applications of this model include (a) sediment transport on hill slopes, river streams, hydraulic channels (e.g., hydropower dams and plants); lakes, fjords, coastal lines, and aquatic ecology; and (b) submarine debris impact and the rupture of fiber optic, submarine cables and pipelines along the ocean floor, and damage to offshore drilling platforms. Numerical simulations reveal that the dynamics of debris impact induced tsunamis in mountain lakes or oceans are fundamentally different than the tsunami generated by pure rock avalanches and landslides. The analysis includes the generation, amplification and propagation of super tsunami waves and run-ups along coastlines, debris slide and deposition at the bottom floor, and debris shock waves. It is observed that the

A real two-phase submarine debris flow and tsunami

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pudasaini, Shiva P.; Miller, Stephen A. [Department of Geodynamics and Geophysics, Steinmann Institute, University of Bonn Nussallee 8, D-53115, Bonn (Germany)

2012-09-26

The general two-phase debris flow model proposed by Pudasaini is employed to study subaerial and submarine debris flows, and the tsunami generated by the debris impact at lakes and oceans. The model, which includes three fundamentally new and dominant physical aspects such as enhanced viscous stress, virtual mass, and generalized drag (in addition to buoyancy), constitutes the most generalized two-phase flow model to date. The advantage of this two-phase debris flow model over classical single-phase, or quasi-two-phase models, is that the initial mass can be divided into several parts by appropriately considering the solid volume fraction. These parts include a dry (landslide or rock slide), a fluid (water or muddy water; e.g., dams, rivers), and a general debris mixture material as needed in real flow simulations. This innovative formulation provides an opportunity, within a single framework, to simultaneously simulate the sliding debris (or landslide), the water lake or ocean, the debris impact at the lake or ocean, the tsunami generation and propagation, the mixing and separation between the solid and fluid phases, and the sediment transport and deposition process in the bathymetric surface. Applications of this model include (a) sediment transport on hill slopes, river streams, hydraulic channels (e.g., hydropower dams and plants); lakes, fjords, coastal lines, and aquatic ecology; and (b) submarine debris impact and the rupture of fiber optic, submarine cables and pipelines along the ocean floor, and damage to offshore drilling platforms. Numerical simulations reveal that the dynamics of debris impact induced tsunamis in mountain lakes or oceans are fundamentally different than the tsunami generated by pure rock avalanches and landslides. The analysis includes the generation, amplification and propagation of super tsunami waves and run-ups along coastlines, debris slide and deposition at the bottom floor, and debris shock waves. It is observed that the

Study of environmental isotope distribution in the Aswan High Dam Lake (Egypt) for estimation of evaporation of lake water and its recharge to adjacent groundwater

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aly, A.I.M.; Nada, A.; Awad, M.; Hamza, M.; Salem, W.M.

1993-01-01

Oxygen-18 ( 18 O) and deuterium isotopes were used to estimate the evaporation from the Aswan High Dam Lake and to investigate the inter-relation between the lake water and adjacent groundwater. According to stable isotopic analysis of samples taken in 1988 and 1989, the lake can be divided into two sections. In the first section extending between Abu Simbel and a point between El-Alaki and Krosko, a remarkable vertical gradient of 18 O and deuterium isotopic composition was observed. The second northern sector extending to the High Dam is characterised by a lower vertical isotopic gradient. In this sector in general, higher values of 18 O and deuterium contents were found at the top and lower values at the bottom. Also a strong horizontal increase of the heavy isotope content was observed. Thus, in the northern section evaporation is of dominating influence on the isotopic composition of the lake water. With the help of an evaporation pan experiment it was possible to calibrate the evaporative isotope enrichment in the lake and to facilitate a preliminary estimate of evaporative losses of lake water. The evaporation from the lake was estimated to be about 19% of the input water flow rate. The groundwater around the lake was investigated and samples from production wells and piezometers were subjected to isotopic analysis. The results indicate that recent recharge to the groundwater aquifer is limited to wells near to the lake and up to a maximum distance of about 10 km. The contribution of recent Nile water to the groundwater in these wells was estimated to range between 23 and 70%. Beyond this distance, palaeowater was observed with highly depleted deuterium and 18 O contents, which was also confirmed by 14c dating. The age of palaeo groundwater in this area can reach values of more than 26,000 years. Recommendations are given for efficient water management of the lake water. (Author)

Water and soil loss from landslide deposits as a function of gravel content in the Wenchuan earthquake area, China, revealed by artificial rainfall simulations.

Science.gov (United States)

Gan, Fengling; He, Binghui; Wang, Tao

2018-01-01

A large number of landslides were triggered by the Mw7.9 Wenchuan earthquake which occurred on 12th May 2008. Landslides impacted extensive areas along the Mingjiang River and its tributaries. In the landslide deposits, soil and gravel fragments generally co-exist and their proportions may influence the hydrological and erosion processes on the steep slopes of the deposit surface. Understanding the effects of the mixtures of soil and gravels in landslide deposits on erosion processes is relevant for ecological reconstruction and water and soil conservation in Wenchuan earthquake area. Based on field surveys, indoor artificial rainfall simulation experiments with three rainfall intensities (1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 mm·min-1) and three proportions of gravel (50%, 66.7% and 80%) were conducted to measure how the proportion of gravel affected soil erosion and sediment yield in landslide sediments and deposits. Where the proportion of gravel was 80%, no surface runoff was produced during the 90 minute experiment under all rainfall intensities. For the 66.7% proportion, no runoff was generated at the lowest rainfall intensity (1.0 mm·min-1). As a result of these interactions, the average sediment yield ranked as 50> 66.6> 80% with different proportions of gravel. In addition, there was a positive correlation between runoff generation and sediment yield, and the sediment yield lagging the runoff generation. Together, the results demonstrate an important role of gravel in moderating the mobilization of landslide sediment produced by large earthquakes, and could lay the foundation for erosion models which provide scientific guidance for the control of landslide sediment in the Wenchuan earthquake zone, China.

The Application of a Phosphorus Budget Model Estimating the Carrying Capacity of Kesikköprü Dam Lake

OpenAIRE

PULATSÜ, Serap

2014-01-01

The aim of this study was to estimate the carrying capacity of Kesikköprü Dam Lake, Ankara, where cage farms for the intensive culture of rainbow trout are located. For this purpose Dillon and Rigler's phosphorus budget model was applied in a series of steps and the carrying capacity of the lake was found to be 3335 tonnes per year. This estimated value was about 10 times higher than the present production level of the lake. It seems possible to orientate the fish culture in cages in...

Landslide Hazard Analysis and Damage Assessment for Tourism Destination at Candikuning Village, Tabanan Regency, Bali, Indonesia

Science.gov (United States)

Sunarta, I. N.; Susila, K. D.; Kariasa, I. N.

2018-02-01

Landslide is a movement down the slope by the soil mass or slope constituent rock, a result of disturbance of the stability of the soil or rocks that make up the slope.Bali as one of the best tourism destinations in the world, also has landslide prone areas. Tourism attraction in Bali that is prone to landslides are Lake Beratan and Pura Ulun Danu Beratan in Candikuning Village, Tabanan Regency, Bali Province, Indonesia. Candikunig village area has tourismdestination, settlements and agricultural land. This study aims to analyze landslide- prone areas and the losses caused by landslides include damage analysis for the attractions of Beratan Lake and Ulun Danu Beratan Temple and settlements. The method used is matching and scoring with parameters of rainfall, soil type, slope and land use.The result is, Beratan Lake area has moderate to high landslide prone areas in the eastern and southern parts where most of the settlements in Candikuning Village are located in areas prone to moderate and high landslides hazard.

Factors associated with the deposition of Cladophora on Lake Michigan beaches in 2012

Science.gov (United States)

Riley, Stephen C.; Tucker, Taaja R.; Adams, Jean V.; Fogarty, Lisa R.; Lafrancois, Brenda Moraska

2015-01-01

Deposition of the macroalgae Cladophora spp. was monitored on 18 beaches around Lake Michigan during 2012 at a high temporal frequency. We observed a high degree of spatial variability in Cladophora deposition among beaches on Lake Michigan, even within local regions, with no clear regional pattern in the intensity of Cladophora deposition. A strong seasonal pattern in Cladophora deposition was observed, with the heaviest deposition occurring during mid-summer. Several beaches exhibited high temporal variability in Cladophora deposition over short time scales, suggesting that drifting algal mats may be extremely dynamic in nearshore environments of the Great Lakes. Cladophora deposition on Lake Michigan beaches was primarily related to the presence of nearshore structures, local population density, and nearshore bathymetry. There was relatively little evidence that waves, winds, or currents were associated with Cladophora deposition on beaches, but this may be due to the relatively poor resolution of existing nearshore hydrodynamic data. Developing a predictive understanding of beach-cast Cladophora dynamics in Great Lakes environments may require both intensive Cladophora monitoring and fine-scale local hydrodynamic modeling efforts.

33 CFR 165.T09-0166 - Safety Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan including Des Plaines River, Chicago...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Safety Zone, Brandon Road Lock... Areas Ninth Coast Guard District § 165.T09-0166 Safety Zone, Brandon Road Lock and Dam to Lake Michigan.... waters of the Des Plaines River located between mile marker 286.0 (Brandon Road Lock and Dam) and mile...

Levels and distribution of organohalogenated contaminants in 5 fish species from Sir Dam Lake, Kahramanmaras, Turkey

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Erdogrul, Oe [Faculty of Agriculture, Kahramanmaras (Turkey). Dept. of Food Engineering; Covaci, A; Schepens, P [Antwerp Univ. (Belgium). Toxicological Center

2004-09-15

In Turkey, OCPs have been used since 1945, with large quantities of these chemicals being used during the 1960s and 1970s. Since 1983, the usage of OCPs has been severely restricted or banned. Only few studies have investigated the presence of OCPs in Turkish aquatic environment, where they have been evidenced in relatively high concentrations. The aim of this study was to investigate the levels and distribution of organohalogenated contaminants in several fish species from Syr Dam Lake (Kahramanmarab, Turkey), an artificial lake with great economical importance for the region.

The impact of foundation conditions on the design and construction of the Snake Lake Reservoir dams

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Griffin, G. D.

1998-01-01

Unique aspects of the design and construction of two small dams for the Snake Lake Reservoir Project and some of the lessons learned in the process are described. The outstanding feature of this project was that although relatively close together and in the same post-glacial channel, the foundations of the two dams were quite different. The West Dam had permeable silt, sand and gravel with deep bedrock, while the East Dam had impermeable high plastic clay and shallow bedrock as foundation. The challenge to the design was to develop a cross section that would work for both foundation conditions. The final design turned out to be an impermeable fill with toe berms accommodating the variability in the foundations. Instrumentation was used to determine when the second construction stage should commence. At the end of the construction, the reservoir was partially filled relying on the instrumentation to suggest when that would be safe enough to proceed without impacting the overall embankment stability. In the event, the West Dam foundation soils proved to be several orders of magnitude higher than estimated from grain size analyses, requiring installation of a relief valve after construction was completed. Apart from that, dam construction proceeded smoothly and the instrumentation performed as expected.12 refs., 7 figs

Exploration of the Key Lake uranium deposits, Saskatchewan, Canada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gatzweiler, R.; Schmeling, B.; Tan, B.

1981-01-01

In 1969, one year after the discovery of the Rabbit Lake uranium deposit, exploration started in the Key Lake area as part of a major uranium rush into Northern Saskatchewan, and within the frame of a joint venture. The area was not chosen on the basis of a particular metallogenetic concept. The lack of exploratory success in 1969 and 1970, together with the introduction in March 1970 of foreign ownership restrictions for uranium mining in Canada, discouraged six of the nine companies forming the original joint venture. In 1971 the three remaining companies decided to continue under a redefined concept, based on the knowledge obtained from the Rabbit Lake deposit (Uranerz had acquired a 49% share in 1970) and from the newly discovered uranium deposits in the Pine Creek Geosyncline, Australia. In the same year, exploration work resulted in the discovery of two high-grade mineralized boulders and significant radioactive and geochemical anomalies 5 km SW of Key Lake deposits. Subsequent exploration, aimed at finding the source of the mineralized boulders, comprised geological, glacial geological and ground radiometric surveys, boulder tracing, air-photo interpretation, lake sediment and muskeg sampling surveys, radon surveys, ground magnetic, gravity, electromagnetic and IP surveys, and drilling. The systematic exploration efforts resulted in the discovery of the Gaertner ore body in July 1975 and the Deilmann ore body in June 1976, where glacial geology, lake sediment sampling, magnetic and electromagnetic surveys were the key methods in defining the drilling targets. Three further years and a total of about 2400 drillholes were needed to fully delineate the two ore bodies. (author)

Incorporation of Fine-Grained Sediment Erodibility Measurements into Sediment Transport Modeling, Capitol Lake, Washington

Science.gov (United States)

Stevens, Andrew W.; Gelfenbaum, Guy; Elias, Edwin; Jones, Craig

2008-01-01

Capitol Lake was created in 1951 with the construction of a concrete dam and control gate that prevented salt-water intrusion into the newly formed lake and regulated flow of the Deschutes River into southern Puget Sound. Physical processes associated with the former tidally dominated estuary were altered, and the dam structure itself likely caused an increase in retention of sediment flowing into the lake from the Deschutes River. Several efforts to manage sediment accumulation in the lake, including dredging and the construction of sediment traps upriver, failed to stop the lake from filling with sediment. The Deschutes Estuary Feasibility Study (DEFS) was carried out to evaluate the possibility of removing the dam and restoring estuarine processes as an alternative ongoing lake management. An important component of DEFS was the creation of a hydrodynamic and sediment transport model of the restored Deschutes Estuary. Results from model simulations indicated that estuarine processes would be restored under each of four restoration alternatives, and that over time, the restored estuary would have morphological features similar to the predam estuary. The model also predicted that after dam-removal, a large portion of the sediment eroded from the lake bottom would be deposited near the Port of Olympia and a marina located in lower Budd Inlet seaward of the present dam. The volume of sediment transported downstream was a critical piece of information that managers needed to estimate the total cost of the proposed restoration project. However, the ability of the model to predict the magnitude of sediment transport in general and, in particular, the volume of sediment deposition in the port and marina was limited by a lack of information on the erodibility of fine-grained sediments in Capitol Lake. Cores at several sites throughout Capitol Lake were collected between October 31 and November 1, 2007. The erodibility of sediments in the cores was later determined in the

Glacial lakes in Austria - Distribution and formation since the Little Ice Age

Science.gov (United States)

Buckel, J.; Otto, J. C.; Prasicek, G.; Keuschnig, M.

2018-05-01

Glacial lakes constitute a substantial part of the legacy of vanishing mountain glaciation and act as water storage, sediment traps and sources of both natural hazards and leisure activities. For these reasons, they receive growing attention by scientists and society. However, while the evolution of glacial lakes has been studied intensively over timescales tied to remote sensing-based approaches, the longer-term perspective has been omitted due a lack of suitable data sources. We mapped and analyzed the spatial distribution of glacial lakes in the Austrian Alps. We trace the development of number and area of glacial lakes in the Austrian Alps since the Little Ice Age (LIA) based on a unique combination of a lake inventory and an extensive record of glacier retreat. We find that bedrock-dammed lakes are the dominant lake type in the inventory. Bedrock- and moraine-dammed lakes populate the highest landscape domains located in cirques and hanging valleys. We observe lakes embedded in glacial deposits at lower locations on average below 2000 m a.s.l. In general, the distribution of glacial lakes over elevation reflects glacier erosional and depositional dynamics rather than the distribution of total area. The rate of formation of new glacial lakes (number, area) has continuously accelerated over time with present rates showing an eight-fold increase since LIA. At the same time the total glacier area decreased by two-thirds. This development coincides with a long-term trend of rising temperatures and a significant stepping up of this trend within the last 20 years in the Austrian Alps.

Investigation of relationship between sediment yield and landslide in Iran

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Samad Shadfar

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Landslides have been made irreversible damage to urban areas and economic in Iran. In this research, at first, for Investigation of relationship between landslide and sediment yield was recognized some of effective factors on Landslide. These Factors were processed with use of ILWIS and Arc GIS software’s. Landslide hazard zonation was done using Density Area and Index Overlay methods in GIS and evaluated them using Quality Sum index. In after phase, were determined sediment yield in each of them. Finally, occurrence rate landslide investigated in sediment yield zones. The results indicated that, slope, lithology and distance from the hydrographic network have the greatest impact on landslides. Most of the landslides have occurred in the 15-40% slope class, units of conglomerate and marl, and within one km of drainage network. On the other hand, the relationship between landslide frequency and distance of the fault was not a linear relationship and Almost 60 %of landslides have occurred distance of one km of the faults. Evaluation using Quality Sum index showed that the density Area has a more logical answer and as Appropriate method will be introduced in the basin. Investigation of deposition potential in sub-basins showed that Javaherdeh sub basin with 92.74 deposition potential is the first priority. Nedasht and latmohalleh sub basins, each with a deposition potential of 20.08 are the next priorities. Relationship between landslide area and deposition potential were identified as 8/91% of the landslides in the area of low And about 79 percent of landslides are located in high and very high deposition potentials.

Assessment of the Hydro-Ecological Impacts of the Three Gorges Dam on China’s Largest Freshwater Lake

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Guiping Wu

2017-10-01

Full Text Available The Three Gorges Dam (TGD has received increasing attention with respect to its potential effects on downstream hydro-ecosystems. Poyang Lake is the largest freshwater lake downstream of the TGD, and it is not immune to these impacts. Here, we combine hydrological observations, remote sensing, a geographic information system (GIS, and landscape ecology technology to investigate the variability and spatial pattern of the hydro-ecological alterations to Poyang Lake induced by the operation of the TGD. It was found that the TGD caused significant hydro-ecological alterations across the Poyang Lake wetland. Specifically, the TGD operation altered the seasonal inundation pattern of Poyang Lake and significantly reduced the monthly inundation frequencies (IFs, which were especially notable (~30–40% from September to November. Spatially, the declining IFs led to an increase in the mudflat area that is suitable for the growth of vegetation. The vegetation area increased by 58.82 km2 and 463.73 km2 in the low- and high-water season, respectively, with the most significant changes occurring in the estuary delta of the Ganjiang and Raohe rivers. The results also indicated that the changes in the inundation pattern and floodplain vegetation have profoundly altered the structure and composition of the wetland, which has resulted in increased landscape diversity and a gradual increase in the complexity of the ecosystem composition under the influence of regulation of the TGD. Such results are of great importance for policymakers, as they may provide a reference for wetland water resource planning and landscape restoration in an operational dam environment.

Geochemistry of the Cigar Lake uranium deposit: XPS studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sunder, S.; Cramer, J.J.; Miller, N.H.

1996-01-01

Samples of uranium ore from the Cigar Lake deposit in northern Saskatchewan, Canada, were analyzed using XPS. High-resolution spectra were recorded for the strongest bands of the major elements (U 4f, C 1 s, O 1 s, Pb 4 f, S 2 p, Cu 2 p, Fe 2 p, and the valence region (0-20 eV)) to obtain chemical state information for these samples. In general, the U VI /U IV ratio was very low, i.e., much less than 0.5, the threshold for the oxidative dissolution of UO 2 . The low values of the U VI /U IV ratio observed for samples from the Cigar Lake deposit indicate thermodynamic stability of the uranium ore in the reduced aqueous environment. Similarities between the disposal vault envisaged in the Canadian Nuclear Fuel Waste Management Program and the Cigar Lake deposit suggest that, if geochemical conditions in the vault were to be similar to those in the deposit, the long-term dissolution of UO 2 fuel would be very minimal. (orig.)

Chronology and alteration of cyclic drainage events for ice-dammed Lake Tiningnilik, Greenland, in 2010

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Haase, Eric Juergen; Furuya, Masato; Korsgaard, Niels Jákup

pattern in nature lasting through the 19th and 20th centuries until now. In summer 2010 the lake drained after just 7 years and at a lower water stand than the 2003 pre-drainage levels. This represents an adjustment to new equilibrium conditions with the ice dam and might be an index of recent local...... climate change in Greenland. We take a close look at Lake Tiningnilik and previous studies to constrain the timing of the drainage events using historical air photos and satellite imagery starting in the 1940s and 1970s, respectively. Tiningnilik has been occasionally surveyed on the ground since the 1980...

Quantifying aquatic insect deposition from lake to land.

Science.gov (United States)

Dreyer, Jamin; Townsend, Philip A; Hook, James C; Hoekman, David; Vander Zanden, M Jake; Gratton, Claudio

2015-02-01

Adjacent ecosystems are influenced by organisms that move across boundaries, such as insects with aquatic larval stages and terrestrial adult stages, which transport energy and nutrients from water to land. However, the ecosystem-level effect of aquatic insects on land has generally been ignored, perhaps because the organisms themselves are individually small. At the naturally productive Lake Mývatn, Iceland, we used two readily measured quantities: total insect emergence from water and relative insect density on land, to demonstrate an approach for estimating aquatic insect deposition (e.g., kg N x m(-2) x yr(-1)) to shore. Estimates from emergence traps between 2008 and 20.11 indicated a range of 0.15-3.7 g x m(-2) x yr(-1), or a whole-lake emergence of 3.1-76 Mg/yr; all masses are given as dry mass. Using aerial infall trap measurements of midge relative abundance over land, we developed a local-maximum decay function model to predict proportional midge deposition with distance from the lake. The dispersal model predicted midge abundance with R2 = 0.89, a pattern consistent among years, with peak midge deposition occurring 20-25 m inland and 70% of midges deposited within 100 m of shore. During a high-midge year (2008), we estimate midge deposition within the first 50 m of shoreline to be 100 kg xha(-1) x yr(-1), corresponding to inputs of 10 kg N x ha(-1) x yr(-1) and 1 kg P x ha(-1) x yr(-1), or about three to five times above background terrestrial N deposition rates. Consistent with elevated N input where midges are most dense, we observed that soil available nitrate in resin bags decreases with increasing distance from the lake. Our approach, generalizable to other systems, shows that aquatic insects can be a major source of nutrients to terrestrial ecosystems and have the capacity to significantly affect ecosystem processes.

National Program for Inspection of Non-Federal Dams. Granite Lake Dam (NH 00336) NHWRB 166.02, Connecticut River Basin, Nelson, New Hampshire. Phase I Inspection Report.

Science.gov (United States)

1979-05-01

purpose of a Phase I -. ’- Investigation is to identify expeditiously those dams which may pose hazards to human life or property. The assessment of...na:J t.on,, Ch,-ief 1later Resourecs Enginee2r On Septcm)er 10, �, T inspncted Craulit.t Lake-1 diarn ina Nuoville. at the request of thle Granite

Geotechnical soil characterization of intact Quaternary deposits forming the March 22, 2014 SR-530 (Oso) landslide, Snohomish County, Washington

Science.gov (United States)

Riemer, Michael F.; Collins, Brian D.; Badger, Thomas C.; Toth, Csilla; Yu, Yat Chun

2015-01-01

During the late morning of March 22, 2014, a devastating landslide occurred near the town of Oso, Washington. The landslide with an estimated volume of 10.9 million cubic yards (8.3 x 106 m3) of both intact glacially deposited and previously disturbed landslide sediments, reached speeds averaging 40 miles per hour (64 kilometers per hour) and crossed the entire 2/3-mile (~1100 m) width of the adjacent North Fork Stillaguamish River floodplain in approximately 60 seconds, resulting in the complete destruction of an entire neighborhood (Iverson and others, 2015). More than 40 homes were destroyed as the debris overran the neighborhood, resulting in the deaths of 43 people.

Changes in sediment volume in Alder Lake, Nisqually River Basin, Washington, 1945-2011

Science.gov (United States)

Czuba, Jonathan A.; Olsen, Theresa D.; Czuba, Christiana R.; Magirl, Christopher S.; Gish, Casey C.

2012-01-01

The Nisqually River drains the southwest slopes of Mount Rainier, a glaciated stratovolcano in the Cascade Range of western Washington. The Nisqually River was impounded behind Alder Dam when the dam was completed in 1945 and formed Alder Lake. This report quantifies the volume of sediment deposited by the Nisqually and Little Nisqually Rivers in their respective deltas in Alder Lake since 1945. Four digital elevation surfaces were generated from historical contour maps from 1945, 1956, and 1985, and a bathymetric survey from 2011. These surfaces were used to compute changes in sediment volume since 1945. Estimates of the volume of sediment deposited in Alder Lake between 1945 and 2011 were focused in three areas: (1) the Nisqually River delta, (2) the main body of Alder Lake, along a 40-meter wide corridor of the pre-dam Nisqually River, and (3) the Little Nisqually River delta. In each of these areas the net deposition over the 66-year period was 42,000,000 ± 4,000,000 cubic meters (m3), 2,000,000 ± 600,000 m3, and 310,000 ± 110,000 m3, respectively. These volumes correspond to annual rates of accumulation of 630,000 ± 60,000 m3/yr, 33,000 ± 9,000 m3/yr, and 4,700 ± 1,600 m3/yr, respectively. The annual sediment yield of the Nisqually (1,100 ± 100 cubic meters per year per square kilometer [(m3/yr)/km2]) and Little Nisqually River basins [70 ± 24 (m3/yr)/km2] provides insight into the yield of two basins with different land cover and geomorphic processes. These estimates suggest that a basin draining a glaciated stratovolcano yields approximately 15 times more sediment than a basin draining forested uplands in the Cascade Range. Given the cumulative net change in sediment volume in the Nisqually River delta in Alder Lake, the total capacity of Alder Lake since 1945 decreased about 3 percent by 1956, 8 percent by 1985, and 15 percent by 2011.

Geophysical investigations of geology and structure at the Martis Creek Dam, Truckee, California

Science.gov (United States)

Bedrosian, P.A.; Burton, B.L.; Powers, M.H.; Minsley, B.J.; Phillips, J.D.; Hunter, L.E.

2012-01-01

A recent evaluation of Martis Creek Dam highlighted the potential for dam failure due to either seepage or an earthquake on nearby faults. In 1972, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers constructed this earthen dam, located within the Truckee Basin to the north of Lake Tahoe, CA for water storage and flood control. Past attempts to raise the level of the Martis Creek Reservoir to its design level have been aborted due to seepage at locations downstream, along the west dam abutment, and at the base of the spillway. In response to these concerns, the U.S. Geological Survey has undertaken a comprehensive suite of geophysical investigations aimed at understanding the interplay between geologic structure, seepage patterns, and reservoir and groundwater levels. This paper concerns the geologic structure surrounding Martis Creek Dam and emphasizes the importance of a regional-scale understanding to the interpretation of engineering-scale geophysical data. Our studies reveal a thick package of sedimentary deposits interbedded with Plio-Pleistocene volcanic flows; both the deposits and the flows are covered by glacial outwash. Magnetic field data, seismic tomography models, and seismic reflections are used to determine the distribution and chronology of the volcanic flows. Previous estimates of depth to basement (or the thickness of the interbedded deposits) was 100 m. Magnetotelluric soundings suggest that electrically resistive bedrock may be up to 2500 m deep. Both the Polaris Fault, identified outside of the study area using airborne LiDAR, and the previously unnamed Martis Creek Fault, have been mapped through the dam area using ground and airborne geophysics. Finally, as determined by direct-current resistivity imaging, time-domain electromagnetic sounding, and seismic refraction, the paleotopography of the interface between the sedimentary deposits and the overlying glacial outwash plays a principal role both in controlling groundwater flow and in the distribution of the

Submarine Landslides and Mass-Transport Deposition in the Nankai fore-arc

Science.gov (United States)

Strasser, M.; Henry, P.; Kanamatsu, T.; Moe, K.; Moore, G. F.; IODP Expedition 333 Scientists

2011-12-01

Multiple lines of evidence exist for a range of sediment mass movement processes within the shallow megasplay fault zone (MSFZ) area and the adjacent slope basin in the outer fore-arc of the Nankai subduction zone, Japan. Diagnostic features observed in 3-D reflection seismic data and in cores from Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Expedition 316 document a complex mass movement history spanning at least ˜2.87 million years. Various modes and scales of sediment remobilization can be related to the different morphotectonic settings in which they occurred and allow integration of knowledge on the spatial and temporal distribution of submarine landslides into a holistic reconstruction of the tectonostratigraphic evolution. New data from the most-recent Nankai IODP Expedition 333, which drilled and cored a Pleistocene-to-Holocene succession of the slope-basin seaward of the MSFZ, provides unprecedented details on submarine landslide processes occurring over the last Million year. The slope-basin represents the depocentre for downslope sediment transport and is characterized in 3-D reflection seismic data by several mass-transport deposits (MTDs), including an up to 180 m thick MTD. Here we present D/V Chikyu shipboard results and first post cruise results from Site C0018, including litho- bio- magneto- tephra- and stable isotope-stratigraphy, X-ray computed tomography analysis and physical properties data. Six MTDs were identified from visual core description and X-ray CT-scans. The thickest MTD is also the oldest (emplaced between 0.85 and 1.05 Ma) and it coincides with a lithological transition between a sandy turbidite sequence below, and ash-bearing hemipelagites comprising several MTDs above. Deformation styles within the MTD are heterogeneous: intervals of disturbed sediments are interbedded within intervals inferred to retain original, coherent bedding. In three occurrences the base of the MTD is defined by a shear zone within fine-grained sediments

Landslide Spreading, Impulse Water Waves and Modelling of the Vajont Rockslide

Science.gov (United States)

Crosta, Giovanni B.; Imposimato, Silvia; Roddeman, Dennis

2016-06-01

Landslides can occur in different environments and can interact with or fall into water reservoirs or open sea with different characteristics. The subaerial evolution and the transition from subaerial to subaqueous conditions can strongly control the landslide evolution and the generated impulse waves, and consequently the final hazard zonation. We intend to model the landslide spreading, the impact with the water surface and the generation of the impulse wave under different 2D and 3D conditions and settings. We verify the capabilities of a fully 2D and 3D FEM ALE approach to model and analyse near-field evolution. To this aim we validate the code against 2D laboratory experiments for different Froude number conditions (Fr = 1.4, 3.2). Then the Vajont rockslide (Fr = 0.26-0.75) and the consequent impulse wave are simulated in 2D and 3D. The sliding mass is simulated as an elasto-plastic Mohr-Coulomb material and the lake water as a fully inviscid low compressibility fluid. The rockslide model is validated against field observations, including the total duration, the profile and internal geometry of the final deposit, the maximum water run-up on the opposite valley flank and on the rockslide mass. 2D models are presented for both the case of a dry valley and that of the impounded lake. The set of fully 3D simulations are the first ones available and considering the rockslide evolution, propagation and interaction with the water reservoir. Advantages and disadvantages of the modelling approach are discussed.

Modeling the global atmospheric transport and deposition of mercury to the Great Lakes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mark D. Cohen

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Mercury contamination in the Great Lakes continues to have important public health and wildlife ecotoxicology impacts, and atmospheric deposition is a significant ongoing loading pathway. The objective of this study was to estimate the amount and source-attribution for atmospheric mercury deposition to each lake, information needed to prioritize amelioration efforts. A new global, Eulerian version of the HYSPLIT-Hg model was used to simulate the 2005 global atmospheric transport and deposition of mercury to the Great Lakes. In addition to the base case, 10 alternative model configurations were used to examine sensitivity to uncertainties in atmospheric mercury chemistry and surface exchange. A novel atmospheric lifetime analysis was used to characterize fate and transport processes within the model. Model-estimated wet deposition and atmospheric concentrations of gaseous elemental mercury (Hg(0 were generally within ∼10% of measurements in the Great Lakes region. The model overestimated non-Hg(0 concentrations by a factor of 2–3, similar to other modeling studies. Potential reasons for this disagreement include model inaccuracies, differences in atmospheric Hg fractions being compared, and the measurements being biased low. Lake Erie, downwind of significant local/regional emissions sources, was estimated by the model to be the most impacted by direct anthropogenic emissions (58% of the base case total deposition, while Lake Superior, with the fewest upwind local/regional sources, was the least impacted (27%. The U.S. was the largest national contributor, followed by China, contributing 25% and 6%, respectively, on average, for the Great Lakes. The contribution of U.S. direct anthropogenic emissions to total mercury deposition varied between 46% for the base case (with a range of 24–51% over all model configurations for Lake Erie and 11% (range 6–13% for Lake Superior. These results illustrate the importance of atmospheric

Geomorphic response of the North Fork Stillaguamish River to the State Route 530 landslide near Oso, Washington

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, Scott W.; Keith, Mackenzie K.; Magirl, Christopher S.; Wallick, J. Rose; Mastin, Mark C.; Foreman, James R.

2017-08-03

just downstream of the landslide, about 1 meter high and extending a kilometer downstream, and a 0.3-meter pulse of aggradation observed 5 kilometers downstream of the landslide. In both locations, peak aggradation and channel response occurred within about a month of the landslide, and both sites had largely recovered to pre-landslide conditions by July 2014. No substantial channel change clearly linked to the landslide was observed after July 2014 except for a modest fining of surficial gravel size distributions and continued recovery and incision of the reach just downstream of the landslide.The muted downstream response of the North Fork Stillaguamish River to the State Route 530 Landslide primarily can be attributed to the cohesive, silt- and clay-rich material that bounded most of the new channel. Although the river efficiently incised a new channel through the deposit, subsequent rates of lateral erosion were slowed by the tall, cohesive banks, limiting the total volume of sediment delivery. Once entrained, however, most landslide material was rapidly transported downstream in suspension with little geomorphic effect. Landslide material coarse enough to travel as bedload was predominantly sand and fine gravel, and sediment transport models and observations of downstream change indicated that the rate of coarse sediment delivery from the landslide did not exceed the rivers ability to transport that material. The generally muted downstream response to sediment delivery from the State Route 530 Landslide, as well as the mechanics of that delivery and response, were generally consistent with observations made following the intentional removal of constructed dams.The rate and efficiency of erosion from the landslide decreased over the period of analysis, as the new channel approached a quasi-equilibrium form. In the absence of additional hillslope activity, rates of erosion from the landslide are likely to be small compared to those over the first 18 months after

Evaluation of seismic effects on the landslide deposits of Monte Salta (Eastern Italian Alps) using distinct element method

Science.gov (United States)

Marcato, G.; Fujisawa, K.; Mantovani, M.; Pasuto, A.; Silvano, S.; Tagliavini, F.; Zabuski, L.

2007-11-01

The aim of the paper is to present the modelling of the ground effects of seismic waves on a large debris deposit lying on a steep mountain slope, with particular attention paid to the potential triggering of slope movements. The study site is a mass of 2.5 million m3 rock fall deposit, named "Monte Salta Landslide", located on the northern slope of the Vajont valley, at the border between Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia regions in north-eastern Italy. Several historical landslide events were reported in the area in the past, first one dating back to the 17th century. The landslide deposit completely mantles the slope with a thick cover of rock blocks. The Mt. Salta landslide is conditioned by the presence of Mt. Borgà regional thrust, which uplifts Jurassic limestone on the top of Cretaceous rock units. Above the thrust zone, folded and highly fractured rock mass dips steeply towards the slope free face, producing highly unstable setting. The study area has been classified as high seismic hazard and different vulnerable elements can be affected by the remobilisation of debris, among which a village, a national road and a big quarry that was opened, with the intent to exploit the part of the landslide deposit for construction purposes. In this study, numerical analysis was performed, to simulate the slope behaviour using distinct element method and applying UDEC code. The 2-D models were built on three cross-sections and elasto-plastic behaviour was assumed, both for rock matrix and discontinuities. The earthquake effect was modelled in pseudo-dynamic way, i.e. by magnifying the acceleration and applying also its horizontal component. The expected seismic acceleration in the study area was calculated on the basis of previous studies as equal to 0.28 g. The results proved that the increase of the vertical component alone has a small influence on the deformational behaviour of the system. Hence, the acceleration vector was deviated at 5° and then at 10° from the

Floodplain lakes and alluviation cycles of the lower Colorado River

Science.gov (United States)

Malmon, D.; Felger, T. J.; Howard, K. A.

2007-05-01

The broad valleys along the lower Colorado River contain numerous bodies of still water that provide critical habitat for bird, fish, and other species. This chain of floodplain lakes is an important part of the Pacific Flyway - the major north-south route of travel for migratory birds in the western Hemisphere - and is also used by many resident bird species. In addition, isolated floodplain lakes may provide the only viable habitat for endangered native fish such as the razorback sucker, vulnerable to predation by introduced species in the main stem of the Colorado River. Floodplain lakes typically occupy former channel courses of the river and formed as a result of river meandering or avulsion. Persistent fluvial sediment deposition (aggradation) creates conditions that favor rapid formation and destruction of floodplain lakes, while long term river downcutting (degradation) inhibits their formation and evolution. New radiocarbon dates from wood recovered from drill cores near Topock, AZ indicate that the river aggraded an average of 3 mm/yr in the middle and late Holocene. Aggradational conditions before Hoover Dam was built were associated with rapid channel shifting and frequent lake formation. Lakes had short life spans due to rapid infilling with fine-grained sediment during turbid floods on the unregulated Colorado River. The building of dams and of armored banks had a major impact on floodplain lakes, not only by drowning large portions of the valley beneath reservoirs, but by preventing new lake formation in some areas and accelerating it in others. GIS analyses of three sets of historical maps show that both the number and total area of isolated (i.e., not linked to the main channel by a surface water connection) lakes in the lower Colorado River valley increased between 1902 and the 1950s, and then decreased though the 1970s. River bed degradation below dams inhibits channel shifting and floodplain lake formation, and the capture of fines behind the

Landslides - Cause and effect

Science.gov (United States)

Radbruch-Hall, D. H.; Varnes, D.J.

1976-01-01

Landslides can cause seismic disturbances; landslides can also result from seismic disturbances, and earthquake-induced slides have caused loss of life in many countries. Slides can cause disastrous flooding, particularly when landslide dams across streams are breached, and flooding may trigger slides. Slope movement in general is a major process of the geologic environment that places constraints on engineering development. In order to understand and foresee both the causes and effects of slope movement, studies must be made on a regional scale, at individual sites, and in the laboratory. Areal studies - some embracing entire countries - have shown that certain geologic conditions on slopes facilitate landsliding; these conditions include intensely sheared rocks; poorly consolidated, fine-grained clastic rocks; hard fractured rocks underlain by less resistant rocks; or loose accumulations of fine-grained surface debris. Field investigations as well as mathematical- and physical-model studies are increasing our understanding of the mechanism of slope movement in fractured rock, and assist in arriving at practical solutions to landslide problems related to all kinds of land development for human use. Progressive failure of slopes has been studied in both soil and rock mechanics. New procedures have been developed to evaluate earthquake response of embankments and slopes. The finite element method of analysis is being extensively used in the calculation of slope stability in rock broken by joints, faults, and other discontinuities. ?? 1976 International Association of Engineering Geology.

Nitrogen deposition effects on diatom communities in lakes from three National Parks in Washington State

Science.gov (United States)

Sheibley, Richard W.; Enache, Mihaela; Swarzenski, Peter W.; Moran, Patrick W.; Foreman, James R.

2014-01-01

The goal of this study was to document if lakes in National Parks in Washington have exceeded critical levels of nitrogen (N) deposition, as observed in other Western States. We measured atmospheric N deposition, lake water quality, and sediment diatoms at our study lakes. Water chemistry showed that our study lakes were ultra-oligotrophic with ammonia and nitrate concentrations often at or below detection limits with low specific conductance (−1 year−1 and were variable both within and across the parks. Diatom assemblages in a single sediment core from Hoh Lake (Olympic National Park) displayed a shift to increased relative abundances of Asterionella formosa and Fragilaria tenera beginning in the 1969–1975 timeframe, whereas these species were not found at the remaining (nine) sites. These diatom species are known to be indicative of N enrichment and were used to determine an empirical critical load of N deposition, or threshold level, where changes in diatom communities were observed at Hoh Lake. However, N deposition at the remaining nine lakes does not seem to exceed a critical load at this time. At Milk Lake, also in Olympic National Park, there was some evidence that climate change might be altering diatom communities, but more research is needed to confirm this. We used modeled precipitation for Hoh Lake and annual inorganic N concentrations from a nearby National Atmospheric Deposition Program station, to calculate elevation-corrected N deposition for 1980–2009 at Hoh Lake. An exponential fit to this data was hindcasted to the 1969–1975 time period, and we estimate a critical load of 1.0 to 1.2 kg N ha−1 year−1 for wet deposition for this lake.

IMPACT OF THE ATATÜRK DAM LAKE ON AGRO-METEOROLOGICAL ASPECTS OF THE SOUTHEASTERN ANATOLIA REGION USING REMOTE SENSING AND GIS ANALYSIS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

O. Ozcan

2012-07-01

Full Text Available The Atatürk Dam is the fourth largest clay-cored rock fill dam in the world. It was constructed on the Euphrates River located in semi-arid Southeastern Turkey in the 1980s as the central component of a large-scale regional development project for the Southeastern Anatolia region (referred to as GAP. The construction began in 1983 and was completed in 1990. The dam and the hydroelectric power plant, which went into service after filling up the reservoir was accomplished in 1992. The Atatürk Dam, which has a height of 169 m, a total storage capacity of 48.7 million m3, and a surface area of about 817 km2 plays an important role in the development of Turkey's energy and agriculture sectors. In this study, the spatial and temporal impacts of the Atatürk Dam on agro-meteorological aspects of the Southeastern Anatolia region have been investigated. Change detection and environmental impacts due to water-reserve changes in Atatürk Dam Lake have been determined and evaluated using multi-temporal Landsat satellite imageries and meteorological datasets within a period of 1984 to 2011. These time series have been evaluated for three time periods. Dam construction period constitutes the first part of the study. Land cover/use changes especially on agricultural fields under the Atatürk Dam Lake and its vicinity have been identified between the periods of 1984 to 1992. The second period comprises the 10-year period after the completion of filling up the reservoir in 1992. At this period, Landsat and meteorological time-series analyses are examined to assess the impact of the Atatürk Dam Lake on selected irrigated agricultural areas. For the last 9-year period from 2002 to 2011, the relationships between seasonal water-reserve changes and irrigated plains under changing climatic factors primarily driving vegetation activity (monthly, seasonal, and annual fluctuations of rainfall rate, air temperature, humidity on the watershed have been investigated

Carbonate deposition, Pyramid Lake subbasin, Nevada: 1. Sequence of formation and elevational distribution of carbonate deposits (Tufas)

Science.gov (United States)

Benson, L.

1994-01-01

During the late Quarternary, the elevation of terrace cutting and carbonate deposition in the Pyramid Lake subbasin were controlled by constancy of lake level imposed by spill to adjoining subbasins. Sill elevations are 1177-1183 m (Mud Lake Slough Sill), 1207 m (Emerson Pass Sill), and 1265 m (Darwin Pass Sill). Carbonate deposition was favored by: (1) hydrologic closure, (2) proximity to a source of calcium, (3) elevated water temperature, and (4) a solid substrate. The thickness and aspect of tufa are a function oflake-level dynamics. Relatively thin sheets and pendant sheets were deposited during a rising or falling lake. The upper parts of thick reef-form tufas have a horizontal aspect and were deposited in a lake which was stabilized by spill to the Carson Desert subbasin. The lower parts of the reef-form tufas are thinner and their outer surface has a vertical aspect, indicating that the lower part formed in a receding lake. The thickest and most complete sequences of tufa are mounds that border the Pyramid Lake shore. The tops of the tallest mounds reach the elevation of the Darwin Pass Sill and many mounds have been eroded to the elevations of the Mud Lake Slough Sill of the Emerson Pass Sill. The sequence of tufa formation (from oldest to youngest) displayed in these mounds is: (1) a beachrock containing carbonate-cemented volcanic cobbles, (2) broken and eroded old spheroids that contain thinolitic tufa and an outer rind of dense laminated tufa, (3) large cylindrical (tubular) tufas capped by (4) coatings of old dense tufas, and (5) several generations of old branching tufa commonly associated with thin, platy tufas and coatings of thinolitic tufa, (6) young spheroids that contain poorly oriented young thinolitic tufa in the center and several generations of radially oriented young thinolitic tufas near the outer edge, (7) a transitional thinolite-to-branching tufa, (8) two or more layers of young branching tufa, (9) a 0.5-cm-thick layer of fine

Magnetotelluric evidence for a deep-crustal mineralizing system beneath the Olympic Dam iron oxide copper-gold deposit, southern Australia

Science.gov (United States)

Heinson, Graham S.; Direen, Nicholas G.; Gill, Rob M.

2006-07-01

The iron oxide copper-gold Olympic Dam deposit, situated along the margin of the Proterozoic Gawler craton, South Australia, is the world's largest uranium deposit and sixth-largest copper deposit; it also contains significant reserves of gold, silver, and rare earth elements. Gaining a better understanding of the mechanisms for genesis of the economic liberalization is fundamental for defining exploration models in similar crustal settings. To delineate crustal structures that may constrain mineral system fluid pathways, coincident deep crustal seismic and magnetotelluric (MT) transects were obtained along a 220 km section that crosses Olympic Dam and the major crustal boundaries. In this paper we present results from 58 long-period (10 104 s) MT sites, with site spacing of 5 10 km. A two-dimensional inversion of MT data from 33 sites to a depth of 100 km shows four notable features: (1) sedimentary cover sequences with low resistivity (1000 Ω·m) Archean crustal core from a more conductive crust and mantle to the north (typically Olympic Dam, the upper-middle crust to ˜20 km is quite resistive (˜1000 Ω·m), but the lower crust is much more conductive (Olympic Dam, we image a low-resistivity region (Olympic Dam may be due to the upward movement of CO2-bearing volatiles near the time of deposit formation that precipitated conductive graphite liberalization along grain boundaries, simultaneously annihilating acoustic impedance boundaries. The source of the volatiles may be from the mantle degassing or retrograde metamorphism of the lower crust associated with Proterozoic crustal deformation.

Shifts in lake N: P stoichiometry and nutrient limitation driven by atmospheric nitrogen deposition

Science.gov (United States)

Elser, J.J.; Andersen, T.; Baron, Jill S.; Bergstrom, A.-K.; Jansson, M.; Kyle, M.; Nydick, K.R.; Steger, L.; Hessen, D.O.

2009-01-01

Human activities have more than doubled the amount of nitrogen (N) circulating in the biosphere. One major pathway of this anthropogenic N input into ecosystems has been increased regional deposition from the atmosphere. Here we show that atmospheric N deposition increased the stoichiometric ratio of N and phosphorus (P) in lakes in Norway, Sweden, and Colorado, United States, and, as a result, patterns of ecological nutrient limitation were shifted. Under low N deposition, phytoplankton growth is generally N-limited; however, in high-N deposition lakes, phytoplankton growth is consistently P-limited. Continued anthropogenic amplification of the global N cycle will further alter ecological processes, such as biogeochemical cycling, trophic dynamics, and biological diversity, in the world's lakes, even in lakes far from direct human disturbance.

Small dams need better management

Science.gov (United States)

Balcerak, Ernie

2012-03-01

Many small dams around the world are poorly maintained and represent a safety hazard, according to Pisaniello et al. Better oversight of small dams is needed, the authors argue. The researchers reviewed literature, conducted case studies in four states in Australia, and developed policy benchmarks and best practices for small-dam management. Small dams, often just several meters high and typically privately owned by individual farmers, have historically caused major damage when they fail. For instance, in China in 1975, 230,000 people died when two large dams failed because of the cumulative failure of 60 smaller upstream dams. In the United States, in 1977 the 8-meter-high Kelly Barnes Lake dam failed, killing 39 people. Many other small-dam failures around the world have resulted in casualties and severe ecological and economic damage.

Modeling Lake Turkana Hydrology: Evaluating the potential hydrological impact of Gibe III reservoir on the Lake Turkana water levels using multi-source satellite data

Science.gov (United States)

Velpuri, N.; Senay, G. B.

2012-12-01

Ethiopia is currently building the Gibe III hydroelectric dam on the Omo River, which supplies >80% of the inflows to Lake Turkana, Kenya. On completion, the Gibe III dam will be the tallest dam in Africa (height of 241 m) with a storage capacity of 14.5 billion m3. Arguably, this is one of the most controversial hydro-power projects in the region because the nature of interactions and potential impacts of the dam regulated flows on Lake Turkana are not well understood due to its remote location and unavailability of reliable in situ hydrological datasets. In this research, we used a calibrated multi-source satellite data-driven water balance model for Lake Turkana that takes into account 12 years (1998-2009) of satellite rainfall, model routed runoff, lake/reservoir evapotranspiration, direct rain on lakes/reservoirs and releases from the dam to compute lake water levels. The model was used to evaluate the impact of the Gibe III dam using three different simple but robust approaches - a historical approach; a rainfall based sampling approach; and a non-parametric bootstrap resampling approach to generate rainfall-runoff scenarios. Modelling results indicate that, on average, the reservoir would take up to 8-10 months to reach minimum operation level of 201 m (initial impoundment period). During this period, the dam would regulate the lake inflows up to 50% and as a result the lake level would drop up to 2 m. However, after the initial impoundment period, due to releases from the dam, the rate of lake inflows would be around 10 m3/s less when compared to the rate without Gibe III (650 m3/s). Due to this, the lake levels will decline on average 1.5 m (3 m). Over the entire modeling period including the initial period of impoundment, the average rate of lake inflows due to Gibe III dam was estimated to be 500 m3/s. Results indicated that dam would also moderate the seasonal fluctuations in the lake. Areas along the Lake Turkana shoreline that are vulnerable to

The 22 March 2014 Oso landslide, Washington, USA

Science.gov (United States)

Wartman, Joseph; Montgomery, David R.; Anderson, Scott A.; Keaton, Jeffrey R.; Benoît, Jean; dela Chapelle, John; Gilbert, Robert

2016-01-01

The Oso, Washington, USA, landslide occurred on the morning of Saturday, 22 March 2014 and claimed the lives of 43 people. The landslide began within an 200-m-high hillslope comprised of unconsolidated glacial and previous landslide/colluvial deposits; it continued as a debris avalanche/debris flow that rapidly inundated a neighborhood of 35 single-family residences. An intense three-week rainfall that immediately preceded the event most likely played a role in triggering the landslide; and other factors that likely contributed to destabilization of the landslide mass include alteration of the local groundwater recharge and hydrogeological regime from previous landsliding, weakening and alteration of the landslide mass caused by previous landsliding, and changes in stress distribution resulting from removal and deposition of material from earlier landsliding. Field reconnaissance following the event revealed six distinctive zones and several subzones that are characterized on the basis of geomorphic expression, styles of deformation, geologic materials, and the types, size, and orientation of vegetation. Seismic recording of the landslide indicate that the event was marked by several vibration-generating episodes of mass movement. We hypothesize that the landslide occurred in two stages, with the first being a sequential remobilization of existing slide masses from the most recent (2006) landslide and from an ancient slide that triggered a devastating debris avalanche/debris flow. The second stage involved headward extension into previously unfailed material that occurred in response to unloading and redirection of stresses.

Basic limnology of fifty-one lakes in Costa Rica.

Science.gov (United States)

Haberyan, Kurt A; Horn, Sally P; Umaña, Gerardo

2003-03-01

We visited 51 lakes in Costa Rica as part of a broad-based survey to document their physical and chemical characteristics and how these relate to the mode of formation and geographical distribution of the lakes. The four oxbow lakes were low in elevation and tended to be turbid, high in conductivity and CO2, but low in dissolved O2; one of these, L. Gandoca, had a hypolimnion essentially composed of sea water. These were similar to the four wetland lakes, but the latter instead had low conductivities and pH, and turbidity was often due to tannins rather than suspended sediments. The thirteen artificial lakes formed a very heterogenous group, whose features varied depending on local factors. The thirteen lakes dammed by landslides, lava flows, or lahars occurred in areas with steep slopes, and were more likely to be stratified than most other types of lakes. The eight lakes that occupy volcanic craters tended to be deep, stratified, clear, and cool; two of these, L. Hule and L. Río Cuarto, appeared to be oligomictic (tending toward meromictic). The nine glacial lakes, all located above 3440 m elevation near Cerro Chirripó, were clear, cold, dilute, and are probably polymictic. Cluster analysis resulted in three significant groups of lakes. Cluster 1 included four calcium-rich lakes (average 48 mg l-1), Cluster 2 included fourteen lakes with more Si than Ca+2 and higher Cl- than the other clusters, and Cluster 3 included the remaining thirty-three lakes that were generally less concentrated. Each cluster included lakes of various origins located in different geographical regions; these data indicate that, apart from the high-altitude glacial lakes and lakes in the Miravalles area, similarity in lake chemistry is independent of lake distribution.

Assessing the Relative Mobility of Submarine Landslides from Deposit Morphology and Physical Properties: an Example from Nankai Trough, Offshore Japan

Science.gov (United States)

Sawyer, D.; Moore, Z. T.

2014-12-01

A prominent landslide deposit in the Slope Basin seaward of the Megasplay Fault in the Nankai Trough was emplaced by a high-mobility landslide based on analysis of physical properties and seismic geomorphology. Slide acceleration is a critical variable that determines amplitude of slide-generated tsunami but is many times a variable with large uncertainty. In controlled laboratory experiments, the ratio of the shear stress to yield strength, defined as the Flow Factor, controls a wide spectrum of mass movement styles from slow, retrogressive failure to rapid, liquefied flows. We apply the laboratory Flow Factor approach to a natural landslide in the Nankai Trough by constraining pre-failure particle size analysis and porosity. Several mass transport deposits (MTDs), were drilled and cored at Site C0021 in the Nankai Trough during Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Expedition 338. The largest, MTD-6, occurs at 133-176 meters below seafloor and occurred approximately 0.87 Mya. Slide volume is 2 km3, transport distance is 5 km, and average deposit thickness is 50 m (maximum 180 m). Pre-failure water content was estimated from shallow sediments at Site C0018 (porosity = 72%). The average grain size distribution is 39% clay-sized, 58% silt-sized, and 3% sand-size particles as determined by hydrometer analyses of the MTD. Together, the porosity and clay fraction predict a Flow Factor of approximately 4, which corresponds to a relatively high mobility slide. We interpret this result to indicate the landslide that created MTD-6 was a single event that transported the slide mass relatively rapidly as opposed to a slow, episodic landslide event. This is supported by the observation of a completely evacuated source area with no remnant blocks or retrogressive headscarp and the internally chaotic seismic facies with large entrained blocks. Future works will focus on the tsunamigenic potential of this high mobility slide. This approach can be extended to other field

Evaluation of seismic effects on the landslide deposits of Monte Salta (Eastern Italian Alps using distinct element method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G. Marcato

2007-11-01

Full Text Available The aim of the paper is to present the modelling of the ground effects of seismic waves on a large debris deposit lying on a steep mountain slope, with particular attention paid to the potential triggering of slope movements.

The study site is a mass of 2.5 million m³ rock fall deposit, named "Monte Salta Landslide", located on the northern slope of the Vajont valley, at the border between Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia regions in north-eastern Italy.

Several historical landslide events were reported in the area in the past, first one dating back to the 17th century. The landslide deposit completely mantles the slope with a thick cover of rock blocks.

The Mt. Salta landslide is conditioned by the presence of Mt. Borgà regional thrust, which uplifts Jurassic limestone on the top of Cretaceous rock units. Above the thrust zone, folded and highly fractured rock mass dips steeply towards the slope free face, producing highly unstable setting.

The study area has been classified as high seismic hazard and different vulnerable elements can be affected by the remobilisation of debris, among which a village, a national road and a big quarry that was opened, with the intent to exploit the part of the landslide deposit for construction purposes.

In this study, numerical analysis was performed, to simulate the slope behaviour using distinct element method and applying UDEC code. The 2-D models were built on three cross-sections and elasto-plastic behaviour was assumed, both for rock matrix and discontinuities. The earthquake effect was modelled in pseudo-dynamic way, i.e. by magnifying the acceleration and applying also its horizontal component. The expected seismic acceleration in the study area was calculated on the basis of previous studies as equal to 0.28 g.

The results proved that the increase of the vertical component alone has a small influence on the deformational behaviour of the

Environmental impact of the landslides caused by the 12 May 2008, Wenchuan, China earthquake

Science.gov (United States)

Highland, Lynn; Sun, Ping; Edited by Margottini, Claudio; Canuti, Paolo; Sassa, Kyoji

2013-01-01

The magnitude 7.9 (Mw) Wenchuan, China, earthquake of May 12, 2008 caused at least 88,000 deaths of which one third are estimated to be due to the more than 56,000 earthquake-induced landslides. The affected area is mountainous, featuring densely-vegetated, steep slopes through which narrowly confined rivers and streams flow. Numerous types of landslides occurred in the area, including rock avalanches, rock falls, translational and rotational slides, lateral spreads and debris flows. Some landslides mobilized hundreds of million cubic meters of material, often resulting in the damming of rivers and streams, impacting river ecosystems and morphology. Through an extensive search of both Chinese- and English-language publications we provide a summary of pertinent research on environmental effects, emphasizing key findings. Environmental effects caused by landslides include the alteration of agriculture, changes to natural ecosystems, changes in river morphology due to landslide dams and other effects such as sedimentation and flooding. Damage by landslides to the giant panda reserve infrastructure and habitat, was severe, threatening the survival of one of the world’s rarest species. The Panda reserves are of national significance to China, and to the vital tourism economy of the region. One of the major impacts to both the natural and built environment is the complete relocation of some human populations and infrastructure to new areas, resulting in the abandonment of towns and other areas that were damaged by the earthquake and landslides. The landslide effects have affected the biodiversity of the affected area, and it has been hypothesized that strict forest preservation measures taken in the years preceding the earthquake resulted in a reduction of the environmental damage to the area.

Impact of the Three-Gorges Dam and water transfer project on Changjiang floods

Science.gov (United States)

Nakayama, Tadanobu; Shankman, David

2013-01-01

Increasing frequency of severe floods on the middle and lower Changjiang (Yangtze) River during the past few decades can be attributed to both abnormal monsoon rainfall and landscape changes that include extensive deforestation affecting river sedimentation, and shrinking lakes and levee construction that reduced the areas available for floodwater storage. The Three-Gorges Dam (TGD) and the South-to-North Water Transfer Project (SNWTP) will also affect frequency and intensity of severe floods in the Poyang Lake region of the middle Changjiang. Process-based National Integrated Catchment-based Eco-hydrology (NICE) model predicts that the TGD will increase flood risk during the early summer monsoon against the original justifications for building the dam, relating to complex river-lake-groundwater interactions. Several scenarios predict that morphological change will increase flood risk around the lake. This indicates the importance of managing both flood discharge and sediment deposition for the entire basin. Further, the authors assessed the impact of sand mining in the lake after its prohibition on the Changjiang, and clarified that alternative scenario of sand mining in lakes currently disconnected from the mainstream would reduce the flood risk to a greater extent than intensive dredging along junction channel. Because dry biomasses simulated by the model were linearly related to the Time-Integrated Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (TINDVI) estimated from satellite images, its decadal gradient during 1982-1999 showed a spatially heterogeneous distribution and generally decreasing trends beside the lakes, indicating that the increases in lake reclamation and the resultant decrease in rice productivity are closely related to the hydrologic changes. This integrated approach could help to minimize flood damage and promote better decisions addressing sustainable development.

MORPHO-BATHYMETRIC PARAMETERS OF RECESS CRUCII LAKE (STÂNIŞOAREI MOUNTAINS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

ALIN MIHU-PINTILIE

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Morpho-bathymetric parameters of recess Crucii Lake (Stânişoarei Mountains. Crucii Lake from Stânişoarei Mountains was formed in 1978 as a result of riverbed dam Cuejdel after a landslide triggered on the western slope of Muncelul Peak. The event led initially to a small accumulation of 250-300 acvatoriu m, 25-30 m wide and 4-5 m maximum depth. In the summer of 1991 following the construction of a forest road in the flysch, and amid a high humid conditions, the slide was reactivated, leading to the formation of the largest natural dam lake in Romania. It has a length of 1 km, area of 12.2 ha, maximum depth of 16 m and a water volume of ca. 907.000 m3. Morphometric and morpho-bathymetric measurements performed in the summer of 2011, with the help of the integrated 1.200 GPS of Station Leica System 1.200 surveying measurements and bathymetric measurements Valeyport Ecosounder Midas showed new values for the morpho-bathymetric parameters. Among them stands out: 13,95 ha area, perimeter 2801,1 m, maximum length of 1004,82 m, 282,6 m maximum width, maximum depth 16,45 m. To achieve the numerical model of the lake basin were more than 45.000 points bali reading, with equidistance of 0,25 m. The scale of detail work aimed to draw up a proper database to eliminate suspicions about the old analytical methods inaccuracies. At the same time was studied the evolution of the lake’s basin in the context of relatively recent geomorphological changes.

Deposition, exhumation, and paleoclimate of an ancient lake deposit, Gale crater, Mars

Science.gov (United States)

Grotzinger, J. P.; Gupta, S.; Malin, M. C.; Rubin, D. M.; Schieber, J.; Siebach, K.; Sumner, D. Y.; Stack, K. M.; Vasavada, A. R.; Arvidson, R. E.; Calef, F.; Edgar, L.; Fischer, W. F.; Grant, J. A.; Griffes, J.; Kah, L. C.; Lamb, M. P.; Lewis, K. W.; Mangold, N.; Minitti, M. E.; Palucis, M.; Rice, M.; Williams, R. M. E.; Yingst, R. A.; Blake, D.; Blaney, D.; Conrad, P.; Crisp, J.; Dietrich, W. E.; Dromart, G.; Edgett, K. S.; Ewing, R. C.; Gellert, R.; Hurowitz, J. A.; Kocurek, G.; Mahaffy, P.; McBride, M. J.; McLennan, S. M.; Mischna, M.; Ming, D.; Milliken, R.; Newsom, H.; Oehler, D.; Parker, T. J.; Vaniman, D.; Wiens, R. C.; Wilson, S. A.

2015-10-01

The landforms of northern Gale crater on Mars expose thick sequences of sedimentary rocks. Based on images obtained by the Curiosity rover, we interpret these outcrops as evidence for past fluvial, deltaic, and lacustrine environments. Degradation of the crater wall and rim probably supplied these sediments, which advanced inward from the wall, infilling both the crater and an internal lake basin to a thickness of at least 75 meters. This intracrater lake system probably existed intermittently for thousands to millions of years, implying a relatively wet climate that supplied moisture to the crater rim and transported sediment via streams into the lake basin. The deposits in Gale crater were then exhumed, probably by wind-driven erosion, creating Aeolis Mons (Mount Sharp).

Landslide inventory for the Little North Santiam River Basin, Oregon

Science.gov (United States)

Sobieszczyk, Steven

2010-01-01

This geodatabase is an inventory of existing landslides in the Little North Santiam River Basin, Oregon (2009). Each landslide feature shown has been classified according to a number of specific characteristics identified at the time recorded in the GIS database. The classification scheme was developed by the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (Burns and Madin, 2009). Several significant landslide characteristics recorded in the database are portrayed with symbology on this map. The specific characteristics shown for each landslide are the activity of landsliding, landslide features, deep or shallow failure, type of landslide movement, and confidence of landslide interpretation. These landslide characteristics are determined primarily on the basis of geomorphic features, or landforms, observed for each landslide. This work was completed as part of the Master's thesis "Turbidity Monitoring and LiDAR Imagery Indicate Landslides are Primary Source of Suspended-Sediment Load in the Little North Santiam River Basin, Oregon, Winter 2009-2010" by Steven Sobieszczyk, Portland State University and U.S. Geological Survey. Data layers in this geodatabase include: landslide deposit boundaries (Deposits); field-verfied location imagery (Photos); head scarp or scarp flanks (Scarp_Flanks); and secondary scarp features (Scarps).The geodatabase template was developed by the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (Burns and Madin, 2009).

Historical extreme wave and landslide deposits on the Shirasuka coastal lowlands, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan

Science.gov (United States)

Garrett, Ed; Riedesel, Svenja; Fujiwara, Osamu; Walstra, Jan; Deforce, Koen; Yokoyama, Yusuke; Schmidt, Sabine; Brill, Dominik; Roberts, Helen; Duller, Geoff; Brückner, Hulmut; De Batist, Marc; Heyvaert, Vanessa

2017-04-01

revegetation by 1959 is also consistent with possible coseismic triggering of this landslide. Difficulties in correlating sand layers between cores, the identification of overprinting of evidence and the lack of prehistoric deposits exemplify ongoing issues in the search for palaeotsunami deposits along the Nankai-Suruga Trough. The identification of a subaerial mass movement deposit as possible evidence for coseismic shaking provides a potentially complementary palaeoseismic approach and an area for further investigation.

Landslides of Palestinian Region

Science.gov (United States)

Alwahsh, H.

2013-12-01

Natural disasters are extreme sudden events caused by environmental and natural actors that take away the lives of many thousands of people each year and damage large amount of properties. They strike anywhere on earth, often without any warning. A risk maps of natural disaster are very useful to identify the places that might be adversely affected in the event of natural disaster. The earthquakes are one of natural disaster that have the greatest hazards and will cause loss of life and properties due to damaging the structures of building, dams, bridges. In addition, it will affect local geology and soil conditions. The site effects play an important role in earthquake risk because of its amplification or damping simulation. Another parameter in developing risk map is landslide, which is also one of the most important topics in site effect hazards. Palestine region has been suffering landslide hazards because of the topographical and geological conditions of this region. Most Palestine consists of mountainous area, which has great steep slopes and the type of soil is mainly grayish to yellowish silty clay (Marl Soil). Due to the above mentioned factors many landslides have been occurred from Negev south to the northern borders of Palestine. An example of huge and destruction landslide in a Palestine authority is the landslide in the White Mountain area in the city of Nablus, which occurred in 1997. The geotechnical and geophysical investigation as well as slope stability analysis should be considered in making landslide maps that are necessary to develop risk levels of the natural disaster. Landslides occurred in slopes that are created naturally or by human beings. Failure of soil mass occurs, and hence landslide of soil mass happen due to sliding of soil mass along a plane or curved surface. In general, the slopes become unstable when the shear stresses (driving force) generated in the soil mass exceed the available shearing resistance on the rupture surface

Sedimentation rates and depositional processes in Lake Superior from 210Pb geochronology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Evans, J.E.; Johnson, T.C.; Alexander, E.C. Jr.; Lively, R.S.; Eisenreich, S.J.

1981-01-01

Sedimentation rates range from 0.01 to 0.32 cm/yr in 17 sediment box cores from Lake Superior, as determined by 210 Pb geochronology. Shoreline erosion and resuspension of nearshore sediments causes moderate to high (0.05-0.11 cm/yr) sedimentation rates in the western arm of Lake Superior. Sedimentation rates are very high (> 0.15 cm/yr) in marginal bays adjoining Lake Superior; and moderate to very high (0.07-0.19 cm/yr) in open lake regions adjacent to marginal bays. Resuspension of nearshore and shoal top sediments in southern and southeastern Lake Superior by storms is responsible for depositional anomalies in 210 Pb profiles corresponding to 1905, 1916-1918, and 1940 storms. Sedimentation rates are very low (0.01-0.03 cm/yr) in the central basins due to isolation from sediment sources. These data indicate that sedimentation rates and processes vary significantly in different regions of Lake Superior. The sedimentation rates provided by this study, in conjunction with previously-reported sedimentation rates, yield a better understanding of the Lake Superior depositional environment

Submerged Grove in Lake Onogawa

OpenAIRE

Sato, Yasuhiro; Nakamura, Soken; Ochiai, Masahiro

1996-01-01

Abstract : The first record by ultrasonic echo sounding on the distribution of the submerged standing trees on the bottom of Lake Onogawa is presented. Lake Onogawa is a dammed lake formed at the time of the eruption of the volcano Mt.Bandai in 1888. Since then the original vegetation of the dammed valley has remained submerged. Many submerged standing trees are distributed on the bottom within about 600m from the northeast end of the lake. The density of the trees in this area is sufficient ...

Deposition, exhumation, and paleoclimate of an ancient lake deposit, Gale crater, Mars.

Science.gov (United States)

Grotzinger, J P; Gupta, S; Malin, M C; Rubin, D M; Schieber, J; Siebach, K; Sumner, D Y; Stack, K M; Vasavada, A R; Arvidson, R E; Calef, F; Edgar, L; Fischer, W F; Grant, J A; Griffes, J; Kah, L C; Lamb, M P; Lewis, K W; Mangold, N; Minitti, M E; Palucis, M; Rice, M; Williams, R M E; Yingst, R A; Blake, D; Blaney, D; Conrad, P; Crisp, J; Dietrich, W E; Dromart, G; Edgett, K S; Ewing, R C; Gellert, R; Hurowitz, J A; Kocurek, G; Mahaffy, P; McBride, M J; McLennan, S M; Mischna, M; Ming, D; Milliken, R; Newsom, H; Oehler, D; Parker, T J; Vaniman, D; Wiens, R C; Wilson, S A

2015-10-09

The landforms of northern Gale crater on Mars expose thick sequences of sedimentary rocks. Based on images obtained by the Curiosity rover, we interpret these outcrops as evidence for past fluvial, deltaic, and lacustrine environments. Degradation of the crater wall and rim probably supplied these sediments, which advanced inward from the wall, infilling both the crater and an internal lake basin to a thickness of at least 75 meters. This intracrater lake system probably existed intermittently for thousands to millions of years, implying a relatively wet climate that supplied moisture to the crater rim and transported sediment via streams into the lake basin. The deposits in Gale crater were then exhumed, probably by wind-driven erosion, creating Aeolis Mons (Mount Sharp). Copyright © 2015, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Spatially Modeling the Impact of Terrain on Wind Speed and Dry Particle Deposition Across Lake Perris in Southern California to Determine In Situ Sensor Placement

Science.gov (United States)

Brooks, A. N.

2014-12-01

While developed countries have implemented engineering techniques and sanitation technologies to keep water resources clean from runoff and ground contamination, air pollution and its contribution of harmful contaminants to our water resources has yet to be fully understood and managed. Due to the large spatial and temporal extent and subsequent computational intensity required to understand atmospheric deposition as a pollutant source, a geographic information system (GIS) was utilized. This project developed a multi-step workflow to better define the placement of in situ sensors on Lake Perris in Southern California. Utilizing a variety of technologies including ArcGIS 10.1 with 3D and Spatial Analyst extensions and WindNinja, the impact of terrain on wind speed and direction was simulated and the spatial distribution of contaminant deposition across Lake Perris was calculated as flux. Specifically, the flux of particulate matter (PM10) at the air - water interface of a lake surface was quantified by season for the year of 2009. Integrated Surface Hourly (ISH) wind speed and direction data and ground station air quality measurements from the California Air Resources Board were processed and integrated for use within ModelBuilder. Results indicate that surface areas nearest Alessandro Island and the dam of Lake Perris should be avoided when placing in situ sensors. Furthermore, the location of sensor placement is dependent on seasonal fluctuations of PM10 which can be modeled using the techniques used in this study.

A computationally fast, reduced model for simulating landslide dynamics and tsunamis generated by landslides in natural terrains

Science.gov (United States)

Mohammed, F.

2016-12-01

Landslide hazards such as fast-moving debris flows, slow-moving landslides, and other mass flows cause numerous fatalities, injuries, and damage. Landslide occurrences in fjords, bays, and lakes can additionally generate tsunamis with locally extremely high wave heights and runups. Two-dimensional depth-averaged models can successfully simulate the entire lifecycle of the three-dimensional landslide dynamics and tsunami propagation efficiently and accurately with the appropriate assumptions. Landslide rheology is defined using viscous fluids, visco-plastic fluids, and granular material to account for the possible landslide source materials. Saturated and unsaturated rheologies are further included to simulate debris flow, debris avalanches, mudflows, and rockslides respectively. The models are obtained by reducing the fully three-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations with the internal rheological definition of the landslide material, the water body, and appropriate scaling assumptions to obtain the depth-averaged two-dimensional models. The landslide and tsunami models are coupled to include the interaction between the landslide and the water body for tsunami generation. The reduced models are solved numerically with a fast semi-implicit finite-volume, shock-capturing based algorithm. The well-balanced, positivity preserving algorithm accurately accounts for wet-dry interface transition for the landslide runout, landslide-water body interface, and the tsunami wave flooding on land. The models are implemented as a General-Purpose computing on Graphics Processing Unit-based (GPGPU) suite of models, either coupled or run independently within the suite. The GPGPU implementation provides up to 1000 times speedup over a CPU-based serial computation. This enables simulations of multiple scenarios of hazard realizations that provides a basis for a probabilistic hazard assessment. The models have been successfully validated against experiments, past studies, and field data

Environmental effects of the Big Rapids dam remnant removal, Big Rapids, Michigan, 2000-02

Science.gov (United States)

Healy, Denis F.; Rheaume, Stephen J.; Simpson, J. Alan

2003-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the city of Big Rapids, investigated the environmental effects of removal of a dam-foundation remnant and downstream cofferdam from the Muskegon River in Big Rapids, Mich. The USGS applied a multidiscipline approach, which determined the water quality, sediment character, and stream habitat before and after dam removal. Continuous water-quality data and discrete water-quality samples were collected, the movement of suspended and bed sediment were measured, changes in stream habitat were assessed, and streambed elevations were surveyed. Analyses of water upstream and downstream from the dam showed that the dam-foundation remnant did not affect water quality. Dissolved-oxygen concentrations downstream from the dam remnant were depressed for a short period (days) during the beginning of the dam removal, in part because of that removal effort. Sediment transport from July 2000 through March 2002 was 13,800 cubic yards more at the downstream site than the upstream site. This increase in sediment represents the remobilized sediment upstream from the dam, bank erosion when the impoundment was lowered, and contributions from small tributaries between the sites. Five habitat reaches were monitored before and after dam-remnant removal. The reaches consisted of a reference reach (A), upstream from the effects of the impoundment; the impoundment (B); and three sites below the impoundment where habitat changes were expected (C, D, and E, in downstream order). Stream-habitat assessment reaches varied in their responses to the dam-remnant removal. Reference reach A was not affected. In impoundment reach B, Great Lakes and Environmental Assessment Section (GLEAS) Procedure 51 ratings went from fair to excellent. For the three downstream reaches, reach C underwent slight habitat degradation, but ratings remained good; reach D underwent slight habitat degradation with ratings changing from excellent to good; and, in an area

Owyhee River intracanyon lava flows: does the river give a dam?

Science.gov (United States)

Ely, Lisa L.; Brossy, Cooper C.; House, P. Kyle; Safran, Elizabeth B.; O'Connor, Jim E.; Champion, Duane E.; Fenton, Cassandra R.; Bondre, Ninad R.; Orem, Caitlin A.; Grant, Gordon E.; Henry, Christopher D.; Turrin, Brent D.

2013-01-01

Rivers carved into uplifted plateaus are commonly disrupted by discrete events from the surrounding landscape, such as lava flows or large mass movements. These disruptions are independent of slope, basin area, or channel discharge, and can dominate aspects of valley morphology and channel behavior for many kilometers. We document and assess the effects of one type of disruptive event, lava dams, on river valley morphology and incision rates at a variety of time scales, using examples from the Owyhee River in southeastern Oregon. Six sets of basaltic lava flows entered and dammed the river canyon during two periods in the late Cenozoic ca. 2 Ma–780 ka and 250–70 ka. The dams are strongly asymmetric, with steep, blunt escarpments facing up valley and long, low slopes down valley. None of the dams shows evidence of catastrophic failure; all blocked the river and diverted water over or around the dam crest. The net effect of the dams was therefore to inhibit rather than promote incision. Once incision resumed, most of the intracanyon flows were incised relatively rapidly and therefore did not exert a lasting impact on the river valley profile over time scales >106 yr. The net long-term incision rate from the time of the oldest documented lava dam, the Bogus Rim lava dam (≤1.7 Ma), to present was 0.18 mm/yr, but incision rates through or around individual lava dams were up to an order of magnitude greater. At least three lava dams (Bogus Rim, Saddle Butte, and West Crater) show evidence that incision initiated only after the impounded lakes filled completely with sediment and there was gravel transport across the dams. The most recent lava dam, formed by the West Crater lava flow around 70 ka, persisted for at least 25 k.y. before incision began, and the dam was largely removed within another 35 k.y. The time scale over which the lava dams inhibit incision is therefore directly affected by both the volume of lava forming the dam and the time required for sediment

Management of dams for the next Millennium: proceedings of the 1999 Canadian Dam Association

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1999-07-01

The meeting featured seven sessions with 18 papers abstracted/indexed therein as follows: keynote address: tailings dams safety - implications for the dam safety community; 1 - design and performance: performance monitoring of dams: are we doing what we should be doing?; tailings dams from the perspective of conventional dam engineering; and design overview of Syncrude's Mildred Lake east toe berm; 2 - design and modelling: use of a 2D model for a dam break study on the ALCAN hydroelectric complex in Quebec; and spillway design implications resulting from changes in rainfall extremes; 3 - risk and dam safety I: closing the gaps in the dam safety guidelines; the reality of life safety consequence classification; and surveillance practices for the next millenium; 4 - risk and dam safety II: quantitative risk-assessment using the capacity-demand analysis; and new guidelines for dam safety classification; 5 - millenium issues: expectations of immortality, dam safety management into the next millenium; 6 - rehabilitation techniques: the unconventional application of conventional materials; nondestructive testing technology to characterize concrete dam/bedrock interface; method and instrument for detecting crack in concrete; and grouting of the cracks in the Arch 5-6 - Daniel Johnson Dam; and 7 - case studies: rehabilitation of an 80 year old Ambursen type dam; and debris booms for the protection of spillways.

Pleistocene lake outburst floods and fan formation along the eastern Sierra Nevada, California: implications for the interpretation of intermontane lacustrine records

Science.gov (United States)

Benn, Douglas I.; Owen, Lewis A.; Finkel, Robert C.; Clemmens, Samuel

2006-11-01

Variations in the rock flour fraction in intermontane lacustrine sediments have the potential to provide more complete records of glacier fluctuations than moraine sequences, which are subject to erosional censoring. Construction of glacial chronologies from such records relies on the assumption that rock flour concentration is a simple function of glacier extent. However, other factors may influence the delivery of glacigenic sediments to intermontane lakes, including paraglacial adjustment of slope and fluvial systems to deglaciation, variations in precipitation and snowmelt, and lake outburst floods. We have investigated the processes and chronology of sediment transport on the Tuttle and Lone Pine alluvial fans in the eastern Sierra Nevada, California, USA, to elucidate the links between former glacier systems located upstream and the long sedimentary record from Owens Lake located downstream. Aggradation of both fans reflects sedimentation by three contrasting process regimes: (1) high magnitude, catastrophic floods, (2) fluvial or glacifluvial river systems, and (3) debris flows and other slope processes. Flood deposits are represented by multiple boulder beds exposed in section, and extensive networks of large palaeochannels and boulder deposits on both fan surfaces. Palaeohydrological analysis implies peak discharges in the order of 10 3-10 4 m 3 s -1, most probably as the result of catastrophic drainage of ice-, moraine-, and landslide-dammed lakes. Cosmogenic radionuclide surface exposure dating shows that at least three flood events are represented on each fan, at 9-13, 16-18 and 32-44 ka (Tuttle Fan); and at ˜23-32, ˜80-86 ka, and a poorly constrained older event (Lone Pine Fan). Gravels and sands exposed in both fans represent fluvial and/or glacifluvial sediment transport from the Sierra Nevada into Owens Valley, and show that river systems incised and reworked older sediment stored in the fans. We argue that millennial-scale peaks in rock flour

[Heavy metals distribution characteristics and ecological risk evaluation in surface sediments of dammed Jinshan lake].

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Xiao-Hong; Liu, Long-Mei; Chen, Xi; Chen, Zhi-Gang; Zhang, Jin-Ping; Li, Yi-Min; Liu, Biao

2014-11-01

In order to reveal the pollution loading of heavy metals in Dammed Jinshan lake, six heavy metals (As, Cu, Pb, Cd, Zn, Cr) from 18 sediment samples were analyzed using ICP, and the distribution characteristics of heavy metals in the sediment were comprehensively evaluated through concentration coefficient, geo-acumulation indexes, potential ecological risk evaluation and traceability analysis. The results showed that (1) the average contents of As, Pb, Cu, Zn, Cr, Cd were 23.22, 26.20, 24.42, 143.12, 245.30 and 0.67 mg x kg(-1), respectively, in the surface sediments of dammed Jinshan Lake. The average contents of Pb and Cu were lower than the primary standard and secondary standards of soil environmental quality standards. The average contents of Zn and Cr were lower than the primary standard and higher than the secondary standards of soil environmental quality standards. The average contents of As and Cd were higher than the primary and secondary standards of soil environmental quality standards. From the spatial distribution, the contents of Pb and Zn were the highest at sampling site No. 1, which was located at the Beigushan Square. The contents of As,Cu, Cr, Cd were the highest at sampling sites Nos. 12, 3, 14, and 7, respectively; (2) The order of concentration coefficient was As > Cr > Cd > Pb > Zn > Cu, which indicated that the enrichment amount of As was the highest and that of Cu was the lowest; (3) Based on the geo-acumulation indexes, the Cu is clean and Pb, Zn, Cd is the light pollution and As, Cr moderate pollution; (4) The order of Potential ecological risk coefficient was Cd > As > Cr > Pb > Cu > Zn, Cr, Pb, Cu, Zn were of light ecological risk and As, Cd were of medium ecological risk. From the spatial distribution, the sampling sites Nos. 1, 6, 7 and 12 had medium potential ecological risk, and the rest sample points had slight potential ecological risk; (5) The principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that the main reason for the differences

Cosmogenic 10Be Dating of Northern Quebec-Labrador Glacial Lake Shorelines and Drainage Deposits: Implications for the Final Meltwater Discharges of the Last Deglaciation

Science.gov (United States)

Roy, M.; Dube-Loubert, H.; Schaefer, J. M.; Hébert, S.

2017-12-01

The decay of the Laurentide ice sheet played an important role in the climate variability of the last deglaciation, notably through large discharges of meltwater from glacial lakes that disturbed the Atlantic meridional overturning oceanic circulation (AMOC). These former climate-forcing events are now under focus due to growing evidence showing that the present-day increase in freshwater releases from Greenland and other Arctic glaciers may potentially lead to a slowdown of the AMOC and cause important climate feedbacks. In northern Quebec and Labrador, the end of the deglaciation led to the formation of at least 10 important glacial lakes that drained into the nearby Labrador Sea where repeated meltwater discharges could have destabilized the ocean surface conditions in this key sector of the North Atlantic Ocean. Although the drainage of these ice-dammed lakes may form a good analogue for modern processes, the lack of direct constraints on the physiographic configuration and temporal evolution of these lakes limits our understanding of the timing and climate impact of these final meltwater pulses. Here we applied cosmogenic 10Be dating to raised boulder shorelines belonging to Lake Naskaupi, one of the largest glacial lakes in northern Quebec and Labrador. We reconstructed the lake extent and meltwater volume, as well as its lake-level history by systematic mapping of geomorphic features. We sampled a total of 16 boulders at 4 sites along the valley. In addition, we dated five boulders belonging to a large-scale outburst flood deposit recording the abrupt drainage of the lake. The distribution of the 21 ages shows a remarkable consistency, yielding a mean age of 7.8 ± 0.4 ka (1 outlier excluded). The ages from the shorelines are indistinguishable from those of the outburst flood deposit, suggesting that Lake Naskaupi existed for a relatively short time span. These new chronological data constrain the timing of the lake development and attendant drainage

Geologic Hazards Associated With a Proposed Dam on the Yarlung-Tsangpo River in SE Tibet

Science.gov (United States)

Zeitler, P. K.; Meltzer, A. S.; Hallet, B.; Kidd, W. S.; Koons, P. O.

2007-12-01

For a decade anecdotes and media reports have been circulating about a proposed dam on the Yarlung- Tsangpo River in SE Tibet. The proposed site is in the deep canyon of the Yarlung-Tsangpo where the river leaves the Tibetan Plateau across an immense knickpoint, falling ~2000 m along an irregular U-shaped reach ~100 km in length. The fundamental purpose of the dam is generation of ~40,000 MW of hydropower, to be used in diverting a portion of the impounded river to water-starved regions of northern China. Offsetting benefits that would accrue from improved water supply in the north, debate has centered on the water-flow and sediment-flux impacts that would be felt downstream in the Brahmaputra system in northeastern India and Bangladesh, as well as the impact of a dam and large lake on the pristine, ecologically and ethnographically diverse area around the Yarlung-Tsangpo canyon, an area of great significance to Tibetan Buddhists. We have been examining the geodynamic evolution of eastern Tibet, and have gathered considerable geophysical and geological data on the knickpoint region. The knickpoint traverses the Namche Barwa-Gyala Peri massif, one of the most geologically active regions on Earth. In this region, very rapid bedrock exhumation at rates of 7 mm/yr or more has exposed granites as young as 1 Ma, and these rates have been ongoing for at least the past 3 m.y. Detrital-dating evidence shows that these high rates continue at present and that erosion within the massif contributes fully 50% of the suspended-sediment load in the Yarlung-Tsangpo at the point where it enters the Brahmaputra (this would be about 100 Mt/yr derived from the massif). The steep slopes in the massif fail by pervasive landsliding and suggest a steady-state topography where the high erosion rates are balanced by equivalent rates of rock uplift accommodated by numerous active structures. At a more regional scale, GPS results show that steep three-dimensional velocity gradients exist

Optimizing best management practices to control anthropogenic sources of atmospheric phosphorus deposition to inland lakes.

Science.gov (United States)

Weiss, Lee; Thé, Jesse; Winter, Jennifer; Gharabaghi, Bahram

2018-04-18

Excessive phosphorus loading to inland freshwater lakes around the globe has resulted in nuisance plant growth along the waterfronts, degraded habitat for cold water fisheries, and impaired beaches, marinas and waterfront property. The direct atmospheric deposition of phosphorus can be a significant contributing source to inland lakes. The atmospheric deposition monitoring program for Lake Simcoe, Ontario indicates roughly 20% of the annual total phosphorus load (2010-2014 period) is due to direct atmospheric deposition (both wet and dry deposition) on the lake. This novel study presents a first-time application of the Genetic Algorithm (GA) methodology to optimize the application of best management practices (BMPs) related to agriculture and mobile sources to achieve atmospheric phosphorus reduction targets and restore the ecological health of the lake. The novel methodology takes into account the spatial distribution of the emission sources in the airshed, the complex atmospheric long-range transport and deposition processes, cost and efficiency of the popular management practices and social constraints related to the adoption of BMPs. The optimization scenarios suggest that the optimal overall capital investment of approximately $2M, $4M, and $10M annually can achieve roughly 3, 4 and 5 tonnes reduction in atmospheric P load to the lake, respectively. The exponential trend indicates diminishing returns for the investment beyond roughly $3M per year and that focussing much of this investment in the upwind, nearshore area will significantly impact deposition to the lake. The optimization is based on a combination of the lowest-cost, most-beneficial and socially-acceptable management practices that develops a science-informed promotion of implementation/BMP adoption strategy. The geospatial aspect to the optimization (i.e. proximity and location with respect to the lake) will help land managers to encourage the use of these targeted best practices in areas that

Design and Construction of Dams, Reservoirs, and Balancing Lakes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lemperiere, F.

2003-01-01

The general data presented in sections two and three gives an idea of the extreme diversity of the millions of very large or very small dams worldwide. Dam design and construction methods for the most usual types of large dams are presented and justified in section four. The possibility and usefulness of building as many dams in the 21. century as have been built in the 20. is analyzed in section six. (author)

Prediction of small hydropower plant power production in Himreen Lake dam (HLD using artificial neural network

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ali Thaeer Hammid

2018-03-01

Full Text Available In developing countries, the power production is properly less than the request of power or load, and sustaining a system stability of power production is a trouble quietly. Sometimes, there is a necessary development to the correct quantity of load demand to retain a system of power production steadily. Thus, Small Hydropower Plant (SHP includes a Kaplan turbine was verified to explore its applicability. This paper concentrates on applying on Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs by approaching of Feed-Forward, Back-Propagation to make performance predictions of the hydropower plant at the Himreen lake dam-Diyala in terms of net turbine head, flow rate of water and power production that data gathered during a research over a 10 year period. The model studies the uncertainties of inputs and output operation and there's a designing to network structure and then trained by means of the entire of 3570 experimental and observed data. Furthermore, ANN offers an analyzing and diagnosing instrument effectively to model performance of the nonlinear plant. The study suggests that the ANN may predict the performance of the plant with a correlation coefficient (R between the variables of predicted and observed output that would be higher than 0.96. Keywords: Himreen Lake Dam, Small Hydropower plants, Artificial Neural Networks, Feed forward-back propagation model, Generation system's prediction

DAM-LAKEFRONT PLAZA: Revitalization of an Agriculture Reservoir Dam in Kashar-Tirana/Albania

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Valbona Koçi

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The Dam-Lakefront Plaza in Kashar-Tirana/Albania is a research project that proposes not only the re-consideration and reinforcement of the artificial Reservoirs Dams built during Socialism in Albania, but envisions the maintenance of dams and revitalization of the lakeside area promoting the public-private collaboration. In addition, it envisions the generation of qualitative and lively public spaces in sub-urban areas as well. Admitting the artificial lakes as specific nodes of man-made infrastructure in the landscape, and consequently the dams (together with the drainage channels as important hydrotechnic elements of the flood protection infrastructure, this research intends to elaborate on one type of landscape infrastructure - the vertical screens, offering a mediation between the natural and built landscape.

The Lepanto Cu–Au deposit, Philippines: A fossil hyperacidic volcanic lake complex

Science.gov (United States)

Berger, Byron R.; Henley, Richard W.; Lowers, Heather; Pribil, Michael

2014-01-01

Hyperacidic lakes and associated solfatara in active volcanoes are the expression of magmatic gas expansion from source to surface. Here we show for the first time, that the vein system that comprises the ~ 2 Ma high-sulfidation, Lepanto copper–gold deposit in the Mankayan district (Philippines) was associated with a contemporary hyperacidic volcanic lake complex—possibly the first such lake recognized in the geological record. A 15–20‰ difference in sulfur isotopic composition between barite and sulfides and sulfosalts in the vent fumarole encrustations supports the interpretation that SO2-rich volcanic gas vented into the base of the lake and marginal to it and ties the mineralization directly to magmatic gas expansion, fracture propagation, and mineralization that occurred through a series of decompression steps within the feeder fracture network. These data confirm that crater lake environments such as Kawah Ijen (Java, Indonesia) provide modern day analogs of the Lepanto and other high sulfidation Cu–Au depositing environments.We also provide extensive analysis of sulfosalt–sulfide reactions during vein formation within the hyperacidic lake complex. Pyrite ±  silica deposited first at high temperature followed by enargite that preserves the vapor–solid diffusion of, for example, antimony, tin, and tellurium into the vapor from the crystallizing solid. Subsolidus, intra-crystalline diffusion continued as temperature declined. Pyrite and enargite are replaced by Fe-tennantite in the lodes which initially has low Sb/(Sb + As) atomic ratios around 13.5% close to the ideal tennantite formula, but evolves to higher ratios as crystallization proceeds. Fumarole encrustation clasts and sulfosalts in the lake sediment are more highly evolved with a larger range of trace element substitutions, including antimony. Substitution of especially Zn, Te, Ag, and Sn into tennantite records metal and semi-metal fractionation between the expanding magmatic

Research on the resurrection evolution mechanism of Gendakan ancient landslide in the upstream on Lancang River, China

Science.gov (United States)

H, D.

2017-12-01

The Gendakan ancient landslide is located on the West bank of the upstream on Lancang River and about 4 km downstream from the Gushui hydropower station dam site. The ancient landslide is 850 m long and 700 m wide, the drill cores show that the maximum thickness of the landslide body is 107 m, with a mean thickness of approximately 80 m. Thus, the overall volume is about 3000×104m3. At present, the landslide has obvious deformation and failure signs, the leading edge is collapsing step by step. Once the landslide is unstable, it will affect the construction and operation of the Gushui hydropower station. In this paper, the development characteristics of the landslide accumulation body and the characteristics of the resurrection deformation are summarized in detail from the regional geological environment of the Gandakan landslide accumulation body. The three-dimensional geological model is established to analyze the stress and strain, displacement change and deformation failure characteristics and further evaluate its resurrection evolution trend , Combined with the developmental characteristics of the typical rock mass in the nearshore slope of the engineering area, analyzes the process of the resurrection and evolution of the rooted landslide accumulation. The FLAC-3D finite difference software was used to analyze the shear strain increment, displacement and plastic zone of the landslide accumulation body under natural conditions and rainfall conditions. The results show: the Gendakan landslide is stable in the natural state, and its deformation and failure are mainly caused by the tensile and shearing of the surface, under the rainfall condition, the local deformation and failure of the landslide accumulation body is obvious and the resurrection deformation Intensified. The resurrection evolutionary process of Gendakan ancient landslide includes three steps below. 1) The landslide body trailing edge creep cracking, leading edge shear deformation. 2) Sliding

Trends in the chemistry of atmospheric deposition and surface waters in the Lake Maggiore catchment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Rogora

2001-01-01

Full Text Available The Lake Maggiore catchment is the area of Italy most affected by acid deposition. Trend analysis was performed on long-term (15-30 years series of chemical analyses of atmospheric deposition, four small rivers draining forested catchments and four high mountain lakes. An improvement in the quality of atmospheric deposition was detected, due to decreasing sulphate concentration and increasing pH. Similar trends were also found in high mountain lakes and in small rivers. Atmospheric deposition, however, is still providing a large and steady flux of nitrogen compounds (nitrate and ammonium which is causing increasing nitrogen saturation in forest ecosystems and increasing nitrate levels in rivers. Besides atmospheric deposition, an important factor controlling water acidification and recovery is the weathering of rocks and soils which may be influenced by climate warming. A further factor is the episodic deposition of Saharan calcareous dust which contributes significantly to base cation deposition. Keywords: trend, atmospheric deposition, nitrogen, stream water chemistry.

Solid discharge and landslide activity at basin scale

Science.gov (United States)

Ardizzone, F.; Guzzetti, F.; Iadanza, C.; Rossi, M.; Spizzichino, D.; Trigila, A.

2012-04-01

This work presents a preliminary analysis aimed at understanding the relationship between landslide sediment supply and sediment yield at basin scale in central and southern Italy. A database of solid discharge measurements regarding 116 gauging stations, located along the Apennines chain in Italy, has been compiled by investigating the catalogues, named Annali Idrologici, published by Servizio Idrografico e Mareografico Italiano in the period from 1917 to 1997. The database records several information about the 116 gauging stations, and especially reports the sediment yield monthly measurements (103 ton) and the catchments area (km2). These data have been used to calculate the average solid yield and the normalized solid yield for each station in the observation period. The Italian Landslide Inventory (Progetto IFFI) has been used to obtained the size of the landslides, in order to estimate the landslide mobilization rates. The IFFI Project funded by the Italian Government is realized by ISPRA (Italian National Institute for Environmental Protection and Research - Geological Survey of Italy) in partnership with the 21 Regions and Self Governing Provinces. 21 of the 116 gauging stations and the related catchments have been selected on the basis of the length of the solid discharge observation period and excluding the catchments with dams located upstream the stations. The landslides inside the selected catchments have been extracted from the IFFI inventory, calculating the planimetric area of each landslide. Considering both the shallow and deep landslides, the landslide volume has been estimated using an empirical power law relation (landslide area vs. volume). The total landslide volume in the study areas and the average sediment yield measured at the gauging stations have been compared, analysing the behaviour of the basins which drainage towards the Tyrrhenian sea and the basins which drainage towards the Adriatic sea.

A POSSIBLE TSUNAMI IN THE LABRADOR SEA RELATED TO THE DRAINAGE OF GLACIAL LAKE AGASSIZ ~8400 YEARS B.P.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N. Nirupama

2005-01-01

Full Text Available For thousands of years, the thick Laurentide Ice Sheet covered a large part of northern North America, damming northward-draining rivers. As this ice retreated, large lakes formed along its margin. Glacial Lake Agassiz was the largest of these ice-marginal lakes, covering an area of >800,000 km2 (more than twice the size of the largest lake in the modern world, the Caspian Sea before it drained catastrophically into the Labrador Sea. Even before that, Lake Agassiz had periodically released large volumes of water into the ocean via the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence and the Athabasca-Mackenzie River systems. The last and largest of these outbursts released >150,000 km3 through Hudson Bay and Hudson Strait in 6-12 months; the average flux over that period was ~5 Sv (1 Sv = 1×106 m3s-1.When a volume of water this large is discharged into a coastal sea like the Labrador Sea, it may generate a surface flood wave or a tsunami if the water mass is large enough and introduced in a short time. To our knowledge no previous calculations have been made to estimate the potential impact of a flood burst on the generation of solitary waves. Using analogies of tsunamis generated by submarine landslides and ocean earthquakes, the amplitude of a Lake Agassiz generated tsunami is estimated to have been at least 2 m. Directionality considerations, as well as the effect of the Coriolis Force in the Northern Hemisphere, suggest that the resulting tsunami probably traveled 50-100 km along the west coast of the Labrador Sea, south of Hudson Strait where the outburst entered the ocean, before being dissipated. The erosional and depositional affects of historic and prehistoric tsunamis are present in the geological record, and provide guidance in seeking evidence for the Lake Agassiz flood burst and subsequent tsunami. This record may be found along the western coast of the Labrador Sea as well as along the shores of Hudson Strait.

Depositional environments of Late Triassic lake, east-central New Mexico

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hester, P.M. (Bureau of Land Management, Albuquerque, NM (USA))

1989-09-01

The Redonda Member of the Chinle Formation represents deposition in a large, polymictic lake during the Late Triassic (Norian) in east-central New Mexico. This study documents and defines an extensive lacustrine system situated in western Pangaea which was influenced by both tectonic and climatic events. Areal extent of the lake may have been as much as 5,000 km{sup 2}.

Hydrate-bearing Submarine Landslides in the Orca Basin, Gulf of Mexico

Science.gov (United States)

Sawyer, D.; Mason, A.; Cook, A.; Portnov, A.; Hillman, J.

2017-12-01

The co-occurrence of submarine landslides and hydrate-bearing sediment suggests that hydrates may play a role in landslide triggering and/or the mobility and dynamic characteristics of the submarine landslide. In turn, the removal of large sections of seafloor perturbs the hydrate stability field by removing overburden pressure and disturbing the temperature field. These potential hydrate-landslide feedbacks are not well understood. Here we combine three-dimensional seismic and petrophysical logs to characterize the deposits of submarine landslides that failed from hydrate-bearing sediments in the Orca Basin in the northern Gulf of Mexico. The Orca Basin contains a regionally mappable bottom simulating reflector, hydrate saturations within sands and muds, as well as numerous landslides. In addition, the Orca Basin features a well-known 123 km2 anoxic hypersaline brine pool that is actively being fed by outcropping salt. Lying at the bottom of the brine pool are deposits of submarine landslides. Slope instability in the Orca Basin is likely associated with near-seafloor salt tectonics. The most prominent landslide scar observable on the seafloor has a correlative deposit that now lies at the bottom of the brine pool 11.6 km away. The headwall is amphitheater-shaped with an average height of 80 meters and with only a minor amount of rubble remaining near the headwall. A total of 8.7 km3 of material was removed and deposited between the lower slopes of the basin and the base of the brine pool. Around the perimeter of the landslide headwall, two industry wells were drilled and well logs show elevated resistivity that are likely caused by gas hydrate. The slide deposits have a chaotic seismic facies with large entrained blocks and the headwall area does not retain much original material, which together suggests a relatively mobile style of landslide and therefore may have generated a wave upon impacting the brine pool. Such a slide-induced wave may have sloshed

Tsunami Generation and Propagation by 3D deformable Landslides and Application to Scenarios

Science.gov (United States)

McFall, Brian C.; Fritz, Hermann M.

2014-05-01

Tsunamis generated by landslides and volcano flank collapse account for some of the most catastrophic natural disasters recorded and can be particularly devastative in the near field region due to locally high wave amplitudes and runup. The events of 1958 Lituya Bay, 1963 Vajont reservoir, 1980 Spirit Lake, 2002 Stromboli and 2010 Haiti demonstrate the danger of tsunamis generated by landslides or volcano flank collapses. Unfortunately critical field data from these events is lacking. Source and runup scenarios based on real world events are physically modeled using generalized Froude similarity in the three dimensional NEES tsunami wave basin at Oregon State University. A novel pneumatic landslide tsunami generator (LTG) was deployed to simulate landslides with varying geometry and kinematics. The bathymetric and topographic scenarios tested with the LTG are the basin-wide propagation and runup, fjord, curved headland fjord and a conical island setting representing a landslide off an island or a volcano flank collapse. The LTG consists of a sliding box filled with 1,350 kg of landslide material which is accelerated by means of four pneumatic pistons down a 2H:1V slope. The landslide is launched from the sliding box and continues to accelerate by gravitational forces up to velocities of 5 m/s. The landslide Froude number at impact with the water is in the range 1 landslides to study the granulometry effects: naturally rounded river gravel and cobble mixtures. Water surface elevations are recorded by an array of resistance wave gauges. The landslide deformation is measured from above and underwater camera recordings. The landslide deposit is measured on the basin floor with a multiple transducer acoustic array (MTA). Landslide surface reconstruction and kinematics are determined with a stereo particle image velocimetry (PIV) system. Wave runup is recorded with resistance wave gauges along the slope and verified

Geomorphological mapping and geotechnical testing of the March 22, 2014, SR530 landslide near Oso, Washington

Science.gov (United States)

Collins, B. D.; Reid, M. E.; Vallance, J. W.; Iverson, R. M.; Schmidt, K. M.

2014-12-01

The March 22, 2014 landslide near Oso, Washington devastated a community, killing 43 people, destroying dozens of homes, and temporarily closing a section of State Route (SR) 530. The landslide, characterized as a debris avalanche - debris flow - rotational slide, was triggered by heavy precipitation in the region and initiated from a 200 m tall section of Pleistocene glacial deposits. The entire landslide encompassed an area of 1.2 km2. To understand the mobility of this landslide, we performed geological and geomorphological mapping throughout the initiation, transport, and deposition zones. In addition, we mapped a 450-m-long cross-section through the western distal lobe created by the excavation to reopen the SR530 roadbed to temporary traffic. Samples collected during mapping were used for geotechnical testing to evaluate the mobility of the landslide materials. Our detailed (1:300) geological mapping of the excavation revealed the juxtaposition of sand (glacial outwash) and clay (glaciolacustrine) debris avalanche hummocks towards the distal end of the landslide. Further, we found that two sections of the roadbed, having a combined length of at least 150 m, were entrained in the landslide. Throughout the debris avalanche deposit, 1:1200-scale geomorphological mapping identified a preponderance of sand boils located within thinner deposits between hummocks, suggesting that liquefaction played a role in the landslides mobility. In the central distal end of the landslide, we mapped on-lap deposits, wherein distal debris flow material overrode smaller hummocks of the larger debris avalanche deposit. Discovery of these deposits indicates that the run out of the landslide might have been even longer in places had topographic barriers (i.e., the other side of the valley) not reflected the flow back towards itself.

Mud Lake, a modern analog of oil shale deposition in Florida

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Burgess, J.D.

1987-01-01

Mud Lake in north-central Florida was identified by Bradley as an analog of oil shale-type kerogen deposition. This lake supports an abundant diatom and algal flora which is unique in that the accumulating algal ooze does not decay as long as it stays oxygenated. This same material does not nutritionally support many invertebrates, owing to its flocculent consistency and apparent indigestibility, although fish are abundant and an occasional crocodile is found in the lake. Accumulation of the algal ooze is very slow at roughly 1 foot per 52,000 years based on radiocarbon dates. An understanding of oil shale depositional conditions could be translated into a predictive model for location and recognition of hydrocarbon generating source rocks. When oil shales are mentioned the first association is likely to be that with the Eocene Green River Formation of the Western US. Conditions leading to deposition and preservation of this massive quantity of organic debris is difficult to comprehend, but recognition of modern analogs provide an available area for study and comparison.

Airborne geophysical survey of the catastrophic landslide at Stože, Log pod Mangrtom, as a test of an innovative approach for landslide mapping in steep alpine terrains

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I. Baroň

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Airborne geophysics is a promising method for investigating landslides. Here we present a case study of multisensor airborne geophysical survey at the catastrophic landslide Stože near Log pod Mangrtom in Slovenia, which was conducted in the framework of the European FP7th Project "SafeLand". Based on the survey itself and achieved results, we discuss applicability, limits, and benefits and costs of the method for investigating landslides in steep alpine terrains. Despite of several operational constraints, the airborne electromagnetic survey of the area well presented the lithological pattern and water saturation. The high resistivity regions mostly indicated drained slope scree and landslide mass, drained and loosened material of the moraine deposit in the tension zone of the landslide with present cracks and cavities. The minima of the resistivity pattern were attributed to the outcrop of marls rich in clay, to water-saturated moraine deposit above impermeable marls in the tension zone, and to water-saturated porous alluvial gravel and landslide scree along the Koritnica River. The magnetic survey proved to be inapplicable for such a small and rough area. The Potassium and Thorium maps, on the other hand, both well identified the regions of tension inside the landslide zone, outcrops of marls and dolomite, clay-rich colluvium, weathered zones along a regional tectonic fault, and alluvial deposits and deposits of debris flows, and the minima of the 137Cs clearly revealed the zones of material removal due to recent mass movements.

Lake Sturgeon, Lake Whitefish, and Walleye egg deposition patterns with response to fish spawning substrate restoration in the St. Clair–Detroit River system

Science.gov (United States)

Fischer, Jason L.; Pritt, Jeremy J.; Roseman, Edward; Prichard, Carson G.; Craig, Jaquelyn M.; Kennedy, Gregory W.; Manny, Bruce A.

2018-01-01

Egg deposition and use of restored spawning substrates by lithophilic fishes (e.g., Lake Sturgeon Acipenser fulvescens, Lake Whitefish Coregonus clupeaformis, and Walleye Sander vitreus) were assessed throughout the St. Clair–Detroit River system from 2005 to 2016. Bayesian models were used to quantify egg abundance and presence/absence relative to site-specific variables (e.g., depth, velocity, and artificial spawning reef presence) and temperature to evaluate fish use of restored artificial spawning reefs and assess patterns in egg deposition. Lake Whitefish and Walleye egg abundance, probability of detection, and probability of occupancy were assessed with detection-adjusted methods; Lake Sturgeon egg abundance and probability of occurrence were assessed using delta-lognormal methods. The models indicated that the probability of Walleye eggs occupying a site increased with water velocity and that the rate of increase decreased with depth, whereas Lake Whitefish egg occupancy was not correlated with any of the attributes considered. Egg deposition by Lake Whitefish and Walleyes was greater at sites with high water velocities and was lower over artificial spawning reefs. Lake Sturgeon eggs were collected least frequently but were more likely to be collected over artificial spawning reefs and in greater abundances than elsewhere. Detection-adjusted egg abundances were not greater over artificial spawning reefs, indicating that these projects may not directly benefit spawning Walleyes and Lake Whitefish. However, 98% of the Lake Sturgeon eggs observed were collected over artificial spawning reefs, supporting the hypothesis that the reefs provided spawning sites for Lake Sturgeon and could mitigate historic losses of Lake Sturgeon spawning habitat.

The size, distribution, and mobility of landslides caused by the 2015 Mw7.8 Gorkha earthquake, Nepal

Science.gov (United States)

Roback, Kevin; Clark, Marin K.; West, A. Joshua; Zekkos, Dimitrios; Li, Gen; Gallen, Sean F.; Chamlagain, Deepak; Godt, Jonathan W.

2018-01-01

consistent with compilations of data on larger slope failures. In general, the size ratios of landslide source area to full landslide area are smaller than global averages, and hillslope length seems to largely control runout distance, which we propose reflects a topographic control on landslide mobility in this setting. We find that landslide size dictates runout distance and that more than half of the landslide debris was deposited in direct connection with stream channels. Connectivity, which is defined as the spatial proximity of landslides to fluvial channels, is greatest for larger landslides in the high-relief part of the High Himalaya. Although these failures are less abundant than those at lower elevations, they may have a disproportionate impact on sediment dynamics and cascading hazards, such as landslide reactivation by monsoon rainfall and landslide dams that lead to outburst floods. The overall high fluvial connectivity of coseismic landsliding in the Gorkha event suggests coupling between the earthquake cycle and sediment/geochemical budgets of fluvial systems in the Himalaya.

Assessment of lake sensitivity to acidic deposition in national parks of the Rocky Mountains

Science.gov (United States)

Nanus, L.; Williams, M.W.; Campbell, D.H.; Tonnessen, K.A.; Blett, T.; Clow, D.W.

2009-01-01

The sensitivity of high-elevation lakes to acidic deposition was evaluated in five national parks of the Rocky Mountains based on statistical relations between lake acid-neutralizing capacity concentrations and basin characteristics. Acid-neutralizing capacity (ANC) of 151 lakes sampled during synoptic surveys and basin-characteristic information derived from geographic information system (GIS) data sets were used to calibrate the statistical models. The explanatory basin variables that were considered included topographic parameters, bedrock type, and vegetation type. A logistic regression model was developed, and modeling results were cross-validated through lake sampling during fall 2004 at 58 lakes. The model was applied to lake basins greater than 1 ha in area in Glacier National Park (n = 244 lakes), Grand Teton National Park (n = 106 lakes), Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve (n = 11 lakes), Rocky Mountain National Park (n = 114 lakes), and Yellowstone National Park (n = 294 lakes). Lakes that had a high probability of having an ANC concentration 3000 m, with 80% of the catchment bedrock having low buffering capacity. The modeling results indicate that the most sensitive lakes are located in Rocky Mountain National Park and Grand Teton National Park. This technique for evaluating the lake sensitivity to acidic deposition is useful for designing long-term monitoring plans and is potentially transferable to other remote mountain areas of the United States and the world.

Modeling Accumulated Volume of Landslides Using Remote Sensing and DTM Data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhengchao Chen

2014-02-01

Full Text Available Landslides, like other natural hazards, such as avalanches, floods, and debris flows, may result in a lot of property damage and human casualties. The volume of landslide deposits is a key parameter for landslide studies and disaster relief. Using remote sensing and digital terrain model (DTM data, this paper analyzes errors that can occur in calculating landslide volumes using conventional models. To improve existing models, the mechanisms and laws governing the material deposited by landslides are studied and then the mass balance principle and mass balance line are defined. Based on these ideas, a novel and improved model (Mass Balance Model, MBM is proposed. By using a parameter called the “height adaptor”, MBM translates the volume calculation into an automatic search for the mass balance line within the scope of the landslide. Due to the use of mass balance constraints and the height adaptor, MBM is much more effective and reliable. A test of MBM was carried out for the case of a typical landslide, triggered by the Wenchuan Earthquake of 12 May 2008.

Geomodels of coseismic landslides environments in Central Chile.

Science.gov (United States)

Serey, A.; Sepulveda, S. A.; Murphy, W.; Petley, D. N.

2017-12-01

these geomodels are a powerful tool for earthquake-induced landslide hazard assessment. As an implication we can identify landslide-prone areas, distinguish different seismic scenarios and describe related potential hazards, including burial and river damming by large rock slides and rock avalanches.

Sedimentation influx and volcanic interactions in the Fuji Five Lakes: implications for paleoseismological records

Science.gov (United States)

Lamair, Laura; Hubert-Ferrari, Aurélia; Yamamoto, Shinya; El Ouahabi, Meriam; Garrett, Ed; Shishikura, Masanobu; Schmidt, Sabine; Boes, Evelien; Obrochta, Stephen; Nakamura, Atsunori; Miyairi, Yosuke; Yokoyama, Yusuke; De Batist, Marc; Heyvaert, Vanessa M. A.

2017-04-01

The Fuji Fives Lakes are located at the foot of Mount Fuji volcano close to the triple junction, where the North American Plate, the Eurasian plate and the Philippine Sea Plate meet. These lakes are ideally situated to study Mount Fuji volcanism and the interaction between volcanism, changes in lake sedimentation rates and the ability of lakes to record paleoearthquakes. Here, we present newly acquired geological data of Lake Yamanaka and Lake Motosu, including seismic reflection profiles, gravity and piston cores. These two lakes and their respective watersheds were affected by several eruptions of Mount Fuji. Lake Yamanaka, a very shallow lake (max. depth 14 m), was heavily impacted by the scoria fall-out of the A.D. 1707 Hoei eruption of Mount Fuji. A detailed investigation of the effect of the Hoei eruption was conducted on short gravity cores, using high resolution XRD, C/N and 210Pb/137Cs analyses. The preliminary results suggest that the sedimentation rate of Lake Yamanaka drastically reduced after the Hoei eruption, followed by an increase until the present day. Similarly, lacustrine sedimentation in Lake Motosu (max. depth 122 m) was disturbed by Mount Fuji volcanism at a larger scale. The watershed of Lake Motosu was impacted by several lava flows and scoria cones. For example, the Omuro scoria cone reduced the catchment size of Lake Motosu and modified its physiography. The related scoria fall out covered an extensive part of the lake catchment and reduced terrigenous sedimentary influx to Lake Motosu. Within the deep basin of Lake Motosu, seismic reflection data shows two different periods that are distinguished by a major change in the dominant sedimentary processes. During the first period, sublacustrine landslides and turbidity currents were the dominant sedimentation processes. During the second one, the seismic stratigraphy evidences only deposition of numerous turbidites interrupting the hemipelagic sedimentation. Changes in sedimentary processes

Natural radioactivity levels in lake sediment samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eroglu, H.; Kabadayi, O.

2013-01-01

The radioactivity concentrations of nuclides 238 U, 232 Th and 40 K in lake sediments collected from 15 different stations at Altinkaya dam lake and 12 different stations at Derbent dam lake in Turkey were measured using high-resolution gamma-ray spectrometry. The measurement was done using a coaxial HPGe detector system coupled to the Ortec-Dspect jr digital MCA system. The average measured activity concentrations of the nuclides 238 U, 232 Th and 40 K were found to be 19.5, 27.7 and 460 Bq kg -1 in Altinkaya dam, whereas the activity concentrations were 18.8, 25.5 and 365 Bq kg -1 in Derbent dam, respectively. The measured activity concentrations in the present study have been compared with similar measurements from different locations in the world. (authors)

Landslide inventory along a pipeline corridor in the Mackenzie Valley, Northwest Territories

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Couture, R.; Riopel, S. [Natural Resources Canada, Ottawa, ON (Canada). Geological Survey of Canada

2007-07-01

The route for the proposed Mackenzie Valley gas pipeline in the Northwest Territories includes areas that are known for widespread landsliding. Natural Resources Canada initiated a landslide mapping project in an effort to develop a synthesis of the types, regional distribution, and controlling factors of landslides in the region. The study area is covered by unconsolidated sediments dominated by morainal, lacustrine, and alluvial deposits. Three types of permafrost were mapped, notably continuous, extensive discontinuous, and intermediate discontinuous. A preliminary inventory of 1,807 landslides and other natural terrain hazard features were identified by air photo interpretations. The landslide limits were digitized and catalogued in the Mackenzie Valley landslide spatial database. Several attributes were recorded for each landslide feature, including unique identifiers, landslide type, size, location, morphological parameters, and relative age. The landslide distribution was then characterized. The results indicate an average density of one landslide per 5 km{sup 2}. The dominant landslide types are retrogressive thaw flows and active layer detachments, followed by rock falls, debris flows, earth slides, surficial landslides, and retrogressive thaw slides. Nearly half of all landslides took place in morainal deposits, 19 per cent in lacustrine sediments, 14 per cent in bedrock, and 13 per cent in glaciofluvial sediments. According to tone, texture, and vegetation regrowth attributes, 39 per cent of the landslides were classified as being older than 50 years, 39 per cent were 10 to 50 years old and 22 per cent were less than 10 years old.

Profiling of Sediment Microbial Community in Dongting Lake before and after Impoundment of the Three Gorges Dam

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wei Huang

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The sediment microbial community in downstream-linked lakes can be affected by the operation of large-scale water conservancy projects. The present study determined Illumina reads (16S rRNA gene amplicons to analyze and compare the bacterial communities from sediments in Dongting Lake (China before and after impoundment of the Three Gorges Dam (TGD, the largest hydroelectric project in the world. Bacterial communities in sediment samples in Dongting Lake before impoundment of the TGD (the high water period had a higher diversity than after impoundment of the TGD (the low water period. The most abundant phylum in the sediment samples was Proteobacteria (36.4%–51.5%, and this result was due to the significant abundance of Betaproteobacteria and Deltaproteobacteria in the sediment samples before impoundment of the TGD and the abundance of Gammaproteobacteria in the sediment samples after impoundment of the TGD. In addition, bacterial sequences of the sediment samples are also affiliated with Acidobacteria (11.0% on average, Chloroflexi (10.9% on average, Bacteroidetes (6.7% on average, and Nitrospirae (5.1% on average. Variations in the composition of the bacterial community within some sediment samples from the river estuary into Dongting Lake were related to the pH values. The bacterial community in the samples from the three lake districts of Dongting Lake before and after impoundment of the TGD was linked to the nutrient concentration.

Private investment for building a small hydropower plant at Zetea dam base

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Popa, Florica; Paraschivescu, Adina; Vladescu, Aurelia; Popa, Bogdan

2007-01-01

Zetea lake grading project comprises an earthen dam, made out of local materials, having as main purposes water supply, flood control and protection against flooding. The paper analyzes the possibility of building a small hydropower plant at the base of the dam, using private investment resources, in order to put to good use the water flow evacuated from the storage lake. (authors)

Estimates o the risks associated with dam failure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ayyaswamy, P.; Hauss, B.; Hseih, T.; Moscati, A.; Hicks, T.E.; Okrent, D.

1974-03-01

The probabilities and potential consequences of dam failure in California, primarily due to large earthquakes, was estimated, taking as examples eleven dams having a relatively large population downstream. Mortalities in the event of dam failure range from 11,000 to 260,000, while damage to property may be as high as $720 million. It was assumed that an intensity IX or X earthquake (on the Modified Mercalli Scale) would be sufficient to completely fail earthen dams. Predictions of dam failure were based on the recurrence times of such earthquakes. For the dams studied, the recurrence intervals for an intensity IX earthquake varied between 20 and 800 years; for an intensity X between 50 and 30,000 years. For the Lake Chabot and San Pablo dams (respectively 20, 30 years recurrent earthquake times for a intensity X) the associated consequences are: 34,000 (Lake Chabot) and 30,000 (San Pablo) people killed; damage $140 million and $77 million. Evaculation was found to ameliorate the consequences slightly in most cases because of the short time available. Calculations are based on demography, and assume 10 foot floodwaters will drown all in their path and destroy all one-unit homes in the flood area. Damage estimates reflect losses incurred by structural damage to buildings and do not include loss of income. Hence the economic impact is probably understated.

Using ground-penetrating radar and sidescan sonar to compare lake bottom geology in New England

Science.gov (United States)

Nesbitt, I. M.; Campbell, S. W.; Arcone, S. A.; Smith, S. M.

2017-12-01

Post-Laurentide Ice Sheet erosion and re-deposition has had a significant influence on the geomorphology of New England. Anthropogenic activities such as forestry, farming, and construction of infrastructure such as dams and associated lake reservoirs, has further contributed to near surface changes. Unfortunately, these surface dynamics are difficult to constrain, both in space and time. One analog that can be used to estimate erosion and deposition, lake basin sedimentation, is typically derived from lake bottom sediment core samples. Reliance on core records assumes that derived sedimentation rates are representative of the broader watershed, despite being only a single point measurement. Geophysical surveys suggest that this assumption can be highly erroneous and unrepresentative of an entire lake basin. Herein, we conducted ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and side-scan sonar (SSS) surveys of multiple lakes in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont which are representative of different basin types to estimate sedimentation rates since Laurentide retreat. Subsequent age constraints from cores on multiple GPR-imaged horizons could be used to refine estimates of sedimentation rate change caused by evolving physical, biological, and chemical processes that control erosion, transport, and re-deposition. This presentation will provide a summary of GPR and SSS data collection methods, assumptions and limitations, structural and surficial interpretations, and key findings from multiple lake basins in New England. Results show that GPR and SSS are efficient, cost effective, and relatively accurate tools for helping to constrain lake erosion and deposition processes.

Ice-dammed lakes reconstruction in the southeastern Scandinavian ice sheet periphery

Science.gov (United States)

Anisimov, Nikolai

2017-04-01

The study of glacier erosion processes, paleolake dynamics and topographical changes, together give us insight into both localized and broader landscape evolution patterns while also assisting human exploration. After carrying number of paleographic discoveries of North-West of Russia, we've gathered the data requiring generalizing, systemizing, visualizing. Objective: reconstruction of proglacial lakes based on lithostratigraphic and geomorphic analysis using GIS technology. GIS modeling of ice-dammed lakes was done via the ArcGIS Desktop 10 software package. The GIS was used as a means to categorize published, time mapped data and thereby fuse and unify the changes into a single, integrated prototype. Publications on limnologo-glaciological and geomorphological reconstructions of paleotopography and paleolakes north of the Russian plain, along with additional copyrighted and grant-funded GIS studies, together served as resources to authenticate the paleolake contour modeling. A quaternary sediments map and an updated topography map that was designed via semiautomatic vectorization of a topographical map, served as foundations for the electronic shape modeling paleoreconstructions. Based upon preliminary results from publication summaries, and initial data collected when analyzing the maps (quaternary sediments, geomorphological, topographical), the contours and maximum glacial lake rise levels in the southeastern Scandinavian ice sheet periphery, including the levels and contours of their coastline, have been duly identified. Boundary reconstruction of Late Pleistocene lake boundaries have been completed for five sections of the Scandinavian ice sheet: the Molovo-Sheksninskoy, the Belozersko-Kubensky, the Vozhe-Lachsko-Kubensky, the Vazhskoy, and the Severodvinskoy. The territories studied revealed 13 major paleobasins covering an area of more than 1,000 km2, which based upon their position most closely resemble periglacial, intraglacial and postglacial lakes. Of

Anthropogenic mercury deposition to arctic lake sediments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hermanson, M.H. [Westchester University, Westchester, PA (United States). Dept. of Health

1998-01-01

The history of atmospheric mercury inputs to remote arctic regions can be measured in lake sediment cores using lead-210 chronology. In the investigation, total mercury deposition is measured in sediments from Imitavik and Annak Lakes on the Belcher Islands in southeastern Hudson Bay, an area in the southern Canadian Arctic with no history of local industrial or agricultural sources of contamination. Both lakes received background and atmospheric inputs of mercury while Annak also received mercury from raw domestic sewage from the Hamlet of Sanikiluaq, a growing Inuit community of about 550 established in the late 1960s. Results from Imitavik show that anthropogenic mercury inputs, apparently transported through the atmosphere, began to appear in the mid-eighteenth century, and continued to the 1990s. Annak had a similar mercury history until the late 1960s when disposal of domestic sewage led to increased sediment and contaminant accumulation. The high input of mercury to Annak confirms that Sanikiluaq residents are exposed to mercury through native food sources. 39 refs., 7 figs., 3 tabs.

Inorganic Nitrogen Deposition and Its Impacts on N:P-Ratios and Lake Productivity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dag O. Hessen

2013-03-01

Full Text Available The pronounced increase in the cycling and deposition of biologically reactive dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN over large areas globally not only cause increased concentrations of DIN in surface waters, but it will also affect nutrient ratios in rivers, lakes and coastal areas. This review addresses the flux and fate of DIN, focusing NO3 in lakes of boreal and alpine catchments. Not only DIN-deposition, but also catchment properties strongly affect the concentrations of NO3 in lakes, as well as NO3:total P (TP ratios. This ratio displays an extreme variability, and does also serve as an indicator of shift between N and P-limitation of aquatic autotrophs. A high share of forests and bogs in the catchment generally decreases NO3:total P ratios, while alpine and subalpine catchments with sparse vegetation cover may have high NO3:total P ratios, especially in regions with high DIN-deposition. Several empirical and experimental studies indicate a shift from an initial N to P-limitation, but for N-limited lakes, an increased growth of phytoplankton, periphytes and macrophytes may be accredited to elevated inputs of DIN. An intensified P-limitation may also be a consequence of elevated DIN-deposition. This P-limitation may again yield higher C:P-ratios in autotrophs with negative impacts on grazers and higher trophic levels.

Qu'Appelle River Dam, dam break analysis using advanced GIS tools for rapid modelling and inundation mapping

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bonin, D. [Hatch Energy, Winnipeg, MB (Canada); Campbell, C. [Saskatchewan Watershed Authority, Moose Jaw, SK (Canada); Groeneveld, J. [Hatch Energy, Calgary, AB (Canada)

2008-07-01

The South Saskatchewan River Project (SSRP) comprises a multi-purpose reservoir that provides water for conservation and irrigation, flood control, power generation, recreation, and municipal and industrial water supply. In addition to the 64 m high Gardiner Dam, the 27 m high Qu'Appelle River Dam and the 22 km long Lake Diefenbaker Reservoir, the SSRP also includes ancillary works. The Qu'Appelle River valley extends for 458 km before connecting to the Assiniboine River. The valley is incised up to 90 m in depth and is a popular cottaging and recreational area with several major communities located in the flood plain. In the event of a breach of the Qu'Appelle Dam, the discharge will increase from a normal maximum discharge of under 60 m{sup 3} per second to over 50,000 m{sup 3} per second. The Saskatchewan Watershed Authority (SWA) is responsible for ensuring safe development of the Province's water resources, without affecting reservoir or lake operations, and preventing damage from flooding, erosion or land slides. It is in the process of developing Hazard Assessments and emergency preparedness plans for each of their dams in accordance with the Canadian Dam Safety Guidelines. Studies using GIS technology and the hydrodynamic routing model HEC-RAS have been completed to evaluate the potential inundation that may result in the event of failure of the Qu'Appelle River Dam. These studies involved the development of a breach parameter model using a breach data set revised to better reflect the Qu'Appelle River Dam; the development of a dam break model for the Qu'Appelle River Dam and downstream river and flood plain; and, the use of this model to simulate two potential dam failure scenarios for the Qu'Appelle River Dam, notably failure during passage of the PMF and failure during fair weather conditions. Inundation maps have been prepared for the downstream Qu'Appelle River valley for each of the above events. 3 refs., 4

Glacial lake outburst flood risk assessment using combined approaches of remote sensing, GIS and dam break modelling

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Arpit Aggarwal

2016-01-01

Full Text Available A great number of glacial lakes have appeared in many mountain regions across the world during the last half-century due to receding of glaciers and global warming. In the present study, glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF risk assessment has been carried out in the Teesta river basin located in the Sikkim state of India. First, the study focuses on accurate mapping of the glaciers and glacial lakes using multispectral satellite images of Landsat and Indian Remote Sensing satellites. For glacier mapping, normalized difference snow index (NDSI image and slope map of the area have been utilized. NDSI approach can identify glaciers covered with clean snow but debris-covered glaciers cannot be mapped using NDSI method alone. For the present study, slope map has been utilized along with the NDSI approach to delineate glaciers manually. Glacial lakes have been mapped by supervised maximum likelihood classification and normalized difference water index followed by manual editing afterwards using Google Earth images. Second, the first proper inventory of glacial lakes for Teesta basin has been compiled containing information of 143 glacial lakes. Third, analysis of these lakes has been carried out for identification of potentially dangerous lakes. Vulnerable lakes have been identified on the basis of parameters like surface area, position with respect to parent glacier, growth since 2009, slope, distance from the outlet of the basin, presence of supraglacial lakes, presence of other lakes in downstream, condition of moraine, condition of the terrain around them, etc. From these criterions, in total, 18 lakes have been identified as potentially dangerous glacial lakes. Out of these 18 lakes, further analysis has been carried out for the identification of the most vulnerable lake. Lake 140 comes out to be the most vulnerable for a GLOF event. Lastly, for this potentially dangerous lake, different dam break parameters have been generated using satellite data

Will the Three Gorges Dam affect the underwater light climate of Vallisneria spiralis L. and food habitat of Siberian crane in Poyang Lake?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wu, G.; Leeuw, de J.; Skidmore, A.K.; Prins, H.H.T.; Best, E.P.H.; Liu, Y.

2009-01-01

Almost 95% of the entire population of the Siberian crane (Grus leucogeranus) winter in Poyang Lake, China, where they forage on the tubers of the submerged aquatic macrophyte Vallisneria spiralis. The Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River may possibly affect this food source of the Siberian crane

The size, distribution, and mobility of landslides caused by the 2015 Mw7.8 Gorkha earthquake, Nepal

Science.gov (United States)

Roback, Kevin; Clark, Marin K.; West, A. Joshua; Zekkos, Dimitrios; Li, Gen; Gallen, Sean F.; Chamlagain, Deepak; Godt, Jonathan W.

2018-01-01

is consistent with compilations of data on larger slope failures. In general, the size ratios of landslide source area to full landslide area are smaller than global averages, and hillslope length seems to largely control runout distance, which we propose reflects a topographic control on landslide mobility in this setting. We find that landslide size dictates runout distance and that more than half of the landslide debris was deposited in direct connection with stream channels. Connectivity, which is defined as the spatial proximity of landslides to fluvial channels, is greatest for larger landslides in the high-relief part of the High Himalaya. Although these failures are less abundant than those at lower elevations, they may have a disproportionate impact on sediment dynamics and cascading hazards, such as landslide reactivation by monsoon rainfall and landslide dams that lead to outburst floods. The overall high fluvial connectivity of coseismic landsliding in the Gorkha event suggests coupling between the earthquake cycle and sediment/geochemical budgets of fluvial systems in the Himalaya.

Connection of the Late Paleolithic archaeological sites of the Chuya depression with geological evidence of existence of the Late Pleistocene ice-dammed lakes

Science.gov (United States)

Agatova, A. R.; Nepop, R. K.

2017-07-01

The complexity of the age dating of the Pleistocene ice-dammed paleolakes in the Altai Mountains is a reason why geologists consider the Early Paleolithic archaeological sites as an independent age marker for dating geological objects. However, in order to use these sites for paleogeographic reconstructions, their locations, the character of stratification, and the age of stone artifacts need to be comprehensively studied. We investigate 20 Late Paleolithic archaeological sites discovered in the Chuya depression of the Russian Altai (Altai Mountains) with the aim of their possible use for reconstructions of the period of development of the Kurai-Chuya glacio-limnosystem in the Late Neopleistocene. The results of our investigation show that it is improper to use the Paleolithic archaeological sites for the dating of the existence period and the draining time of ice-dammed lakes of the Chuya Depression in the modern period of their study owing to a lack of quantitative age estimates, a wide age range of possible existence of these sites, possible redeposition of the majority of artifacts, and their surface occurrence. It is established that all stratified sites where cultural layers are expected to be dated in the future lie above the uppermost and well-expressed paleolake level (2100 m a.s.l.). Accordingly, there are no grounds to determine the existence time of shallower paleolakes. Since the whole stone material collected below the level of 2100 m a.s.l. is represented by surface finds, it is problematic to use these artifacts for absolute geochronology. The Late Paleolithic Bigdon and Chechketerek sites are of great interest for paleogeographic reconstructions of ice-dammed lakes. The use of iceberg rafting products as cores is evidence that these sites appeared after the draining of a paleolake (2000 m a.s.l.). At this time, the location of these archaeological sites on the slope of the Chuya Depression allows one to assume the existence of a large lake as deep

Prospecting and exploration of the Key Lake uranium deposits, Saskatchewan, Canada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tan, B.H.

1980-01-01

The research activities which led to the detection of the Key Lake deposit and their model character for uranium prospecting in this area are discussed. The genesis of the ores and the surrounding rocks are described, and the possible genesis of the deposit is discussed on the basis of the present state of knowledge. (HP) [de

A new bathymetric survey of the Suwałki Landscape Park lakes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Borowiak Dariusz

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The results of the latest bathymetric survey of 21 lakes in the Suwałki Landscape Park (SLP are presented here. Measurements of the underwater lake topography were carried out in the years 2012–2013 using the hydroacoustic method (sonar Lawrence 480M. In the case of four lakes (Błędne, Pogorzałek, Purwin, Wodziłki this was the first time a bathymetric survey had been performed. Field material was used to prepare bathymetric maps, which were then used for calculating the basic size and shape parameters of the lake basins. The results of the studies are shown against the nearly 90 year history of bathymetric surveying of the SLP lakes. In the light of the current measurements, the total area of the SLP lakes is over 634 hm2 and its limnic ratio is 10%. Lake water resources in the park were estimated at 143 037.1 dam3. This value corresponds to a retention index of 2257 mm. In addition, studies have shown that the previous morphometric data are not very accurate. The relative differences in the lake surface areas ranged from –14.1 to 9.1%, and in the case of volume – from –32.2 to 35.3%. The greatest differences in the volume, expressed in absolute values, were found in the largest SLP lakes: Hańcza (1716.1 dam3, Szurpiły (1282.0 dam3, Jaczno (816.4 dam3, Perty (427.1 dam3, Jegłówek (391.2 dam3 and Kojle (286.2 dam3. The smallest disparities were observed with respect to the data obtained by the IRS (Inland Fisheries Institute in Olsztyn. The IMGW (Institute of Meteorology and Water Management bathymetric measurements were affected by some significant errors, and morphometric parameters determined on their basis are only approximate.

A preliminary regional assessment of earthquake-induced landslide susceptibility for Vrancea Seismic Region

Science.gov (United States)

Micu, Mihai; Balteanu, Dan; Ionescu, Constantin; Havenith, Hans; Radulian, Mircea; van Westen, Cees; Damen, Michiel; Jurchescu, Marta

2015-04-01

In seismically-active regions, earthquakes may trigger landslides enhancing the short-to-long term slope denudation and sediment delivery and conditioning the general landscape evolution. Co-seismic slope failures present in general a low frequency - high magnitude pattern which should be addressed accordingly by landslide hazard assessment, with respect to the generally more frequent precipitation-triggered landslides. The Vrancea Seismic Region, corresponding to the curvature sector of the Eastern Romanian Carpathians, represents the most active sub-crustal (focal depth > 50 km) earthquake province of Europe. It represents the main seismic energy source throughout Romania with significant transboundary effects recorded as far as Ukraine and Bulgaria. During the last 300 years, the region featured 14 earthquakes with M>7, among which seven events with magnitude above 7.5 and three between 7.7 and 7.9. Apart from the direct damages, the Vrancea earthquakes are also responsible for causing numerous other geohazards, such as ground fracturing, groundwater level disturbances and possible deep-seated landslide occurrences (rock slumps, rock-block slides, rock falls, rock avalanches). The older deep-seated landslides (assumed to have been) triggered by earthquakes usually affect the entire slope profile. They often formed landslide dams strongly influencing the river morphology and representing potential threats (through flash-floods) in case of lake outburst. Despite the large potential of this research issue, the correlation between the region's seismotectonic context and landslide predisposing factors has not yet been entirely understood. Presently, there is a lack of information provided by the geohazards databases of Vrancea that does not allow us to outline the seismic influence on the triggering of slope failures in this region. We only know that the morphology of numerous large, deep-seated and dormant landslides (which can possibly be reactivated in future

Automated lake-wide erosion predictions and economic damage calculations upstream of the Moses-Saunders power dam

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zuzek, P.; Baird, W.F.; International Joint Commission, Ottawa, ON

2008-01-01

This presentation discussed an automated flood and erosion prediction system designed for the upstream sections of the Moses-Saunders power dam. The system included a wave prediction component along with 3-D maps, hourly run-ups, geographic information system (GIS) tools and a hazard analysis tool. Parcel, reach, township, and county databases were used to populate the system. The prediction system was used to develop detailed study sites of shore units in the study area. Shoreline classes included sand and cohesive buffs, low banks, coarse beaches, and cobble or boulder lags. Time series plots for Lake Ontario water and wave levels were presented. Great Lakes ice cover data were also included in the system as well as erosion predictions from 1961 to 1995. The system was also used to develop bluff recession equations and cumulative recession analyses for different regulation plans. Cumulative bluff recession and protection requirements were outlined. Screenshots of the flood and erosion prediction system interface were also included. tabs., figs

Physical Modeling of Tsunamis Generated By 3D Deformable Landslides in Various Scenarios From Fjords to Conical Islands

Science.gov (United States)

McFall, B. C.; Fritz, H. M.

2013-12-01

Tsunamis generated by landslides and volcano flank collapse can be particularly devastative in the near field region due to locally high wave amplitudes and runup. The events of 1958 Lituya Bay, 1963 Vajont reservoir, 1980 Spirit Lake, 2002 Stromboli and 2010 Haiti demonstrate the danger of tsunamis generated by landslides or volcano flank collapses. Unfortunately critical field data from these events is lacking. Source and runup scenarios based on real world events are physically modeled using generalized Froude similarity in the three dimensional NEES tsunami wave basin at Oregon State University. A novel pneumatic landslide tsunami generator (LTG) was deployed to simulate landslides with varying geometry and kinematics. Two different materials are used to simulate landslides to study the granulometry effects: naturally rounded river gravel and cobble mixtures. The LTG consists of a sliding box filled with 1,350 kg of landslide material which is accelerated by means of four pneumatic pistons down a 2H:1V slope. The landslide is launched from the sliding box and continues to accelerate by gravitational forces up to velocities of 5 m/s. The landslide Froude number at impact with the water is in the range 1 landslide off an island or a volcano flank collapse. Water surface elevations are recorded by an array of resistance wave gauges. The landslide deformation is measured from above and underwater camera recordings. The landslide deposit is measured on the basin floor with a multiple transducer acoustic array (MTA). Landslide surface reconstruction and kinematics are determined with a stereo particle image velocimetry (PIV) system. Wave runup is recorded with resistance wave gauges along the slope and verified with video image processing. The measured landslide and wave parameters are

Stochastic and cyclic deposition of multiple subannual laminae in an urban lake (Twin Lake, Golden Valley, Minnesota, USA)

Science.gov (United States)

Myrbo, A.; Ustipak, K.; Demet, B.

2013-12-01

Twin Lake, a small, deep, meromictic urban lake in Minneapolis, Minnesota, annually deposits two to 10 laminae that are distinguished from one another by composition and resulting color. Sediment sources are both autochthonous and allochthonous, including pure and mixed laminae of authigenic calcite, algal organic matter, and diatoms, as well as at least three distinct types of sediment gravity flow deposits. Diagenetic iron sulfide and iron phosphate phases are minor components, but can affect color out of proportion to their abundance. We used L*a*b* color from digital images of a freeze core slab, and petrographic smear slides of individual laminae, to categorize 1080 laminae deposited between 1963 and 2010 CE (based on lead-210 dating). Some causal relationships exist between the ten categories identified: diatom blooms often occur directly above the debris of gravity flows that probably disrupt the phosphate-rich monimolomnion and fertilize the surface waters; calcite whitings only occur after diatom blooms that increase calcite saturation. Stochastic events, as represented by laminae rich in siliciclastics and other terrigenous material, or shallow-water microfossils and carbonate morphologies, are the dominant sediment source. The patterns of cyclic deposition (e.g., summer and winter sedimentation) that produce 'normal' varve couplets in some lakes are continually interrupted by these stochastic events, to such an extent that spectral analysis finds only a weak one-year cycle. Sediments deposited before about 1900, and extending through the entire Holocene sequence (~10m) are varve couplets interrupted by thick (20-90 cm) debris layers, indicating that gravity flows were lower in frequency but greater in magnitude before the historical period, probably due to an increased frequency of disturbance under urban land-use.

Spatial dispersion modeling of 90Sr by point cumulative semivariogram at Keban Dam Lake, Turkey

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuelahci, Fatih; Sen, Zekai

2007-01-01

Spatial analysis of 90 Sr artificial radionuclide in consequence of global fallout and Chernobyl nuclear accident has been carried out by using the point cumulative semivariogram (PCSV) technique based on 40 surface water station measurements in Keban Dam Lake during March, April, and May 2006. This technique is a convenient tool in obtaining the regional variability features around each sampling point, which yields the structural effects also in the vicinity of the same point. It presents the regional effect of all the other sites within the study area on the site concerned. In order to see to change of 90 Sr, the five models are constituted. Additionally, it provides a measure of cumulative similarity of the regional variable, 90 Sr, around any measurement site and hence it is possible to draw regional similarity maps at any desired distance around each station. In this paper, such similarity maps are also drawn for a set of distances. 90 Sr activities in lake that distance approximately 4.5 km from stations show the maximum similarity

Simulating potential structural and operational changes for Detroit Dam on the North Santiam River, Oregon, for downstream temperature management

Science.gov (United States)

Buccola, Norman L.; Rounds, Stewart A.; Sullivan, Annett B.; Risley, John C.

2012-01-01

Detroit Dam was constructed in 1953 on the North Santiam River in western Oregon and resulted in the formation of Detroit Lake. With a full-pool storage volume of 455,100 acre-feet and a dam height of 463 feet, Detroit Lake is one of the largest and most important reservoirs in the Willamette River basin in terms of power generation, recreation, and water storage and releases. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers operates Detroit Dam as part of a system of 13 reservoirs in the Willamette Project to meet multiple goals, which include flood-damage protection, power generation, downstream navigation, recreation, and irrigation. A distinct cycle in water temperature occurs in Detroit Lake as spring and summer heating through solar radiation creates a warm layer of water near the surface and isolates cold water below. Controlling the temperature of releases from Detroit Dam, therefore, is highly dependent on the location, characteristics, and usage of the dam's outlet structures. Prior to operational changes in 2007, Detroit Dam had a well-documented effect on downstream water temperature that was problematic for endangered salmonid fish species, releasing water that was too cold in midsummer and too warm in autumn. This unnatural seasonal temperature pattern caused problems in the timing of fish migration, spawning, and emergence. In this study, an existing calibrated 2-dimensional hydrodynamic water-quality model [CE-QUAL-W2] of Detroit Lake was used to determine how changes in dam operation or changes to the structural release points of Detroit Dam might affect downstream water temperatures under a range of historical hydrologic and meteorological conditions. The results from a subset of the Detroit Lake model scenarios then were used as forcing conditions for downstream CE-QUAL-W2 models of Big Cliff Reservoir (the small reregulating reservoir just downstream of Detroit Dam) and the North Santiam and Santiam Rivers. Many combinations of environmental, operational, and

Geomorphological characteristics of increased landslide activity in the Gudbrandsdalen valley, Norway

Science.gov (United States)

Heyerdahl, Håkon; Høydal, Øyvind

2016-04-01

The Gudbrandsdalen valley in Eastern Norway lies in a region where annual precipitation is generally low (down to 300 mm/year). The landslide activity has consequently historically been low, although the lower part of the valley sides generally is draped with thick layers of Quaternary deposits, primarily of glacial or glaciofluvial origin. The perception of natural hazards in the valley was previously primarily connected to flooding in the main river in the valley bottom during early summer, due to large discharges resulting from snowmelt in the mountainous regions west and east of the valley. However, several high-intensity events have changed the image of the region. Starting with a localized, but intense, landslide event in the Northern part of the valley in year 2008, two larger events covering almost the entire valley occurred in the years 2011 and 2013. A high number of landslides was triggered in all these events, including many flash floods and debris flows/debris slides in small and steep tributary rivers along the valley slopes. Landslide triggering covers different release mechanisms: In 2008, landslides were triggered without precipitation in not-frozen soil deposits without snow cover in the lower part of the valley. Groundwater flow through the permeable bedrock ("Otta schist") resulting from snow-melt in the elevated mountainous areas caused landslide triggering due to positive pore-water pressures forming at the bedrock surface below soil deposits, or at depressions in the terrain. Subsequent rainfall resulted in even more landslides being released. In later events (years 2011 and 2013) many landslides were caused by surface water taking new paths downslope, often due to man-made changes in existing waterways (typically poorly planned drainage solutions or new roads). Relatively small discharges in slopes with unconsolidated and easily erodible glacial deposits (typically lateral moraine) in many cases lead to small initial slides that down

Preliminary assessment of aggradation potential in the North Fork Stillaguamish River downstream of the State Route 530 landslide near Oso, Washington

Science.gov (United States)

Magirl, Christopher S.; Keith, Mackenzie K.; Anderson, Scott W.; O'Connor, Jim; Robert Aldrich,; Mastin, Mark C.

2015-12-28

On March 22, 2014, the State Route 530 Landslide near Oso, Washington, traveled almost 2 kilometers (km), destroyed more than 40 structures, and impounded the North Fork Stillaguamish River to a depth of 8 meters (m) and volume of 3.3×106 cubic meters (m3). The landslide killed 43 people. After overtopping and establishing a new channel through the landslide, the river incised into the landslide deposit over the course of 10 weeks draining the impoundment lake and mobilizing an estimated 280,000±56,000 m3 of predominantly sand-sized and finer sediment. During the first 4 weeks after the landslide, this eroded sediment caused downstream riverbed aggradation of 1–2 m within 1 km of the landslide and 0.4 m aggradation at Whitman Road Bridge, 3.5 km downstream. Winter high flows in 2014–15 were anticipated to mobilize an additional 220,000±44,000 m3 of sediment, potentially causing additional aggradation and exacerbating flood risk downstream of the landslide. Analysis of unit stream power and bed-material transport capacity along 35 km of the river corridor indicated that most fine-grained sediment will transport out of the North Fork Stillaguamish River, although some localized additional aggradation was possible. This new aggradation was not likely to exceed 0.1 m except in reaches within a few kilometers downstream of the landslide, where additional aggradation of up to 0.5 m is possible. Alternative river response scenarios, including continued mass wasting from the landslide scarp, major channel migration or avulsion, or the formation of large downstream wood jams, although unlikely, could result in reaches of significant local aggradation or channel change.

Water quality of Lake Austin and Town Lake, Austin, Texas

Science.gov (United States)

Andrews, Freeman L.; Wells, Frank C.; Shelby, Wanda J.; McPherson, Emma

1988-01-01

Lake Austin and Town Lake are located on the Colorado River in Travis County, central Texas, and serve as a source of water for municipal and industrial water supplies, electrical-power generation, and recreation for more than 500,000 people in the Austin metropolitan area. Lake Austin, located immediately downstream of Lake Travis, extends for more than 20 miles into the western edge of the city of Austin. Town Lake extends through the downtown area of the city of Austin for nearly 6 miles where the Colorado River is impounded by Longhorn Dam.

Special Office Report for Warm Springs Dam and Lake Sonoma. Sonoma County, California. Section 7. Consultation on Endangered Species.

Science.gov (United States)

1983-05-01

wide. The upstream face of the dam is covered with rock for protection against wave action. The downstream face is covered with six inches of top- soil ...over 25 percent), the potential for soil erosion and the sensitive and critical wildlife areas make access to the lake difficult and limit the areas...allow an increase in productivity. However, as a result of eggshell analysis at this site, it has been found that a marked eggshell thinning has occurred

Landslide Mobility and Hazards: A Geophysical Overview of the Oso Disaster

Science.gov (United States)

Iverson, R. M.; George, D. L.; Allstadt, K.; Godt, J.; Reid, M. E.; Vallance, J. W.; Schilling, S. P.; Cannon, C.; Magirl, C. S.; Collins, B. D.; Baum, R. L.; Coe, J. A.; Schulz, W. H.; Bower, J. B.

2014-12-01

Some landslides move slowly or intermittently downslope, whereas others accelerate catastrophically and run out long distances across flat or gently sloping terrain. Seldom does landsliding of one type transition abruptly into the other, however, and seldom are the consequences more severe than at a site near Oso, Washington, where more than 40 fatalities resulted from a high-speed, long-runout landslide on 22 March 2014. Our interpretations of seismic data inversions and eyewitness accounts indicate that the Oso event began gradually, with remobilization of old landslide deposits that were unusually wet due to months of exceptional precipitation. For about 50 s, relatively slow downslope motion of these deposits withdrew support from a bluff above them, and then the bluff collapsed abruptly. This collapse radiated strong broadband seismic energy and rapidly loaded the old landslide material downslope. We infer that this rapid loading of previously dilated landslide debris caused contractive deformation, widespread liquefaction, and runaway acceleration. The resulting debris avalanche flow (DAF) had a volume of 8 ×106 m3and a fahrböschung (H/L ratio) of 0.106, making it exceptionally mobile for a landslide of its size. The leading edge of the Oso DAF may have gained mobility by entraining water as it displaced the adjacent Stillaguamish River and by liquefying wet floodplain sediments as it overran them, and it formed distal deposits that resembled those of many wood-freighted debris flows. The transition from relatively slow landslide motion (which had occurred intermittently for decades at the Oso site) to high-speed motion and long runout appears to have been very sensitive to contingencies. Our simulations of the Oso event using a new numerical model (D-Claw) show that small differences in water-saturated porosity (n) were sufficient to cause divergent landslide behaviors. In a case with n = 0.38, D-Claw predicts runaway liquefaction and high-speed runout

Origin of the Mariano Lake uranium deposit, McKinley County, New Mexico

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fishman, N.S.; Reynolds, R.L.

1986-01-01

The Mariano Lake uranium deposit, hosted by the Brushy Basin Member of the Jurassic Morrison Formation, occurs in the Smith Lake district of the Grants uranium region, New Mexico. The orebody, contains abundant amorphous organic material, which suggests that it represents a primary-type deposit; however, the orebody is close to a regional reduction-oxidation interface, which suggests that uranium was secondarily redistributed by oxidative processes. Uranium contents correlate positively with organic carbon contents. Petrographic evidence points to uranium residence in amorphous organic material that was postdepositionally introduced in the diagenetic history of the host sandstone. Uranium mineralization was preceded by precipitation of pyrite (δ/sup 34/S values of -11.0 to -38.2 per mil), mixed-layer smectite-illite clays, and quartz and potassium feldspar overgrowths; and also partial dissolution of some detrital feldspars. Alterations associated with uranium mineralization include precipitation of the organic material, microcrystalline quartz, and pyrite and marcasite (δ/sup 34/S values of -29.4 to -41.6 per mil), and the destruction of detrital Fe-Ti oxide grains. Following mineralization, calcite, dolomite, barite, and kaolinite were precipitated, and some iron disulfides were replaced by ferric oxides. Geochemical data and petrographic observations both indicate that the Mariano Lake orebody is a primary-type deposit. Oxidative processes have not noticeably redistributed uranium in the immediate vicinity of the deposit, nor have they greatly modified geochemical characteristics in the ore. Impedance of ground-water flow by local folds and the lower porosity characteristics of ore zones may have helped to preserve the deposit

High-coercivity minerals from North African Humid Period soil material deposited in Lake Yoa (Chad)

Science.gov (United States)

Just, J.; Kroepelin, S.; Wennrich, V.; Viehberg, F. A.; Wagner, B.; Rethemeyer, J.; Karls, J.; Melles, M.

2015-12-01

The Holocene is a period of fundamental climatic change in North Africa. Humid conditions during the so-called African Humid Period (AHP) have favored the formation of big lake systems. Only very few of these lakes persist until today. One of them is Lake Yoa (19°03'N/20°31'E) in the Ounianga Basin, Chad, which maintains its water level by ground water inflow. Here we present the magnetic characteristics together with proxies for lacustrine productivity and biota of a sediment core (Co1240) from Lake Yoa, retrieved in 2010 within the framework of the Collaborative Research Centre 806 - Our Way to Europe (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft). Magnetic properties of AHP sediments show strong indications for reductive diagenesis. An up to ~ 80 m higher lake level is documented by lacustrine deposits in the Ounianga Basin, dating to the early phase of the AHP. The higher lake level and less strong seasonality restricted deep mixing of the lake. Development of anoxic conditions consequently lead to the dissolution of iron oxides. An exception is an interval with high concentration of high-coercivity magnetic minerals, deposited between 7800 - 8120 cal yr BP. This interval post-dates the 8.2 event, which was dry in Northern Africa and probably caused a reduced vegetation cover. We propose that the latter resulted in the destabilization of soils around Lake Yoa. After the re-establishment of humid conditions, these soil materials were eroded and deposited in the lake. Magnetic minerals appear well preserved in the varved Late Holocene sequence, indicating (sub-) oxic conditions in the lake. This is surprising, because the occurrence of varves is often interpreted as an indicator for anoxic conditions of the lake water. However, the salinity of lake water rose strongly after the AHP. We therefore hypothesize that the conservation of varves and absence of benthic organisms rather relates to the high salinity than to anoxic conditions.

Sediment deposition and sources into a Mississippi River floodplain lake; Catahoula Lake, Louisiana

Science.gov (United States)

Latuso, Karen D.; Keim, Richard F.; King, Sammy L.; Weindorf, David C.; DeLaune, Ronald D.

2017-01-01

Floodplain lakes are important wetlands on many lowland floodplains of the world but depressional floodplain lakes are rare in the Mississippi River Alluvial Valley. One of the largest is Catahoula Lake, which has existed with seasonally fluctuating water levels for several thousand years but is now in an increasingly hydrologically altered floodplain. Woody vegetation has been encroaching into the lake bed and the rate of this expansion has increased since major human hydrologic modifications, such as channelization, levee construction, and dredging for improvement of navigation, but it remains unknown what role those modifications may have played in altering lake sedimentation processes. Profiles of thirteen 137Cs sediment cores indicate sedimentation has been about 0.26 cm y− 1 over the past 60 years and has been near this rate since land use changes began about 200 years ago (210Pb, and 14C in Tedford, 2009). Carbon sequestration was low (10.4 g m− 2 y− 1), likely because annual drying promotes mineralization and export. Elemental composition (high Zr and Ti and low Ca and K) and low pH of recent (sediments suggest Gulf Coastal Plain origin, but below the recent sediment deposits, 51% of sediment profiles showed influence of Mississippi River alluvium, rich in base cations such as K+, Ca2 +, and Mg2 +. The recent shift to dominance of Coastal Plain sediments on the lake-bed surface suggests hydrologic modification has disconnected the lake from sediment-bearing flows from the Mississippi River. Compared to its condition prior to hydrologic alterations that intensified in the 1930s, Catahoula Lake is about 15 cm shallower and surficial sediments are more acidic. Although these results are not sufficient to attribute ecological changes directly to sedimentological changes, it is likely the altered sedimentary and hydrologic environment is contributing to the increased dominance of woody vegetation.

How Physical Processes are Informing River Management Actions at Marble Bluff Dam, Truckee River, Nevada

Science.gov (United States)

Bountry, J.; Godaire, J.; Bradley, D. N.

2017-12-01

At the terminus of the Truckee River into Pyramid Lake (Nevada, USA), upstream river management actions have dramatically reshaped the river landscape, posing significant challenges for the management of endangered aquatic species and maintenance of existing infrastructure. Within the last 100 years, upstream water withdrawal for human uses has resulted in a rapid lowering of Pyramid Lake which initiated up to 90 ft of channel incision. In 1976 Marble Bluff Dam was constructed to halt the upstream progression of channel incision and protect upstream agricultural lands, tribal resources, and infrastructure. Since construction an additional 40 ft of lake lowering and subsequent channel lowering now poses a potential risk to the structural integrity of the dam. The dynamic downstream river combined with ongoing reservoir sedimentation pose challenges to fish passage facilities that enable migration of numerous endangered cui-ui and threatened Lahontan Cutthroat Trout (LCT) to upstream spawning areas each year. These facilities include a fish lock at the dam, a fish bypass channel which allows fish to avoid the shallow delta area during low lake levels, and a meandering channel constructed by the Nature Conservancy to connect the bypass channel to the receding Pyramid Lake. The reservoir formed by Marble Bluff Dam has completely filled with sediment which impacts fish passage facilities. The original operating manual for the dam recommends year-round flushing of sediment through radial gates, but this can no longer be accomplished. During critical fish migration periods in the spring operators must ensure fish entrance channels downstream of the dam are not buried with released sediment and fish are not trapped in a portion of the reservoir full of sediment that would risk sending them back over the dam. To help inform future reservoir sediment and infrastructure management strategies, we bracket a range of potential river responses to lake level lowering and floods

Submarine Landslides: What we Know and Where we are Going!

Science.gov (United States)

Moscardelli, L. G.; Mountjoy, J. J.; Micallef, A.; Strasser, M.; Vanneste, M.; Chaytor, J. D.; Mosher, D.; Krastel, S.; Lo Iacono, C.; Yamada, Y.

2015-12-01

Submarine landslides and other gravity-induced movements can disrupt very large areas of continental margins resulting in long-term seafloor morphologic change and multi-scale mass transport deposits (MTDs). Potential consequences of submarine landslides include damage to seabed infrastructure, offshore facilities, as well as generation or enhancement of tsunamis. MTDs are common on the modern seafloor and within the stratigraphic record. Slides, slumps and debris flows can be constituents of MTDs and can co-occur in the same event or depositional unit. Recent research indicates that relationships exist between MTD geological setting, causal mechanisms, and geometries. Quantitative data analysis suggests that MTD morphometric parameters can be used to link these three parameters. Despite many advances in this field, it still remains unclear how to definitively identify pre-conditioning factors and triggers of submarine landslides in modern slopes, and how submarine landslides evolve after initiation. In addition, new questions regarding the interaction between submarine landslides and active marine processes, such as bottom currents and fluid flow, have emerged.One of the mandates of the S4SLIDE (IGCP-640) project, a joint endeavor of UNESCO and IGCP that represents the broad field of submarine landslide research, is to facilitate interactions at an international level among scientists, industry and government representatives to advance our knowledge on a number of outstanding science questions: (i) What is the nature of the interaction between current-controlled sedimentation and submarine landslides? (ii) What role do transient turbulent-laminar flows play in the formation of submarine landslides? (iii) Do climatic variations control the occurrence of submarine landslides? (iv) What is the economic significance of submarine landslides? (v) Do we understand the hazards that submarine landslides pose to the environment and to humans? This presentation will cover

Modeling the GLOF Hazard Process Chain at Imja Lake in the Nepal Himalaya

Science.gov (United States)

Lala, J.; McKinney, D. C.; Rounce, D.

2017-12-01

The Hindu Kush-Himalaya region contains more glacial ice than any other non-polar region on earth. Many glacial lakes in Nepal are held in place by natural moraine dams, which are inherently unstable. Avalanches or landslides entering glacial lakes can cause tsunami-like waves that can overtop the moraines and trigger glacial lake outburst floods (GLOF). Mass loss at the Imja glacier is the highest in the Mount Everest region, and contributes to the expansion of Imja Tsho, a lake with several villages downstream. A GLOF from the lake might destroy both property and human life, making an understanding of flood triggering processes beneficial for both the downstream villages and other GLOF-prone areas globally. The process chain for an avalanche-induced GLOF was modeled numerically. The volume and velocity of debris from avalanches entering various future lake extents were calculated using RAMMS. Resulting waves and downstream flooding were simulated using BASEMENT to evaluate erosion at the terminal moraine. Wave characteristics in BASEMENT were validated with empirical equations to ensure the proper transfer of momentum from the avalanche to the lake. Moraine erosion was determined for two geomorphologic scenarios: a site-specific scenario using field samples, and a worst-case scenario based on past literature. Both cases resulted in no flooding outside the river channel at downstream villages. Worst-case scenario geomorphology resulted in increased channelization of the lake outlet and some moraine erosion but no catastrophic collapse. Site-specific data yielded similar results but with even less erosion and downstream discharge. While the models confirmed that Imja Tsho is unlikely to produce a catastrophic GLOF in the near future, they also highlight the importance of continued monitoring of the lake. Furthermore, the ease and flexibility of these methods allows for their adoption by a wide range of stakeholders for modeling other high-risk lakes.

Hydrologic Impacts of Landslide Disturbances: Implications for Remobilization and Hazard Persistence

Science.gov (United States)

Mirus, Benjamin B.; Smith, Joel B.; Baum, Rex L.

2017-10-01

Landslides typically alter hillslope topography, but may also change the hydrologic connectivity and subsurface water-storage dynamics. In settings where mobile materials are not completely evacuated from steep slopes, influences of landslide disturbances on hillslope hydrology and susceptibility to subsequent failures remain poorly characterized. Since landslides often recur at the site of previous failures, we examine differences between a stable vegetated hillslope (VH) and a recent landslide (LS). These neighboring hillslopes exhibit similar topography and are situated on steep landslide-prone coastal bluffs of glacial deposits along the northeastern shore of Puget Sound, Washington. Our control hillslope, VH, is mantled by a heterogeneous colluvium, supporting a dense forest. In early 2013, our test hillslope, LS, also supported a forest before a landslide substantially altered the topography and disturbed the hillslope. In 2015, we observed a clay-rich landslide deposit at LS with sparse vegetation and limited root reinforcement, soil structures, and macropores. Our characterization of the sites also found matrix porosity and hydraulic conductivity are both lower at LS. Continuous monitoring during 2015-2016 revealed reduced effective precipitation at VH (due to canopy interception), an earlier seasonal transition to near-saturated conditions at LS, and longer persistence of positive pore pressures and slower drainage at LS (both seasonally and between major storm events). These differences, along with episodic, complex slope failures at LS support the hypothesis that, despite a reduced average slope, other disturbances introduced by landsliding may promote the hydrologic conditions leading to slope instability, thus contributing to the persistence of landslide hazards.

Hydrologic impacts of landslide disturbances: Implications for remobilization and hazard persistence

Science.gov (United States)

Mirus, Benjamin B.; Smith, Joel B.; Baum, Rex L.

2017-01-01

Landslides typically alter hillslope topography, but may also change the hydrologic connectivity and subsurface water-storage dynamics. In settings where mobile materials are not completely evacuated from steep slopes, influences of landslide disturbances on hillslope hydrology and susceptibility to subsequent failures remain poorly characterized. Since landslides often recur at the site of previous failures, we examine differences between a stable vegetated hillslope (VH) and a recent landslide (LS). These neighboring hillslopes exhibit similar topography and are situated on steep landslide-prone coastal bluffs of glacial deposits along the northeastern shore of Puget Sound, Washington. Our control hillslope, VH, is mantled by a heterogeneous colluvium, supporting a dense forest. In early 2013, our test hillslope, LS, also supported a forest before a landslide substantially altered the topography and disturbed the hillslope. In 2015, we observed a clay-rich landslide deposit at LS with sparse vegetation and limited root reinforcement, soil structures, and macropores. Our characterization of the sites also found matrix porosity and hydraulic conductivity are both lower at LS. Continuous monitoring during 2015-2016 revealed reduced effective precipitation at VH (due to canopy interception), an earlier seasonal transition to near-saturated conditions at LS, and longer persistence of positive pore pressures and slower drainage at LS (both seasonally and between major storm events). These differences, along with episodic, complex slope failures at LS support the hypothesis that, despite a reduced average slope, other disturbances introduced by landsliding may promote the hydrologic conditions leading to slope instability, thus contributing to the persistence of landslide hazards.

Paleolimnological records of nitrogen deposition in shallow, high-elevation lakes of Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, USA

Science.gov (United States)

Spaulding, Sarah A.; Otu, Megan K.; Wolfe, Alexander P.; Baron, Jill S.

2015-01-01

Reactive nitrogen (Nr) from anthropogenic sources has been altering ecosystem function in lakes of the Rocky Mountains, other regions of western North America, and the Arctic over recent decades. The response of biota in shallow lakes to atmospheric deposition of Nr, however, has not been considered. Benthic algae are dominant in shallow, high-elevation lakes and are less sensitive to nutrient inputs than planktonic algae. Because the benthos is typically more nutrient rich than the water column, shallow lakes are not expected to show evidence of anthropogenic Nr. In this study, we assessed sedimentary evidence for regional Nr deposition, sediment chronology, and the nature of algal community response in five shallow, high-elevation lakes in Grand Teton National Park (GRTE). Over 140 diatom taxa were identified from the sediments, with a relatively high species richness of taxa characteristic of oligotrophic conditions. The diatom assemblages were dominated by benthic taxa, especially motile taxa. The GRTE lakes demonstrate assemblage-wide shifts in diatoms, including 1) synchronous and significant assemblage changes centered on ~1960 AD; 2) pre-1960 assemblages differed significantly from post-1960 assemblages; 3) pre-1960 diatom assemblages fluctuated randomly, whereas post- 1960 assemblages showed directional change; 4) changes in δ15N signatures were correlated with diatom community composition. These results demonstrate recent changes in shallow high18 elevation lakes that are most correlated with anthropogenic Nr. It is also possible, however, that the combined effect of Nr deposition and warming is accelerating species shifts in benthic diatoms. While uncertainties remain about the potential synergy of Nr deposition and warming, this study adds shallow lakes to the growing list of impacted high-elevation localities in western North America.

Local response of a glacier to annual filling and drainage of an ice-marginal lake

Science.gov (United States)

Walder, J.S.; Trabant, D.C.; Cunico, M.; Fountain, A.G.; Anderson, S.P.; Anderson, R. Scott; Malm, A.

2006-01-01

Ice-marginal Hidden Creek Lake, Alaska, USA, outbursts annually over the course of 2-3 days. As the lake fills, survey targets on the surface of the 'ice dam' (the glacier adjacent to the lake) move obliquely to the ice margin and rise substantially. As the lake drains, ice motion speeds up, becomes nearly perpendicular to the face of the ice dam, and the ice surface drops. Vertical movement of the ice dam probably reflects growth and decay of a wedge of water beneath the ice dam, in line with established ideas about jo??kulhlaup mechanics. However, the distribution of vertical ice movement, with a narrow (50-100 m wide) zone where the uplift rate decreases by 90%, cannot be explained by invoking flexure of the ice dam in a fashion analogous to tidal flexure of a floating glacier tongue or ice shelf. Rather, the zone of large uplift-rate gradient is a fault zone: ice-dam deformation is dominated by movement along high-angle faults that cut the ice dam through its entire thickness, with the sense of fault slip reversing as the lake drains. Survey targets spanning the zone of steep uplift gradient move relative to one another in a nearly reversible fashion as the lake fills and drains. The horizontal strain rate also undergoes a reversal across this zone, being compressional as the lake fills, but extensional as the lake drains. Frictional resistance to fault-block motion probably accounts for the fact that lake level falls measurably before the onset of accelerated horizontal motion and vertical downdrop. As the overall fault pattern is the same from year to year, even though ice is lost by calving, the faults must be regularly regenerated, probably by linkage of surface and bottom crevasses as ice is advected toward the lake basin.

Monitoring fluvial erosion of the Oso landslide, Washington, using repeat Structure-from-Motion photogrammetry

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, S. W.; Magirl, C. S.; Keith, M. K.

2015-12-01

On March 22, 2014, the Oso landslide, located in northwestern Washington State, catastrophically mobilized about 8 million m3 of mixed glacial sediment, creating a valley-wide blockage that impounded the North Fork Stillaguamish River to a height of 8 m. The river overtopped the landslide blockage within several days and incised a new channel through predominately fine-grained, cohesive glaciolacustrine sediment in the center of the deposit. Our research focuses on the evolution of this new channel. Using a consumer-grade digital camera mounted on a fixed wing-aircraft, we used structure-from-motion (SfM) photogrammetry to produce 25 cm digital elevation models (DEMs) of the channel at one-month intervals between November 2014 and July 2015. A large RTK GPS validation dataset and inter-survey comparisons documents sub-decimeter vertical and horizontal accuracies. In combination with aerial lidar surveys acquired in March and April 2014, this dataset provides a uniquely resolved look at the erosion of a landslide dam. The newly-formed channel incised rapidly, lowering to within a meter of its pre-slide elevation by May 2014 despite modest flows. During high flows of the 2014-2015 winter flood season, erosion was dominated by channel widening of tens of meters with an overall stable planform. Incision fully returned the channel to pre-slide elevations by December 2014. A total of 510,000 +/- 50,000 m3 of material was eroded between March 2014 and July 2015, split evenly between the initial period of incision and the later period of widening. Sediment yield and channel morphology showed asymptotic trends towards stability. Measurements of deposit bulk density and grain size allowed conversion of volumetric sediment yields to mass yields by size classes. Over the 16 months after the slide, the river eroded about 0.82 +/- 0.1 Mt of sediment, of which 0.78 Mt was finer than 2mm. This yield agrees within 15% of an independent estimate based on concurrent sediment gaging

Rare Earth Element Fluorocarbonate Minerals from the Olympic Dam Cu-U-Au-Ag Deposit, South Australia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Danielle S. Schmandt

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Olympic Dam is a world-class breccia-hosted iron-oxide copper-gold-uranium ore deposit located in the Gawler Craton, South Australia. It contains elevated concentrations of rare earth elements (REE which occur as the REE minerals bastnäsite, synchysite, florencite, monazite, and xenotime. This is the first study to focus on the mineralogy and composition of the most abundant REE mineral at Olympic Dam, bastnäsite, and subordinate synchysite. The sample suite extends across the deposit and represents different sulfide mineralization styles (chalcopyrite-bornite and bornite-chalcocite and breccias of various types, ranging from those dominated by clasts of granite, dykes, and hematite. The REE-fluorocarbonates (bastnäsite and synchysite typically occur as fine-grained (<50 μm disseminations in Cu-Fe-sulfides and gangue minerals, and also within breccia matrix. They are also locally concentrated within macroscopic REE-mineral-rich pockets at various locations across the deposit. Such coarse-grained samples formed the primary target of this study. Three general textural groups of bastnäsite are recognized: matrix (further divided into disseminated, fine-grained, and stubby types, irregular (sulfide-associated, and clast replacement. Textures are largely driven by the specific location and prevailing mineral assemblage, with morphology and grain size often controlled by the associated minerals (hematite, sulfides. Major element concentration data reveal limited compositional variation among the REE-fluorocarbonates; all are Ce-dominant. Subtle compositional differences among REE-fluorocarbonates define a spectrum from relatively La-enriched to (Ce + Nd-enriched phases. Granite-derived hydrothermal fluids were the likely source of F in the REE-fluorocarbonates, as well as some of the CO2, which may also have been contributed by associated mafic-ultramafic magmatism. However, transport of REE by Cl-ligands is the most likely scenario. Stubby bastn

Estimating volume of deposits associated with landslides on volcanic landscapes in the SW flank of the volcano Pico de Orizaba, Puebla-Veracruz

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gabriel Legorreta Paulín

2017-03-01

dangerous situation for more than 360 000 people living on the southern flank of the volcano Pico de Orizaba, where landslides along the hillslopes and the river system threaten towns like Cordova, Orizaba, Rio Blanco, Nogales and Ciudad Mendoza. Today the most common and dangerous landslides are associated with unconsolidated volcanic deposits and heavy seasonal rains. In this paper, the cause, distribution, and link between landslides and the volcanic landscape relief susceptibility are analyzed. Similarly, the volume of displaced material is estimated in order to characterize the landslide instability in volcanic terrains. The Río El Estado watershed on the southwestern flank of Pico de Orizaba volcano is selected to describe and analyze susceptible areas of gravitational processes. The study area allows to show a systematic methodology for landslide mapping and volume calculation in areas with scarce information. The methodology encompasses three main stages of analysis. In the first stage, background information is collected to provide context and establish a generalized characterization of landslide processes, landsforms and volumes within the study area. Background information includes the following maps: topographic, geologic, land use, climate, slope, slope curvature, contributing area, flow direction, saturation, reclassified hypsomety, reclassified slope, and morphography. By retrieval and on-off switching of the background information in the GIS, a base map is created to assist in the digitizing of landslides. The base map and the theoretical aspects of the geomorphological mapping help to develop a conceptual base of support for mapping landslides. Landslides are digitized directly into a geographic information system (GIS, and in parallel, a spatial geodatabase of landslides attributes (eg. size, volume, activity, landslide type, etc. is constructed. Previous landslide mapping in the study area is verified and new landslides are added to the landslide

Prediction of Rainfall-Induced Landslides

Science.gov (United States)

Nadim, F.; Sandersen, F.

2009-12-01

Rainfall-induced landslides can be triggered by two main mechanisms: shear failure due to build-up of pore water pressure and erosion by surface water runoff when flow velocity exceeds a critical value. Field measurements indicate that, in the initial phase, the slip surface of a landslide often occurs along the top of a relatively impermeable layer located at some depth within the soil profile, e.g. at the contact with a shallow underlying bedrock or parent rock. The shear strength along this surface and hence the stability of the slope is governed by the pore water pressure. The pore pressure is in turn controlled by water seepage through the slope, either from infiltrated rain, or from groundwater that follows bedrock joints and soil layers with high permeability. When the infiltration rate of the underlying layer is too low for further downward penetration of water or when a wetting front is produced, pore water pressure builds up, reducing the soil shear strength. During high intensity rainfall, surface water runoff will exert shear stresses on the bed material. De-pending on the grain size distribution and specific gravity of the material, erosion might occur when the flow velocity exceeds a critical value. As erosion progresses and sediment concentration increases, the flow regime may become unstable with heavy erosion at high flow velocity locations triggering a debris flow. In many cases, previous landslides along steep gully walls have fed an abundance of loose soil material into the gullies. Landslides along gully walls that obstruct the water transport may also trigger debris flows when the landslide-dam collapses, creating a surge downstream. Both the long-duration (1 or more days) and short-duration precipitation (of the order of 1 hour) are significant in the triggering of shallow landslides, since the critical short-duration rainfall intensity reduces as the antecedent accumulated rainfall increases. Experiences in Norway indicate that the maxi

The development of an ore reserve methodology for the Olympic Dam copper-uranium-gold deposit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scott, I.R.

1987-01-01

At the Olympic Dam copper-uranium-gold deposit in South Australia, evolution in the understanding of the controls on mineralisation coupled with the changing demands of the project have led to changes in the approach to reserve estimation. The project has moved into a phase where detailed stope mining reserves are now required as distinct from global ore reserves. To enable the selective manipulation of geological and assay information and its characterisation, a relational database has been developed. For reserve calculations themselves, initial computations were based on a system derived from that used for the Kambalda nickel orebodies. The Olympic Dam system differed mainly in the use of statistical analyses in the estimation of grade instead of the previous polygonal area of influence weighting method. Three dimensional weighting techniques are now being used for local reserve estimates

Earthquake Hazard for Aswan High Dam Area

Science.gov (United States)

Ismail, Awad

2016-04-01

Earthquake activity and seismic hazard analysis are important components of the seismic aspects for very essential structures such as major dams. The Aswan High Dam (AHD) created the second man-made reservoir in the world (Lake Nasser) and is constructed near urban areas pose a high-risk potential for downstream life and property. The Dam area is one of the seismically active regions in Egypt and is occupied with several cross faults, which are dominant in the east-west and north-south. Epicenters were found to cluster around active faults in the northern part of Lake and AHD location. The space-time distribution and the relation of the seismicity with the lake water level fluctuations were studied. The Aswan seismicity separates into shallow and deep seismic zones, between 0 and 14 and 14 and 30 km, respectively. These two seismic zones behave differently over time, as indicated by the seismicity rate, lateral extent, b-value, and spatial clustering. It is characterized by earthquake swarm sequences showing activation of the clustering-events over time and space. The effect of the North African drought (1982 to present) is clearly seen in the reservoir water level. As it decreased and left the most active fault segments uncovered, the shallow activity was found to be more sensitive to rapid discharging than to the filling. This study indicates that geology, topography, lineations in seismicity, offsets in the faults, changes in fault trends and focal mechanisms are closely related. No relation was found between earthquake activity and both-ground water table fluctuations and water temperatures measured in wells located around the Kalabsha area. The peak ground acceleration is estimated in the dam site based on strong ground motion simulation. This seismic hazard analyses have indicated that AHD is stable with the present seismicity. The earthquake epicenters have recently took place approximately 5 km west of the AHD structure. This suggests that AHD dam must be

USGS Activities at Lake Roosevelt and the Upper Columbia River

Science.gov (United States)

Barton, Cynthia; Turney, Gary L.

2010-01-01

Lake Roosevelt (Franklin D. Roosevelt Lake) is the impoundment of the upper Columbia River behind Grand Coulee Dam, and is the largest reservoir within the Bureau of Reclamation's Columbia Basin Project (CBP). The reservoir is located in northeastern Washington, and stretches 151 miles from Grand Coulee Dam north to the Canadian border. The 15-20 miles of the Columbia River downstream of the border are riverine and are under small backwater effects from the dam. Grand Coulee Dam is located on the mainstem of the Columbia River about 90 miles northwest of Spokane. Since the late 1980s, trace-element contamination has been known to be widely present in Lake Roosevelt. Trace elements of concern include arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead, mercury, and zinc. Contaminated sediment carried by the Columbia River is the primary source of the widespread occurrence of trace-element enrichment present in Lake Roosevelt. In 2001, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) initiated a preliminary assessment of environmental contamination of the Lake Roosevelt area (also referred to as Upper Columbia River, UCR site, or UCR/LR site) and has subsequently begun remedial investigations of the UCR site.

Pleniglacial sedimentation process reconstruction on laminated lacustrine sediments from lava-dammed Paleolake Alf, West Eifel Volcanic Field (Germany)

Science.gov (United States)

Eichhorn, Luise; Pirrung, Michael; Zolitschka, Bernd; Büchel, Georg

2017-09-01

Differentiating between regularly seasonal, irregular and event-based clastic sedimentation is difficult if sedimentation structures resemble and dating methods are imprecise. In this study - clastic light and dark laminae from lava-dammed Paleolake Alf in the Late Pleistocene in the Quaternary West Eifel Volcanic Field are analyzed to clarify how they formed and if they are of annual origin and comparable to assumed periglacial varves from neighboring Lake Holzmaar. Therefore, a multiproxy approach is applied combining sediment thin section analysis which focuses on composition and structure with 14C dates. The results are compared to recently-formed annually-laminated clastic sediments of, e.g., the High Canadian Arctic. Observed sedimentation structures reveal sediment delivery by over- and interflows and deposition from suspension forming two characteristic microfacies: Type I graded laminae and Type II laminae with graded sublayers. Additionally, erosional bases and event deposits indicate episodic underflows. Thus, lamination is potentially seasonal but is significantly veiled by extreme runoff causing erosion and resuspension processes or a mixed water body preventing sediment delivery into the lake basin. However, sedimentation processes between watershed and lake could be reconstructed by comparing recent and paleosediment structures.

The Effect of Paved Roads on Organic Carbon Content of Soil in Taham Dam Basin

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mazyar Peyda

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Background: Contamination of water and soil through non-point sources such as road runoff causes environmental concern. The aim of this study is to determine the effect of Zanjan – Chavarzagh road on the total organic carbon (TOC content of sediments in tributaries and the river that lead to Taham Lake. Methods: In tributaries and the river 69 soil and sediment samples were taken and the Total organic carbon (TOC was measured according to Walkely-Black method. Also, Taham Dam Basin area and its hydrologic properties were calculated by Global Information System (GIS software. Results: Results showed that, TOC concentration has a significant negative relationship with the distance from the lake. TOC in soil samples taken from hillside of the road had significantly lower mean and median concentration ( median= 3262 , mean = 4083 ± 3461 mg/kg than the valley side ( median = 5324 , mean = 6178 ± 3980 mg/kg. The check dams across the tributaries and the river have not been effective in the reduction of TOC in sediments. Conclusion: Roads in the Taham Dam Basin, increases TOC content of soil and sediments in Taham dam basin. TOC moves toward Taham dam lake.

Sedimentology and geomorphology of a large tsunamigenic landslide, Taan Fiord, Alaska

Science.gov (United States)

Dufresne, A.; Geertsema, M.; Shugar, D. H.; Koppes, M.; Higman, B.; Haeussler, P. J.; Stark, C.; Venditti, J. G.; Bonno, D.; Larsen, C.; Gulick, S. P. S.; McCall, N.; Walton, M.; Loso, M. G.; Willis, M. J.

2018-02-01

On 17 October 2015, a landslide of roughly 60 × 106 m3 occurred at the terminus of Tyndall Glacier in Taan Fiord, southeastern Alaska. It caused a tsunami that inundated an area over 20 km2, whereas the landslide debris itself deposited within a much smaller area of approximately 2 km2. It is a unique event in that the landslide debris was deposited into three very different environments: on the glacier surface, on land, and in the marine waters of the fjord. Part of the debris traversed the width of the fjord and re-emerged onto land, depositing coherent hummocks with preserved source stratigraphy on an alluvial fan and adjacent moraines on the far side of the fjord. Imagery from before the landslide shows that the catastrophic slope failure was preceded by deformation and sliding for at least the two decades since the glacier retreated to its current terminus location, exposing steep and extensively faulted slopes. A small volume of the total slide mass remains within the source area and is topped by striated blocks (> 10 m across) and standing trees that were transported down the slope in intact positions during the landslide. Field work was carried out in the summer of 2016, and by the time this paper was written, almost all of the supraglacial debris was advected into the fjord and half the subaerial hummocks were buried by glacial advance; this rapid change illustrates how highly active sedimentary processes in high-altitude glacial settings can skew any landslide-frequency analyses, and emphasizes the need for timely field investigations of these natural hazards.

Integrating statistical and process-based models to produce probabilistic landslide hazard at regional scale

Science.gov (United States)

Strauch, R. L.; Istanbulluoglu, E.

2017-12-01

We develop a landslide hazard modeling approach that integrates a data-driven statistical model and a probabilistic process-based shallow landslide model for mapping probability of landslide initiation, transport, and deposition at regional scales. The empirical model integrates the influence of seven site attribute (SA) classes: elevation, slope, curvature, aspect, land use-land cover, lithology, and topographic wetness index, on over 1,600 observed landslides using a frequency ratio (FR) approach. A susceptibility index is calculated by adding FRs for each SA on a grid-cell basis. Using landslide observations we relate susceptibility index to an empirically-derived probability of landslide impact. This probability is combined with results from a physically-based model to produce an integrated probabilistic map. Slope was key in landslide initiation while deposition was linked to lithology and elevation. Vegetation transition from forest to alpine vegetation and barren land cover with lower root cohesion leads to higher frequency of initiation. Aspect effects are likely linked to differences in root cohesion and moisture controlled by solar insulation and snow. We demonstrate the model in the North Cascades of Washington, USA and identify locations of high and low probability of landslide impacts that can be used by land managers in their design, planning, and maintenance.

Prospecting exploration and development of the uranium deposits Key Lake, Canada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kirchner, G.; Tan, B.H.

1977-01-01

This lecture gives a survey of the methods employed by the Uranerzbergbau-GmbH and Co. KG and the experience gained in connection with prospecting and exploration activities at the uranium deposits in Saskatchewan, illustrated by the case history Key Lake. (orig.) [de

A depositional model for spherulitic carbonates associated with alkaline, volcanic lakes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mercedes-Martín, Ramon; Brasier, Alexander T.; Rogerson, Mike; Reijmer, John J.G.; Vonhof, Hubert; Pedley, Martyn

2017-01-01

The South Atlantic Aptian ‘Pre-salt’ reservoirs are formed by a combination of spherulitic carbonates and Mg-rich clays accumulated in volcanic alkaline lake settings with exotic chemistries. So far, outcrop analogues characterised by metre-thick successions deposited in lacustrine scenarios are

Beaver dams and channel sediment dynamics on Odell Creek, Centennial Valley, Montana, USA

Science.gov (United States)

Levine, Rebekah; Meyer, Grant A.

2014-01-01

Beaver dams in streams are generally considered to increase bed elevation through in-channel sediment storage, thus, reintroductions of beaver are increasingly employed as a restoration tool to repair incised stream channels. Here we consider hydrologic and geomorphic characteristics of the study stream in relation to in-channel sediment storage promoted by beaver dams. We also document the persistence of sediment in the channel following breaching of dams. Nine reaches, containing 46 cross-sections, were investigated on Odell Creek at Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, Centennial Valley, Montana. Odell Creek has a snowmelt-dominated hydrograph and peak flows between 2 and 10 m3 s- 1. Odell Creek flows down a fluvial fan with a decreasing gradient (0.018-0.004), but is confined between terraces along most of its length, and displays a mostly single-thread, variably sinuous channel. The study reaches represent the overall downstream decrease in gradient and sediment size, and include three stages of beaver damming: (1) active; (2) built and breached in the last decade; and (3) undammed. In-channel sediment characteristics and storage were investigated using pebble counts, fine-sediment depth measurements, sediment mapping and surveys of dam breaches. Upstream of dams, deposition of fine (≤ 2 mm) sediment is promoted by reduced water surface slope, shear stress and velocity, with volumes ranging from 48 to 182 m3. High flows, however, can readily transport suspended sediment over active dams. Variations in bed-sediment texture and channel morphology associated with active dams create substantial discontinuities in downstream trends and add to overall channel heterogeneity. Observations of abandoned dam sites and dam breaches revealed that most sediment stored above beaver dams is quickly evacuated following a breach. Nonetheless, dam remnants trap some sediment, promote meandering and facilitate floodplain development. Persistence of beaver dam sediment

Temporary Restoration of Bull Trout Passage at Albeni Falls Dam

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Paluch, Mark; Scholz, Allan; McLellan, Holly [Eastern Washington University Department of Biology; Olson, Jason [Kalispel Tribe of Indians Natural Resources Department

2009-07-13

This study was designed to monitor movements of bull trout that were provided passage above Albeni Falls Dam, Pend Oreille River. Electrofishing and angling were used to collect bull trout below the dam. Tissue samples were collected from each bull trout and sent to the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service Abernathy Fish Technology Center Conservation Genetics Lab, Washington. The DNA extracted from tissue samples were compared to a catalog of bull trout population DNA from the Priest River drainage, Lake Pend Oreille tributaries, and the Clark Fork drainage to determine the most probable tributary of origin. A combined acoustic radio or radio tag was implanted in each fish prior to being transported and released above the dam. Bull trout relocated above the dam were able to volitionally migrate into their natal tributary, drop back downstream, or migrate upstream to the next dam. A combination of stationary radio receiving stations and tracking via aircraft, boat, and vehicle were used to monitor the movement of tagged fish to determine if the spawning tributary it selected matched the tributary assigned from the genetic analysis. Seven bull trout were captured during electrofishing surveys in 2008. Of these seven, four were tagged and relocated above the dam. Two were tagged and left below the dam as part of a study monitoring movements below the dam. One was immature and too small at the time of capture to implant a tracking tag. All four fish released above the dam passed by stationary receivers stations leading into Lake Pend Oreille and no fish dropped back below the dam. One of the radio tags was recovered in the tributary corresponding with the results of the genetic test. Another fish was located in the vicinity of its assigned tributary, which was impassable due to low water discharge at its mouth. Two fish have not been located since entering the lake. Of these fish, one was immature and not expected to enter its natal tributary in the fall of 2008. The other

A catastrophic event in Lake Geneva region during the Early Bronze Age?

Science.gov (United States)

Kremer, Katrina; Yrro, Blé; Marillier, François; Hilbe, Michael; Corboud, Pierre; Rachoud-Schneider, Anne-Marie; Girardclos, Stéphanie

2013-04-01

Similarly to steep oceanic continental margins, lake slopes can collapse, producing large sublacustrine landslides and tsunamis. Lake sediments are excellent natural archives of such mass movements and their study allows the reconstructions of these prehistoric events, such as the 563 AD large tsunami over Lake Geneva (Kremer et al, 2012). In Lake Geneva, more than 100 km of high-resolution seismic reflection profiles reveal the late Holocene sedimentation history. The seismic record shows a succession of five large lens-shaped seismic units (A to I), characterized by transparent/chaotic seismic facies with irregular lower boundaries, and interpreted as mass-movement deposits. These units are interbedded with parallel, continuous and strong amplitude reflections, interpreted as the 'background' lake sediments. The oldest dated mass movement (Unit D) covers a surface of 22 km2 in the deep basin, near the city of Lausanne. This deposit has an estimated minimum volume of 0.18 km3 and thus was very likely tsunamigenic (Kremer et al, 2012). A 12-m-long sediment core confirms the seismic interpretation of the mass movement unit and shows that the uppermost 3 m of Unit D are characterized by deformed hemipelagic sediments topped by a 5 cm thick turbidite. This deposit can be classified as a slump whose scar can be interpreted in the seismic data and visualized by multibeam bathymetry. This slump of Lausanne was likely triggered by an earthquake but a spontaneous slope collapse cannot be excluded (Girardclos et al, 2007). Radiocarbon dating of plant macro-remains reveals that the unit D happened during Early Bronze Age. Three other mass wasting deposits occurred during the same time period and may have been triggered during the same event, either by a single earthquake or by a tsunami generated by the slump of Lausanne. Although the exact trigger mechanism of the all these mass-wasting deposits remains unknown, a tsunami likely generated by this event may have affected the

Three air quality studies: Great Lakes ozone formation and nitrogen dry deposition; and Tucson aerosol chemical characterization

Science.gov (United States)

Foley, Theresa

(arsenic, beryllium, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, lead, manganese, and nickel) in the southern Tucson metropolitan area. A Tucson company that uses beryllium oxide to manufacture thermally conductive ceramics has prompted strong citizen concern. This study found that the study area has good air quality with respect to PM10 and metals, with ambient concentrations meeting US Environmental Protection Agency and World Health Organization standards. Beryllium was detected only once (during a dust storm) and was ascribed to naturally-occurring beryllium in the suspended soil. The third paper (to be submitted to the Journal of Great Lakes Research) studies nitrogen dry deposition over Lake Michigan and Lake Superior. Numerous studies have shown that wet and dry deposition of nitrogen has contributed to the eutrophication of coastal waters and declining productivity of marine fisheries. Nitrogen dry deposition over the Great Lakes themselves, as opposed to the shorelines, has not been documented in the peer-reviewed literature. This paper calculates nitrogen dry deposition over Lake Michigan and Lake Superior, using aircraft measurements from the LADCO Aircraft Study, and finds that over-water, nitrogen dry deposition is a significant source of nitrogen to Lake Michigan and Lake Superior.

Trends in historical mercury deposition inferred from lake sediment cores across a climate gradient in the Canadian High Arctic.

Science.gov (United States)

Korosi, Jennifer B; Griffiths, Katherine; Smol, John P; Blais, Jules M

2018-06-02

Recent climate change may be enhancing mercury fluxes to Arctic lake sediments, confounding the use of sediment cores to reconstruct histories of atmospheric deposition. Assessing the independent effects of climate warming on mercury sequestration is challenging due to temporal overlap between warming temperatures and increased long-range transport of atmospheric mercury following the Industrial Revolution. We address this challenge by examining mercury trends in short cores (the last several hundred years) from eight lakes centered on Cape Herschel (Canadian High Arctic) that span a gradient in microclimates, including two lakes that have not yet been significantly altered by climate warming due to continued ice cover. Previous research on subfossil diatoms and inferred primary production indicated the timing of limnological responses to climate warming, which, due to prevailing ice cover conditions, varied from ∼1850 to ∼1990 for lakes that have undergone changes. We show that climate warming may have enhanced mercury deposition to lake sediments in one lake (Moraine Pond), while another (West Lake) showed a strong signal of post-industrial mercury enrichment without any corresponding limnological changes associated with warming. Our results provide insights into the role of climate warming and organic carbon cycling as drivers of mercury deposition to Arctic lake sediments. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Radiocarbon Ages and Environments of Deposition of the Wono and Trego Hot Springs Tephra Layers in the Pyramid Lake Subbasin, Nevada

Science.gov (United States)

Benson, L.V.; Smoot, J.P.; Kashgarian, Michaele; Sarna-Wojcicki, A.; Burdett, J.W.

1997-01-01

Uncalibrated radiocarbon data from core PLC92B taken from Wizards Cove in the Pyramid Lake subbasin indicate that the Trego Hot Springs and Wono tephra layers were deposited 23,200 ?? 300 and 27,300 ??300 14C yr B.P. (uncorrected for reservoir effect). Sedimentological data from sites in the Pyramid Lake and Smoke Creek-Black Rock Desert subbasins indicate that the Trego Hot Springs tephra layer was deposited during a relatively dry period when Pyramid Lake was at or below its spill point (1177 m) to the Winnemucca Lake subbasin. The Wono tephra layer was deposited when lake depth was controlled by spill across Emerson Pass sill (1207 m) to the Smoke Creek-Black Rock Desert subbasin. 18O data from core PLC92B also support the concept that the Trego Hot Springs tephra fell into a relatively shallow Pyramid Lake and that the Wono tephra fell into a deeper spilling lake. ?? 1997 University of Washington.

Preliminary assessment of the impact of fluctuating water levels on northern pike in Reindeer Lake

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, M.

1993-03-01

Reindeer Lake in north eastern Saskatchewan regulates water levels for the Island Falls hydroelectric power plant. Since inception of the Whitesand Dam on the lake, there have been concerns that fluctuating water levels could be adversely impacting the habitat and population of northern pike in the lake. The extent of water level fluctuations during the pike spawning period of Reindeer Lake and its effect on spawning success was investigated. Since construction of the Whitesand Dam in 1942 Reindeer Lake water levels have averaged ca 1.71 m higher than had the dam not existed, creating ca 430 km 2 of new surface area. Much of this area is shallow water and prone to growth of aquatic vegetation, which is suitable spawning and nursery habitat for northern pike. Annual and periodic water level fluctuations of Reindeer Lake have been higher than under natural conditions. During northern pike spawning and nursing periods, water levels in the lake have generally increased, in 60 out of 64 y. It is concluded that operation of the dam has not caused any direct negative impacts on the northern pike habitat in the lake. 2 refs., 4 figs., 4 tabs

Rivers affect the biovolume and functional traits of phytoplankton in floodplain lakes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alfonso Pineda

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Aim: We analyzed the temporal distribution (dry and rainy periods of phytoplankton functional groups (biovolume from lakes connected to dammed (S1 - Paraná River and non-dammed rivers (S2 - Baia River and S3 - Ivinhema River in the upper Paraná River floodplain, Brazil. We also determined the drivers of the phytoplankton community assemblage. Methods Phytoplankton and environmental variables samplings were performed quarterly in dry (2000 and 2001 and rainy (2010 and 2011 periods. We classified the phytoplankton species into seven morphological based functional groups (MBFG. We used analysis of variance to test differences in total phytoplankton biovolume and MBFGs biovolume between lakes and climatic periods. We also used redundancy analysis to determine the MBFGs-environment relation. Results The lake related to the dammed river (S1 presented the lowest species richness. The total phytoplankton biovolume presented differences among the lakes, but we did not register temporal differences associated with water level variation. The lake related to the non-dammed and semi-lentic river (S2 presented the highest biovolume, while S1 (related to the dammed river and S3 (related to the non-dammed river exhibited the lowest ones. Filamentous organisms (MBFG III were associated with poor nutrient conditions and diatoms (MBFG VI were favored in high water mixing sites. The flagellate groups MBFG II and MBFG V were related to deeper water and lower column mixing conditions, respectively. Conclusions Our results suggest that phytoplankton species with different functional traits drive the primary productivity in the dry and rainy periods. Hence, we highlight the importance of maintaining high functional diversity in lakes to ensure primary productivity. Therefore, we stress the importance of protecting the natural environment such as floodplain lakes because of its contribution to the regional biodiversity and the flow of energy.

Water temperature effects from simulated dam operations and structures in the Middle Fork Willamette River, western Oregon

Science.gov (United States)

Buccola, Norman L.; Turner, Daniel F.; Rounds, Stewart A.

2016-09-14

Significant FindingsStreamflow and water temperature in the Middle Fork Willamette River (MFWR), western Oregon, have been regulated and altered since the construction of Lookout Point, Dexter, and Hills Creek Dams in 1954 and 1961, respectively. Each year, summer releases from the dams typically are cooler than pre-dam conditions, with the reverse (warmer than pre-dam conditions) occurring in autumn. This pattern has been detrimental to habitat of endangered Upper Willamette River (UWR) Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and UWR winter steelhead (O. mykiss) throughout multiple life stages. In this study, scenarios testing different dam-operation strategies and hypothetical dam-outlet structures were simulated using CE-QUAL-W2 hydrodynamic/temperature models of the MFWR system from Hills Creek Lake (HCR) to Lookout Point (LOP) and Dexter (DEX) Lakes to explore and understand the efficacy of potential flow and temperature mitigation options.Model scenarios were run in constructed wet, normal, and dry hydrologic calendar years, and designed to minimize the effects of Hills Creek and Lookout Point Dams on river temperature by prioritizing warmer lake surface releases in May–August and cooler, deep releases in September–December. Operational scenarios consisted of a range of modified release rate rules, relaxation of power-generation constraints, variations in the timing of refill and drawdown, and maintenance of different summer maximum lake levels at HCR and LOP. Structural scenarios included various combinations of hypothetical floating outlets near the lake surface and hypothetical new outlets at depth. Scenario results were compared to scenarios using existing operational rules that give temperature management some priority (Base), scenarios using pre-2012 operational rules that prioritized power generation over temperature management (NoBlend), and estimated temperatures from a without-dams condition (WoDams).Results of the tested model scenarios led

Evaluation of landslide susceptibility of Sete Cidades Volcano (S. Miguel Island, Azores

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A. Gomes

2005-01-01

Full Text Available Sete Cidades is an active central volcano with a summit caldera located in the westernmost part of S. Miguel Island (Azores. Since the settlement of the Island, in the 15th century, many landslide events occurred in this volcano, causing extensive damages in buildings and infrastructures. The study of historical records and the observation of new occurrences showed that landslides in the region have been triggered by heavy rainfall periods, earthquakes and erosion. In order to assess landslide susceptibility at Sete Cidades Volcano, landslide scars and associated deposits were mapped through aerial photographs and field surveys. The obtained data were inserted in a GIS to produce a landslide distribution map. It was concluded that the high density landslide areas are related with (1 major scarp faults, (2 the margin of fluvial channels, (3 the sea cliffs and (4 volcanic landforms, namely the caldera wall. About 73% of the mapped events took place in areas where pyroclastic deposits are the dominant lithology and more than 77% occurred where slopes are equal or higher than 20°. These two parameters were integrated and used to generate a preliminary susceptibility map. The incorporation of vulnerability data into the GIS allowed concluding that 30% of dwellings and most of the roads on Sete Cidades Volcano are located in areas where landslide susceptibility is high to very high. Such conclusion should be taken into account for emergency and land use planning.

Critical Loads of Acid Deposition for Wilderness Lakes in the Sierra Nevada (California) Estimated by the Steady-State Water Chemistry Model

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Glenn D. Shaw; Ricardo Cisneros; Donald Schweizer; James O. Sickman; Mark E. Fenn

2014-01-01

Major ion chemistry (2000-2009) from 208 lakes (342 sample dates and 600 samples) in class I and II wilderness areas of the Sierra Nevada was used in the Steady-State Water Chemistry (SSWC) model to estimate critical loads for acid deposition and investigate the current vulnerability of high elevation lakes to acid deposition. The majority of the lakes were dilute (...

Profundal sideritic mudstone from an Eocene lake in Alaska

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dickinson, K.A.

1987-01-01

Sideritic lacustrine mudstone was found in drill core from a uranium deposit in the Death Valley area in the eastern part of the Seward Peninsula, Alaska. The precursor sediments for this rock were deposited in an unusual iron-meromictic Eocene lake, herein named Lake Tubutulik, which occupied part of the Boulder Creek basin, a graben that is probably a southern extension of the larger Death Valley basin. The Boulder Creek basin is bounded on the west by granite of the Upper Cretaceous Darby pluton and on the east by Precambrian to Paleozoic metasedimentary rocks. The lake basin was formed by basaltic flows that dammed the valley of the ancestral Tubutulik River in early Eocene time. The lake sediments included a nearshore facies of fine-grained organic mud and an offshore facies of laminated sideritic mud. The offshore (profundal) laminated mudstone consists of alternating layers of authigenic siderite and detrital grains, mostly quartz and clay minerals. Both lacustrine facies contain turbidites. The lacustrine rocks graded laterally into an onshore facies of colluvial and fluvial sandstone, paludal mudstone, and coal. The ancient lake occupied a small, deep basin in a tectonically active area of high relief. Meromixis was apparently stabilized by reduced iron and bicarbonate dissolved in the monimolimnion. The intensity of meromixis decreased as the lake became shallower from sediment filling. The source of the dissolved iron in the monoimolimnion was probably the Eocene basalt. Carbon isotope analysis of the siderite suggests that the dissolved bicarbonate in the profundal facies was largely inorganic. Sideritic carbon in one sample from the onshore paludal facies has an isotopic signature (δ 13 C = +16.9) consistent with residual carbonate formed during methanogenic fermentation

Effects of large deep-seated landslides on hillslope morphology, western Southern Alps, New Zealand

Science.gov (United States)

Korup, Oliver

2006-03-01

Morphometric analysis and air photo interpretation highlight geomorphic imprints of large landslides (i.e., affecting ≥1 km2) on hillslopes in the western Southern Alps (WSA), New Zealand. Large landslides attain kilometer-scale runout, affect >50% of total basin relief, and in 70% are slope clearing, and thus relief limiting. Landslide terrain shows lower mean local relief, relief variability, slope angles, steepness, and concavity than surrounding terrain. Measuring mean slope angle smoothes out local landslide morphology, masking any relationship between large landslides and possible threshold hillslopes. Large failures also occurred on low-gradient slopes, indicating persistent low-frequency/high-magnitude hillslope adjustment independent of fluvial bedrock incision. At the basin and hillslope scale, slope-area plots partly constrain the effects of landslides on geomorphic process regimes. Landslide imprints gradually blend with relief characteristics at orogen scale (102 km), while being sensitive to length scales of slope failure, topography, sampling, and digital elevation model resolution. This limits means of automated detection, and underlines the importance of local morphologic contrasts for detecting large landslides in the WSA. Landslide controls on low-order drainage include divide lowering and shifting, formation of headwater basins and hanging valleys, and stream piracy. Volumes typically mobilized, yet still stored in numerous deposits despite high denudation rates, are >107 m3, and theoretically equal to 102 years of basin-wide debris production from historic shallow landslides; lack of absolute ages precludes further estimates. Deposit size and mature forest cover indicate residence times of 101-104 years. On these timescales, large landslides require further attention in landscape evolution models of tectonically active orogens.

The effects of Medieval dams on genetic divergence and demographic history in brown trout populations.

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Hansen, Michael M; Limborg, Morten T; Ferchaud, Anne-Laure; Pujolar, José-Martin

2014-06-05

Habitat fragmentation has accelerated within the last century, but may have been ongoing over longer time scales. We analyzed the timing and genetic consequences of fragmentation in two isolated lake-dwelling brown trout populations. They are from the same river system (the Gudenå River, Denmark) and have been isolated from downstream anadromous trout by dams established ca. 600-800 years ago. For reference, we included ten other anadromous populations and two hatchery strains. Based on analysis of 44 microsatellite loci we investigated if the lake populations have been naturally genetically differentiated from anadromous trout for thousands of years, or have diverged recently due to the establishment of dams. Divergence time estimates were based on 1) Approximate Bayesian Computation and 2) a coalescent-based isolation-with-gene-flow model. Both methods suggested divergence times ca. 600-800 years bp, providing strong evidence for establishment of dams in the Medieval as the factor causing divergence. Bayesian cluster analysis showed influence of stocked trout in several reference populations, but not in the focal lake and anadromous populations. Estimates of effective population size using a linkage disequilibrium method ranged from 244 to > 1,000 in all but one anadromous population, but were lower (153 and 252) in the lake populations. We show that genetic divergence of lake-dwelling trout in two Danish lakes reflects establishment of water mills and impassable dams ca. 600-800 years ago rather than a natural genetic population structure. Although effective population sizes of the two lake populations are not critically low they may ultimately limit response to selection and thereby future adaptation. Our results demonstrate that populations may have been affected by anthropogenic disturbance over longer time scales than normally assumed.

New age constraints for the Saalian glaciation in northern central Europe: Implications for the extent of ice sheets and related proglacial lake systems

Science.gov (United States)

Lang, Jörg; Lauer, Tobias; Winsemann, Jutta

2018-01-01

A comprehensive palaeogeographic reconstruction of ice sheets and related proglacial lake systems for the older Saalian glaciation in northern central Europe is presented, which is based on the integration of palaeo-ice flow data, till provenance, facies analysis, geomorphology and new luminescence ages of ice-marginal deposits. Three major ice advances with different ice-advance directions and source areas are indicated by palaeo-ice flow directions and till provenance. The first ice advance was characterised by a southwards directed ice flow and a dominance of clasts derived from southern Sweden. The second ice advance was initially characterised by an ice flow towards the southwest. Clasts are mainly derived from southern and central Sweden. The latest stage in the study area (third ice advance) was characterised by ice streaming (Hondsrug ice stream) in the west and a re-advance in the east. Clasts of this stage are mainly derived from eastern Fennoscandia. Numerical ages for the first ice advance are sparse, but may indicate a correlation with MIS 8 or early MIS 6. New pIRIR290 luminescence ages of ice-marginal deposits attributed to the second ice advance range from 175 ± 10 to 156 ± 24 ka and correlate with MIS 6. The ice sheets repeatedly blocked the main river-drainage pathways and led to the formation of extensive ice-dammed lakes. The formation of proglacial lakes was mainly controlled by ice-damming of river valleys and major bedrock spillways; therefore the lake levels and extends were very similar throughout the repeated ice advances. During deglaciation the lakes commonly increased in size and eventually drained successively towards the west and northwest into the Lower Rhine Embayment and the North Sea. Catastrophic lake-drainage events occurred when large overspill channels were suddenly opened. Ice-streaming at the end of the older Saalian glaciation was probably triggered by major lake-drainage events.

Urbanisation of Suweimeh area, Jordan, versus sinkholes and landslides proliferation

Science.gov (United States)

Closson, Damien; Abou Karaki, Najib

2013-04-01

The Dead Sea is a terminal lake whose level lowers each year of about one meter per year since more than one decade. This is caused mainly by the diversion of surface waters from its watershed. Currently, 1/10 of the Jordan River still reaches the salt lake. The rapid lowering of the lake level does not allow all the surrounding groundwater tables to adjust their level to that of the Dead Sea. This imbalance causes an always faster migration of a part of the groundwater causing underground erosion leading to the formation of sinkholes along the coast, especially where discontinuities, such as faults, are present. The first collapses occurred in the years 1980-90. From the 2000s, in Jordan, they have proliferated to the point of causing serious damages to the facilities of the Arab Potash Company, the agricultural area of Ghor Al Haditha, and more recently the touristic region of Suweimeh. Aware of the problem and the need for gradual rising of the lake level, the Jordanian authorities attended from 2009 to 2011 to the feasibility study of the Red Sea - Dead Sea conduit. Currently, on the one hand, the growing environmental imbalance, and, on the other hand, the desires to develop economic activities along the coast, imply that more goods will be exposed to damages. For example, the area of Wadi Mujib Bridge was rebuilt completely in the late 2000s. It is the same for the 12 km of the dam 18 of an evaporation pond Arab Potash Company. The Numeira Salt Factory was completely destroyed in Ghor Al Haditha and was relocated to Safi. In August 2012, during touristic period, a landslide destroyed half of the Holiday Inn front beach, Suweimeh area ... End of December 2012, a team lead by Prof. Najib Abou Karaki warned the Arab Potash Company of the presence of a circular depression 250 m in diameter within the evaporation pond SP-0A. Although the dike of this saltpan is closely monitored, the exact location and shape of this large sinkhole were not known to the security

Impact of dam-building on marine life

Science.gov (United States)

Pandian, T. J.

1980-03-01

Dam-building across naturally flowing rivers tends to decrease discharge of surplus water into the sea, reduce nutrient concentration in estuaries and coastal waters, and diminish plankton blooms as well as fish landings. Depletion of nutrients and organic matter along with reduced mud and silt deposition affect benthic life on the continental shelf. Reduced mud and silt deposition leads to coastal retreat. Dams, especially those constructed for hydro-electric purposes, hinder migration of fishes and decapods. Discharge from dams can create barriers at high or low flows, cause delays, disrupt normal behavioural routine and change the travel speed of migratory animals. Where all spawners of a given population are frequently kept away from the breeding site, the population faces extinction.

Preliminary study of the chronology of the sedimentation process in lakes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Patrocinio Junior, Antonio C.; Andrello, Avacir C.

2009-01-01

The soil erosion accelerated which produces the presence of sediment in rivers is one of the main environmental problems and represents a challenge for the sustainable use of soil and water resources. The problems associated with the increased sediments production are mainly related to the rivers siltation, reduced storage capacity of dams and reservoirs and reduction in the quality of aquatic environment. Thus, further information on sedimentation rates in lakes and reservoirs are required, as a parameter for estimating the chronology of production rates of sediment. Therefore, methods to establish the chronology of recent sediments are central base for such research. The cesium-137 is an artificial radionuclide with a half life of 30.2 years, inserted in the environment through the 'fallout' radioactive between the 1950's and 1970's, with two predominant peaks of deposition in 1959 and 1964. The basis for using the cesium-137 in this context (chronology of sediments) is that the cesium-137 is rapidly and strongly adsorbed to fine particles of soil and its distribution in the sediment profile directly reflects the chronology of sediment deposition. The purpose of this work is to use the cesium-137 profile in lake sediments to assess the history of deposition and to obtain information about the erosive process. For this, lake sediments of a mini-hydroelectric power plant built in the 1940's in the city of Londrina-PR were analyzed, showing that cesium-137 can be used as a source of data for chronological assessment of erosive processes occurring in the vicinity of the lake. (author)

Landslides Monitoring on Salt Deposits Using Geophysical Methods, Case study - Slanic Prahova, Romania

Science.gov (United States)

Ovidiu, Avram; Rusu, Emil; Maftei, Raluca-Mihaela; Ulmeanu, Antonio; Scutelnicu, Ioan; Filipciuc, Constantina; Tudor, Elena

2017-12-01

Electrometry is most frequently applied geophysical method to examine dynamical phenomena related to the massive salt presence due to resistivity contrasts between salt, salt breccia and geological covering formations. On the vertical resistivity sections obtained with VES devices these three compartments are clearly differentiates by high resistivity for the massive salt, very low for salt breccia and variable for geological covering formations. When the land surface is inclined, shallow formations are moving gravitationally on the salt back, producing a landslide. Landslide monitoring involves repeated periodically measurements of geoelectrical profiles into a grid covering the slippery surface, in the same conditions (climate, electrodes position, instrument and measurement parameters). The purpose of monitoring landslides in Slanic Prahova area, was to detect the changes in resistivity distribution profiles to superior part of subsoil measured in 2014 and 2015. Measurement grid include several representative cross sections in susceptibility to landslides point of view. The results are graphically represented by changing the distribution of topography and resistivity differences between the two sets of geophysical measurements.

Localized Glacier Deformation Associated with Filling and Draining of a Glacier-Dammed Lake and Implications for Outburst Flood Hydraulics

Science.gov (United States)

Cunico, M. L.; Walder, J. S.; Fountain, A. G.; Trabant, D. C.

2001-12-01

During the summer of 2000, we measured displacements of 22 survey targets on the surface of Kennicott Glacier, Alaska, in the vicinity of Hidden Creek Lake, an ice-dammed lake in a tributary valley that fills and drains annually. Targets were distributed over a domain about equal in width to the lake, from near the glacier/lake margin to a distance of about 1 km from the margin. Targets were surveyed over a 24-day period as the lake filled and then drained. Lake stage was independently monitored. Vertical movement of targets generally fell off with distance d from the lake. As the lake filled, targets with d typically about 0.5 m/d--with a few targets rising slightly faster than the lake. The rate of vertical movement fell off rapidly with distance from the lake: for d = ca. 600 m--roughly twice the local ice thickness--targets moved upward only about 10% as fast as lake stage. Vertical movement of targets with d > ca. 1 km seemed to be uncorrelated with lake stage. The general pattern is consistent with the idea that a wedge of water extended beneath the glacier to a distance of perhaps 300 to 400 m from the visible margin of the lake and exerts buoyant stresses on the ice that were transmitted into the main body of the glacier and caused flexure. This scenario bears some resemblance to tidal deflections of ice shelves or tidewater glaciers. For a given value of lake stage, target elevations were invariably higher as the lake drained than as the lake filled. Moreover, survey targets at a distance of about 400 m or more from the lake continued to rise for some time even after the lake began to drain. The lag time between the beginning of lake drainage and the beginning of target downdrop increased with distance from the lake, with the lag being about 14 hours at a distance of 400 m from the lake. (The lake drained completely in approximately 75 hours.) The likeliest explanations for the departure from reversibility and the existence of the time lag are either (i) a

Modern Instrumentation of a Historical Landslide to Understand Dynamic Processes Governing Slope Movement in a Hostile Environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, K. A.

2017-12-01

The Milepost 6.2 Landslide on Many Glacier Road in Glacier National Park, Montana, has been moving since construction of the roadway in the early 1900's. Movement of the slide has a direct impact on Park operations and requires regrading and reconstruction of the road on a nearly annual basis. Prior attempts to stabilize the slope were not effective. Despite the history of this slide, very little quality data was available to delineate the depth and shape of the slide or the groundwater pressures that influence slope stability due to only seasonal data collection and a hostile winter environment. Landslide dynamics are further complicated where the toe of the slide becomes submerged seasonally by Lake Sherburne. In addition, due to irrigation use the lake levels fluctuate rapidly with seasonal rise and drops commonly greater than 30 feet in elevation. Five Shape Accelerometer Array inclinometers (SAAs) were installed to depths between 60 and 200 feet, along with 10 vibrating wire piezometers, one tipping bucket rain gauge, and onsite data acquisition system with a real-time satellite communication link enabling year-round data collection. Measurements of groundwater pressures and slide dynamics were used to develop a well constrained 2-D dynamic model of slide movement. Movement is controlled by clayey zones in glacial till deposits that mantle the valley slopes, along with water pressures from groundwater in the slope and fluctuating lake levels at the toe of the slope. The SAAs document slide plane locations and rates of slide movement as it changes through the year in response to the dynamic hydrologic setting. SAAs document sliding of over 3 feet and continue to operate and generate additional data. The data collected enabled the design of an extensive horizontal drain system to lower the groundwater pressures and stabilize the slope. Continuous year-round monitoring allowed comparison of slope movement in response to changes in lake elevation and precipitation

Management plan for White Oak Dam. Revision 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahmed, S.B.

1997-03-01

The purpose is to provide operation and maintenance, periodic inspection, and emergency action plans for White Oak Dam in general accordance with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) guidelines for dam safety. It must be understood that operations at the site are primarily for purposes of environmental monitoring, environmental protection and waste management operations control. Effluent is generally allowed to flow from the lake at its natural rate by rising above the broad crested weir notch elevation of 744 feet m.s.l

Frictional velocity-weakening in landslides on Earth and on other planetary bodies.

Science.gov (United States)

Lucas, Antoine; Mangeney, Anne; Ampuero, Jean Paul

2014-03-04

One of the ultimate goals in landslide hazard assessment is to predict maximum landslide extension and velocity. Despite much work, the physical processes governing energy dissipation during these natural granular flows remain uncertain. Field observations show that large landslides travel over unexpectedly long distances, suggesting low dissipation. Numerical simulations of landslides require a small friction coefficient to reproduce the extension of their deposits. Here, based on analytical and numerical solutions for granular flows constrained by remote-sensing observations, we develop a consistent method to estimate the effective friction coefficient of landslides. This method uses a constant basal friction coefficient that reproduces the first-order landslide properties. We show that friction decreases with increasing volume or, more fundamentally, with increasing sliding velocity. Inspired by frictional weakening mechanisms thought to operate during earthquakes, we propose an empirical velocity-weakening friction law under a unifying phenomenological framework applicable to small and large landslides observed on Earth and beyond.

Dams release methane even in temperate zoned

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lemarchand, F.

2010-01-01

The Wohlen lake (near Bern) is a retaining dam built 90 years ago that has undergone a campaign to measure the quantity of methane released. The campaign lasted 1 year and the result was unexpected: 0.15 g/m 2 *day which one of the highest release rates in temperate zones. This result is all the more stunning since water stays only 2 days in average in the reservoir and that the drowned area is not important. In fact the river Aar that feeds the lake is loaded with organic matter coming from humane activities: agriculture and 3 sewage plants. This organic matter decays in the lake releasing methane. (A.C.)

Remote assessment of reserve capacity of outburst alpine lakes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. G. Konovalov

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Results of distant satellite sounding (the TERRA satellite of high-mountainous areas and digital models SRTM 4.1 and ASTER DEM G2 of the same relief were used to calculate the following parameters of high-mountain dammed glacial lakes: area, depth, the water volume, excess of the dam above the water level. It is important for estimation of the water volume that can be dangerous for a break-through of a dammed lake. Formulas deduced to calculate the depth and volume of a lake for several sections of its area were tested and proposed. It is demonstrated that the regression equation V = Hmax × F, where Hmax is maximum depth of the lake, can be used as the parameterization of the formula «lake volume V equals the product of the area F on average depth D». More precise values of the coefficients a and b in the formula V = aFb were also obtained. Parameters and the water volumes of lakes were estimated for the river Gunt (right tributary of Pyanj River basin. According to [28], there are 428 high-mountain lakes in this region with their total area ≥ 2500 m2. For basin Inflow of melted snow and glacier water caused by the rise of mean summer air temperatures in 1931–2015 was estimated for the lake Rivankul basin (the Pamir Mountains.

Effects of dam-induced landscape fragmentation on amazonian ant-plant mutualistic networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Emer, Carine; Venticinque, Eduardo Martins; Fonseca, Carlos Roberto

2013-08-01

Mutualistic networks are critical to biological diversity maintenance; however, their structures and functionality may be threatened by a swiftly changing world. In the Amazon, the increasing number of dams poses a large threat to biological diversity because they greatly alter and fragment the surrounding landscape. Tight coevolutionary interactions typical of tropical forests, such as the ant-myrmecophyte mutualism, where the myrmecophyte plants provide domatia nesting space to their symbiotic ants, may be jeopardized by the landscape changes caused by dams. We analyzed 31 ant-myrmecophyte mutualistic networks in undisturbed and disturbed sites surrounding Balbina, the largest Central Amazonian dam. We tested how ant-myrmecophyte networks differ among dam-induced islands, lake edges, and undisturbed forests in terms of species richness, composition, structure, and robustness (number of species remaining in the network after partner extinctions). We also tested how landscape configuration in terms of area, isolation, shape, and neighborhood alters the structure of the ant-myrmecophyte networks on islands. Ant-myrmecophytic networks were highly compartmentalized in undisturbed forests, and the compartments had few strongly connected mutualistic partners. In contrast, networks at lake edges and on islands were not compartmentalized and were negatively affected by island area and isolation in terms of species richness, density, and composition. Habitat loss and fragmentation led to coextinction cascades that contributed to the elimination of entire ant-plant compartments. Furthermore, many myrmecophytic plants in disturbed sites lost their mutualistic ant partners or were colonized by opportunistic, nonspecialized ants. Robustness of ant-myrmecophyte networks on islands was lower than robustness near lake edges and in undisturbed forest and was particularly susceptible to the extinction of plants. Beyond the immediate habitat loss caused by the building of large dams

A multi-disciplinary approach to study coastal complex landslides: the case of Torino di Sangro (Central Italy)

Science.gov (United States)

Sciarra, Marco; Carabba, Luigi; Urbano, Tullio; Calista, Monia

2016-04-01

This work illustrates the studies carried out on a complex landslide phenomenon between the Sangro and Osento River's mouths, near Torino di Sangro village in Southern Abruzzo Region (Italy). Historical activity of this landslide is well-documented since 1916; the activation/reactivation of the movements caused several interruptions of a national railway and the damage of few houses. The Torino di Sangro case study can be regarded as representative of many large landslides distributed along the central Adriatic coast (e.g., Ancona, Ortona, Vasto and Petacciato Landslides) that affect densely populated urban areas with a large amount of man-made infrastructure. The main controlling factors of these large and deep-seated landslides are still debated. From the geological and geomorphological viewpoint, the central Adriatic coast is characterized by a low-relief landscape (mesa) carved on clay-sandstone-conglomerate bedrock belonging to the Upper Pliocene - Lower Pleistocene marine deposits and locally to the Middle Pleistocene marine to continental transitional deposits. This high coast is widely affected by slope instability (rock falls, rotational, complex and shallow landslides) on both active and inactive sea cliffs, the first being mainly affected by wave-cut erosion and the latter influenced by heavy rainfall and changes of pore pressure. The main landslide has the typical characteristics of a deep-seated gravitation deformation. The landslide study was based on a multidisciplinary approach including: 1) definition and GIS mapping of geology and geomorphology factors (slope, aspect, topographic curvature, bedrock lithology, near-surface deposits, deposit thickness and land use), by means of DTM processing, multi-temporal analysis, and large-scale geomorphological field survey; 2) monitoring system in the landslide; 3) application of empiric models for the analysis of unstable sandstone-conglomerate escarpments; 4) slope stability analysis performed using a

Matahina Dam : lessons learned from an earthquake-related internal erosion incident at the Matahina Dam, New Zealand

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gillon, M. [Damwatch Services Ltd., Wellington (New Zealand)

2009-07-01

This case history discussed internal erosion damage and crest subsidence caused by an earthquake at the Matahina Dam in New Zealand. The study showed that cracking and internal erosion was initiated during the 1967 reservoir filling operation. Located in an area of active volcanism and faulting, the dam is located on a river with extensive erosion through an ignimbrite flow. The dam's core is founded on compact Tertiary age sediments overlain by sand and gravel deposits beneath the shoulders of the dam. The earthquake caused a rupture along an unidentified fault trace 12 km from the dam. The horizontal base acceleration recorded at the dam was 3.25 m/s. Transverse cracking was observed at each abutment, and deformations were observed in the rockfill. An investigation program was conducted to determine the dam's integrity. Piezometer measurements showed widespread fluctuations. It was concluded that the lack of an effective filter was a significant design omission. 12 refs., 12 figs.

Long runout landslides: a solution from granular mechanics

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Stanislav eParez

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Large landslides exhibit surprisingly long runout distances compared to a rigid body sliding from the same slope, and the mechanism of this phenomena has been studied for decades. This paper shows that the observed long runouts can be explained quite simply via a granular pile flowing downhill, while collapsing and spreading, without the need for frictional weakening that has traditionally been suggested to cause long runouts. Kinematics of the granular flow is divided into center of mass motion and spreading due to flattening of the flowing mass. We solve the center of mass motion analytically based on a frictional law valid for granular flow, and find that center of mass runout is similar to that of a rigid body. Based on the shape of deposits observed in experiments with collapsing granular columns and numerical simulations of landslides, we derive a spreading length Rf~V^1/3. Spreading of a granular pile, leading to a deposit angle much lower than the angle of repose or the dynamic friction angle, is shown to be an important, often dominating, contribution to the total runout distance, accounting for the long runouts observed for natural landslides.

Late Glacial and Holocene sedimentary evolution of Czechowskie Lake (Eastern Pomerania, North Central Poland)

Science.gov (United States)

Kordowski, Jarosław; Błaszkiewicz, Mirosław; Kramkowski, Mateusz; Noryśkiewicz, Agnieszka M.; Słowiński, Michał; Tyszkowski, Sebastian; Brauer, Achim; Ott, Florian

2015-04-01

Czechowskie Lake is located in north-central Poland in Tuchola Forest, about 100 kilometers SW away from Gdańsk. In the deepest parts of the lake there are preserved laminated sediments with an excellent Holocene climatic record. The lake has the area of 76,6 ha. Actual water level is at 109,9 m a.s.l. The average depth is 9,59 m, maximal 32 m. It occupies a large subglacial channel, reproduced within the glacifluvial sediments of the last glaciation. The lake has a history reaching back to Pommeranian phase which is proved by analysis of sedimentary succesions in the vicinity of present-day waterbody. Primarily it come to existence as an very variable ice dammed lake but after dead ice and permafrost desintegration it changed into a stable lake. In the terrestrialised part oft the lake and in its litoral zone there were curried out numerous boreholes within limnic and slope sediments. They have been analysed in respect to lithology and structure. Some of them were also investigated palynologically which along with radiocarbon datings allowed to reconstruct major phases of the water level fluctuations. The maximum infilling with the limnic and telmatic sediments reaches over 12 m. In the bottom of the lake there is a marked presence of many overdeepenings with the diameter of dozen or several dozen meters and the depth of up to 10 m with numerous, distinct throughs between them. They favoured the preservation of the lamination in the deepest parts of the lake due to waves hampering and stopping of the density circulation in the lake waterbody. The analysis of limnic sediments revealed considerable spatial and temporal variability mainly in dependance of the area of the water body and water level in time of deposition. In the lake are recorded three distinct phases of lake level decrease. The sedimentary evolution in the isolated minor lake basins showed gradual decrease of mineral and organic deposition in favour for carbonate one although in places separated by

Landslide in claystone derived soil

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Richardson, A M

1979-07-01

This article describes a landslide that occured in the Pittsburgh area in a soil deposit derived from the Pittsburgh Redbed Claystone when a cut was made at the toe. (The Pittsburgh Redbed Claystone is the parent of much of the soil material involved in the Pittsburgh area and occurs about mid way between the base of Pittsburgh Coal and the top of the Upper Freepost Coal). The topography before the slide was known and the geometry of the slide mass was established. Slope stability analysis indicated that the landslide could have been predicted using effective stress-shear-strength parameters of s of 12 to 13 and c is 0, where s is angle of shearing resistance and c is cohesion intercept in terms of effective stresses.

Coarse and fine sediment transportation patterns and causes downstream of the Three Gorges Dam

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Songzhe; Yang, Yunping; Zhang, Mingjin; Sun, Zhaohua; Zhu, Lingling; You, Xingying; Li, Kanyu

2017-11-01

Reservoir construction within a basin affects the process of water and sediment transport downstream of the dam. The Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) affects the sediment transport downstream of the dam. The impoundment of the TGR reduced total downstream sediment. The sediment group d≤0.125 mm (fine particle) increased along the path, but the average was still below what existed before the reservoir impoundment. The sediments group d>0.125 mm (coarse particle) was recharged in the Yichang to Jianli reach, but showed a deposition trend downstream of Jianli. The coarse sediment in the Yichang to Jianli section in 2003 to 2007 was above the value before the TGR impoundment. However, the increase of both coarse and fine sediments in 2008 to 2014 was less than that in 2003 to 2007. The sediment retained in the dam is the major reason for the sediment reduction downstream. However, the retention in different river reaches is affected by riverbed coarsening, discharge, flow process, and conditions of lake functioning and recharging from the tributaries. The main conclusions derived from our study are as follows: 1) The riverbed in the Yichang to Shashi section was relatively coarse, thereby limiting the supply of fine and coarse sediments. The fine sediment supply was mainly controlled by TGR discharge, whereas the coarse sediment supply was controlled by the duration of high flow and its magnitude. 2) The supply of both coarse and fine sediments in the Shashi to Jianli section was controlled by the amount of total discharge. The sediment supply from the riverbed was higher in flood years than that in the dry years. The coarse sediment tended to deposit, and the deposition in the dry years was larger than that in the flood years. 3) The feeding of the fine sediment in the Luoshan to Hankou section was mainly from the riverbed. The supply in 2008 to 2014 was more than that in 2003 to 2007. Around 2010, the coarse sediments transited from depositing to scouring that was

Analytical Solution and Application for One-Dimensional Consolidation of Tailings Dam

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Hai-ming Liu

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The pore water pressure of tailings dam has a very great influence on the stability of tailings dam. Based on the assumption of one-dimensional consolidation and small strain, the partial differential equation of pore water pressure is deduced. The obtained differential equation can be simplified based on the parameters which are constants. According to the characteristics of the tailings dam, the pore water pressure of the tailings dam can be divided into the slope dam segment, dry beach segment, and artificial lake segment. The pore water pressure is obtained through solving the partial differential equation by separation variable method. On this basis, the dissipation and accumulation of pore water pressure of the upstream tailings dam are analyzed. The example of typical tailings is introduced to elaborate the applicability of the analytic solution. What is more, the application of pore water pressure in tailings dam is discussed. The research results have important scientific and engineering application value for the stability of tailings dam.

Mine tailings dams: Characteristics, failure, environmental impacts, and remediation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kossoff, D.; Dubbin, W.E.; Alfredsson, M.; Edwards, S.J.; Macklin, M.G.; Hudson-Edwards, K.A.

2014-01-01

On a global scale demand for the products of the extractive industries is ever increasing. Extraction of the targeted resource results in the concurrent production of a significant volume of waste material, including tailings, which are mixtures of crushed rock and processing fluids from mills, washeries or concentrators that remain after the extraction of economic metals, minerals, mineral fuels or coal. The volume of tailings is normally far in excess of the liberated resource, and the tailings often contain potentially hazardous contaminants. A priority for a reasonable and responsible mining organization must be to proactively isolate the tailings so as to forestall them from entering groundwaters, rivers, lakes and the wind. There is ample evidence that, should such tailings enter these environments they may contaminate food chains and drinking water. Furthermore, the tailings undergo physical and chemical change after they have been deposited. The chemical changes are most often a function of exposure to atmospheric oxidation and tends to make previously, perhaps safely held contaminants mobile and available. If the tailings are stored under water, contact with the atmosphere is substantially reduced, thereby forestalling oxygen-mediated chemical change. It is therefore accepted practice for tailings to be stored in isolated impoundments under water and behind dams. However, these dams frequently fail, releasing enormous quantities of tailings into river catchments. These accidents pose a serious threat to animal and human health and are of concern for extractive industries and the wider community. It is therefore of importance to understand the nature of the material held within these dams, what best safety practice is for these structures and, should the worst happen, what adverse effects such accidents might have on the wider environment and how these might be mitigated. This paper reviews these factors, covering the characteristics, types and magnitudes

Seismic Monitoring and Characterization of the 2012 Outburst Flood of the Ice-Dammed Lake A.P.Olsen (NE Greenland)

Science.gov (United States)

Behm, M.; Walter, J. I.; Binder, D.; Mertl, S.

2017-12-01

Since the Zackenberg Research Station (ZRS) in NE-Greenland was established in 1995, regular floods of the adjacent Zackenberg River have been observed. The floods result from the sudden discharge of a marginal, ice-dammed lake at the pre-dominantly cold-based A.P. Olsen Ice Cap about 35 km inland. The lake filling usually starts with the melting season in May/June and ends with the flood sometime after early July. The run-off water from the lake discharges through the subsurface of the adjacent Argo glacier. The actual migration paths and depth of the water within the glacier are unknown until it re-appears at the glacier terminus at a distance of 4 km to the ice-dam. In spring 2012 a surface seismic monitoring network was installed on Argo glacier in 2-3 m boreholes near the lake to acquire continuous data for the whole fill- and drain cycle from start of May to end of November. The network comprises 3 stations with three-component sensors and 2 stations designed as tripartite arrays with vertically oriented sensors. The maximum interstation distance is 1.2 km. Microseismic event detection and localization is facilitated by the homogenous seismic structure of the ice and the extremely high S/N ratio of the borehole installations. An initial detection based on an STA/LTA algorithm and event assocator results in order-of-magnitude 100,000 seismic events. These events are generally attributed to the opening of surface crevasses due to the presence of weak body waves and strong surface wave energy, interpreted to be Rayleigh waves with dominant frequencies around 1-4 Hz. Time-lapse cross-correlations of the ambient seismic noise field reconstruct the surface waves travelling between the stations. Weekly stacks of the cross-correlations are stable, and show a distinct change correlated with the outburst flood. Apparent surface wave velocities increase slightly several weeks prior to the outburst event, which itself is characterized by a decrease in the correlation

High-Precision, Continuous GPS Data Reveals Seasonal Groundwater Influence on the Deformation of the Salmon Falls Landslide, a Slow-Moving, Rotational Feature in Central Idaho

Science.gov (United States)

Lauer, I. H.; Crosby, B. T.

2017-12-01

The development of predictive tools for landslide initiation and deformation serve both the natural hazard and geomorphic communities. Founded on both field observations and physical laws, these tools require a mechanistic understanding of the connection between forcing and response. Water has a well-documented influence on slope stability, impacting both soil plasticity and pore water pressure. High precision, high frequency GPS measurements of deformation paired with similar frequency water table measurements enable new insight into the lag and sensitivity present in the coupled hillslope-groundwater system, especially in the rotational domain, which is underrepresented in current literature. Our study explores the influence of groundwater on a slow-moving, deep-seated, rotational slide in southern Idaho using daily, mm precision GPS positions and contemporaneous groundwater levels measurements in adjacent wells, lakes, and streams. Seven semi-permanent GPS stations are spatially distributed across the slide and record three-dimensional velocities up to 11 cm/yr, which compare well with historical measurements from the early 2000's. Water level loggers are located in a rough cross-section through the study area and documents rises in water level during spring 2017 and a subsequent 1.5m drop in the following summer. We hypothesize a correlation of groundwater levels and landslide velocity, which varies seasonally and spatially across the body of the slide. We will present whether deformation is spatially contemporaneous or initiate in one region and propagates down-feature. We will also discuss whether temporal lag exists between water level change and deformation and if hysteresis complicates correlation between forcing and response. Results will bolster the breadth of case-studies available for this landslide morphology and provide regional land managers with predictors for increased landslide activity and associated hazards, such as rockfall or landslide dam

Flood hydrology and dam-breach hydraulic analyses of four reservoirs in the Black Hills, South Dakota

Science.gov (United States)

Hoogestraat, Galen K.

2011-01-01

Extensive information about the construction of dams or potential downstream hazards in the event of a dam breach is not available for many small reservoirs within the Black Hills National Forest. In 2009, the U.S. Forest Service identified the need for reconnaissance-level dam-breach assessments for four of these reservoirs within the Black Hills National Forest (Iron Creek, Horsethief, Lakota, and Mitchell Lakes) with the potential to flood downstream structures. Flood hydrology and dam-breach hydraulic analyses for the four selected reservoirs were conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the U.S. Forest service to estimate the areal extent of downstream inundation. Three high-flow breach scenarios were considered for cases when the dam is in place (overtopped) and when a dam break (failure) occurs: the 100-year recurrence 24-hour precipitation, 500-year recurrence peak flow, and the probable maximum precipitation. Inundation maps were developed that show the estimated extent of downstream floodwaters from simulated scenarios. Simulation results were used to determine the hazard classification of a dam break (high, significant, or low), based primarily on the potential for loss of life or property damage resulting from downstream inundation because of the flood surge.The inflow design floods resulting from the two simulated storm events (100-year 24-hour and probable maximum precipitation) were determined using the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Hydrologic Engineering Center Hydrologic Modeling System (HEC-HMS). The inflow design flood for the 500-year recurrence peak flow was determined by using regional regression equations developed for streamflow-gaging stations with similar watershed characteristics. The step-backwater hydraulic analysis model, Hydrologic Engineering Center's River Analysis System (HEC-RAS), was used to determine water-surface profiles of in-place and dam-break scenarios for the three inflow design floods that were

Arctic deltaic lake sediments as recorders of fluvial organic matter deposition

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Jorien E Vonk

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Arctic deltas are dynamic and vulnerable regions that play a key role in land-ocean interactions and the global carbon cycle. Delta lakes may provide valuable historical records of the quality and quantity of fluvial fluxes, parameters that are challenging to investigate in these remote regions. Here we study lakes from across the Mackenzie Delta, Arctic Canada, that receive fluvial sediments from the Mackenzie River when spring flood water levels rise above natural levees. We compare downcore lake sediments with suspended sediments collected during the spring flood, using bulk (% organic carbon, % total nitrogen, 13C, 14C and molecular organic geochemistry (lignin, leaf waxes. High-resolution age models (137Cs, 210Pb of downcore lake sediment records (n=11 along with lamina counting on high-resolution radiographs show sediment deposition frequencies ranging between annually to every 15 years. Down-core geochemical variability in a representative delta lake sediment core is consistent with historical variability in spring flood hydrology (variability in peak discharge, ice jamming, peak water levels. Comparison with earlier published Mackenzie River depth profiles shows that (i lake sediments reflect the riverine surface suspended load, and (ii hydrodynamic sorting patterns related to spring flood characteristics are reflected in the lake sediments. Bulk and molecular geochemistry of suspended particulate matter from the spring flood peak and lake sediments are relatively similar showing a mixture of modern higher-plant derived material, older terrestrial permafrost material, and old rock-derived material. This suggests that deltaic lake sedimentary records hold great promise as recorders of past (century-scale riverine fluxes and may prove instrumental in shedding light on past behaviour of arctic rivers, as well as how they respond to a changing climate.

The Variation of Several Biological Characteristics of the Chub, Squalius cephalus (L., 1758, in the Orenler Dam Lake, Northwest Anatolia, Turkey

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Sait BULUT

2012-08-01

Full Text Available In the present study, several growth parameters of 338 Squalius cephalus (L., 1758 specimens collected from the Orenler dam lake (Turkey between July 2005 and June 2006 were studied. The population comprised 50.74% males, 46.29% females, and 2.97% males+females. In the examined samples, the age of females and males ranged from I to VII and I to VI, respectively. The fork length and weight of females were 14.7-38.0 cm and 40.68-27.0 g, respectively; these values were 16.3-33.7 cm and 57.7-560.0 g, respectively, for males. The age-length and age-weight relationships at time t were calculated by the von Bertalanffy equation for females, and the following results were obtained: Lt = 37.12[1–e–0.36(t–(–0.96], Wt = 775.6[1–e–0.36(t–(–0.96]3.27, Lt = 43.59[1–e–0.3356(t–(–0.719], and Wt = 1123.2[1–e–0.3356(t–(–0.719]3.08. The calculated length-weight relationship was W = 0.36L3.27 for females and W = 0.03356L3.08 for males. The average condition factor was 1.412 for females and 1.284 for males. Consequently, in the Orenler dam lake, S. cephalus grows very well according to the study’s results.

Prediction of Microcystis Blooms Based on TN:TP Ratio and Lake Origin

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Yoshimasa Amano

2008-01-01

Full Text Available We evaluated the relationship between TN:TP ratio and Microcystis growth via a database that includes worldwide lakes based on four types of lake origin (dammed, tectonic, coastal, and volcanic lakes. We used microcosm and mesocosm for the nutrient elution tests with lake water and four kinds of sediment (nontreated, MgO sprinkling treated, dissolved air flotation [DAF] treated, and combined treated sediment in order to control TN:TP ratio and to suppress Microcystis growth. Microcystis growth was related to TN:TP ratio, with the maximum value at an optimum TN:TP ratio and the minimum values when the TN:TP ratios reached to 0 or ∞. The kurtosis of the distribution curve varied with the type of lake origin; the lowest kurtosis was found in dammed lakes, while the highest was found in volcanic lakes. The lake trophic state could affect the change in the kurtosis, providing much lower kurtosis at eutrophic lakes (dammed lakes than that at oligotrophic lakes (volcanic lakes. The relationship between TN:TP ratio and Microcystis growth could be explained by the nutrient elution tests under controlled TN:TP ratios through the various sediment treatments. A significant suppression of Microcystis growth of 70% could be achieved when the TN:TP ratios exceeded 21. Lake origin could be regarded as an index including morphological and geographical factors, and controlling the trophic state in lakes. The origin rather than trophic state for lakes could be considered as an important factor of TN:TP influences on Microcystis growth.

Impacts of Water Level Fluctuations on Kokanee Reproduction in Flathead Lake, 1984 Annual Report.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Decker-Hess, Janet; Clancey, Patrick (Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, Kalispell, MT)

1984-03-01

a mean of 20-30 percent. Survival in individual spawning areas exposed by lake drawdown varied from 0 to 65 percent. Groundwater reaction to lake stage explained some of the variation in individual spawning area survival. Three types of groundwater reaction to lake stage were identified. Increased survival in exposed redds resulted from two of the three types. A significant statistical relationship was determined between embryo survival and the number of days exposed by lake drawdown. The operation of Kerr Dam in 1983-84 was characterized by an early decline in lake stage, a longer period near minimum pool and a later and more rapid filling compared to the operation seen in 1981-82 and 1982-83. Based on the survival relationship observed in natural redds exposed by drawdown in 1983-84, complete mortality from exposure would have occurred to all redds constructed above 2884.7 ftor 90 percent of all redds constructed above minimum pool. Emergence traps placed over redds below minimum pool in Gravel, Blue, and Yellow bays captured fry in Gravel and Blue bays only. Duration of fry emergence in1984 was three weeks longer than in 1982 or 1983, but was not related to the date of initial redd construction. Survival to fry emergence in Gravel Bay was calculated to be 28.9 percent of egg deposition or 57,484 fry. Survival to fry emergence above and below the zone of greatest redd density was 33.6 and 245 percent, respectively, indicating a relationship between survival and spawner site selection. After analysis of the historic operation of Kerr Dam, it is believed that the dam has, and is continuing to have, a significant impact on successful shoreline spawning of kokanee salmon in Flathead Lake. Based on the evidence that prolonged exposure of salmonid embryo by dewatering causes significant mortality, the number of days the lake was held below various foot increments (2884 ft to 2888 ft) during the incubation period was investigated. The annual change in the number of days

Giant landslides and turbidity currents in the Agadir Canyon Region, NW-Africa

Science.gov (United States)

Krastel, Sebastian; Wynn, Russell B.; Stevenson, Christopher; Feldens, Peter; Mehringer, Lisa; Schürer, Anke

2017-04-01

Coring and drilling of the Moroccan Turbidite System off NW-Africa revealed a long sequence of turbidites, mostly sourced from the Moroccan continental margin and the volcanic Canary Islands. The largest individual flow deposits in the Moroccan Turbidite System contain sediment volumes >100 km3, although these large-scale events are relatively infrequent with a recurrence interval of 10,000 years (over the last 200,000 years). The largest siliciclastic flow in the last 200,000 years was the 'Bed 5 event', which transported 160 km3 of sediment up to 2000 km from the Agadir Canyon region to the southwest Madeira Abyssal Plain. While the Moroccan Turbidite System is extremely well investigated, almost no data from the source region, i.e. the Agadir Canyon, are available. Understanding why some submarine landslides remain as coherent blocks of sediment throughout their passage downslope, while others mix and disintegrate almost immediately after initial failure, is a major scientific challenge, which was addressed in the Agadir Canyon source region during RV Maria S. Merian Cruise MSM32 in late 2013. A major landslide area was identified 200 km south of the Agadir Canyon. A landslide was traced from this failure area to the Agadir Canyon. This landslide entered the canyon in about 2500 m water depth. Despite a significant increase in slope angle, the landslide did not disintegrate into a turbidity current when entering the canyon but moved on as landslide for at least another 200 km down the canyon. The age of the landslide ( 145 ka) does not correspond to any major turbidte deposit in the Moroccan Turbidite System, further supporting the fact that the landslide did not disintegrate into a major turbidity current. A core taken about 350 m above the thalweg in the head region of Agadir Canyon shows a single coarse-grained turbidite, which resembles the composition of the Bed 5 event in the Madeira Abyssal Plain. Hence, the Bed 5 turbidite originated as a failure in the

Sediment budget as affected by construction of a sequence of dams in the lower Red River, Viet Nam

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Xi Xi; Oeurng, Chantha; Le, Thi Phuong Quynh; Thuy, Duong Thi

2015-11-01

Dam construction is one of the main factors resulting in riverine sediment changes, which in turn cause river degradation or aggradation downstream. The main objective of this work is to examine the sediment budget affected by a sequence of dams constructed upstream in the lower reach of the Red River. The study is based on the longer-term annual data (1960-2010) with a complementary daily water and sediment data set (2008-2010). The results showed that the stretch of the river changed from sediment surplus (suggesting possible deposition processes) into sediment deficit (possible erosion processes) after the first dam (Thac Ba Dam) was constructed in 1972 and changed back to deposition after the second dam (Hoa Binh Dam) was constructed in 1985. The annual sediment deposition varied between 1.9 Mt/y and 46.7 Mt/y with an annual mean value of 22.9 Mt/y (1985-2010). The sediment deposition at the lower reach of the Red River would accelerate river aggradation which would change river channel capacity in the downstream of the Red River. The depositional processes could be sustained or changed back to erosional processes after more dams (the amount of sediment deposit was much less after the latest two dams Tuyen Quang Dam in 2009 and Sonla Dam in 2010) are constructed, depending on the water and sediment dynamics. This study revealed that the erosional and depositional processes could be shifted for the same stretch of river as affected by a sequence of dams and provides useful insights in river management in order to reduce flood frequency along the lower reach of the Red River.

Landslides triggered by the 8 October 2005 Kashmir earthquake

Science.gov (United States)

Owen, L.A.; Kamp, U.; Khattak, G.A.; Harp, E.L.; Keefer, D.K.; Bauer, M.A.

2008-01-01

The 8 October 2005 Kashmir earthquake triggered several thousand landslides. These were mainly rock falls and debris falls, although translational rock and debris slides also occurred. In addition, a sturzstrom (debris avalanche) comprising ??? 80??million m3 buried four villages and blocked streams to create two lakes. Although landsliding occurred throughout the region, covering an area of > 7500??km2, the failures were highly concentrated, associated with six geomorphic-geologic-anthropogenic settings, including natural failures in (1) highly fractured carbonate rocks comprising the lowest beds in the hanging wall of the likely earthquake fault; (2) Tertiary siliciclastic rocks along antecedent drainages that traverse the Hazara-Kashmir Syntaxis; (3) steep (> 50??) slopes comprising Precambrian and Lower Paleozoic rocks; (4) very steep (?? 50??) lower slopes of fluvially undercut Quaternary valley fills; and (5) ridges and spur crests. The sixth setting was associated with road construction. Extensive fissuring in many of the valley slopes together with the freshly mobilized landslide debris constitutes a potential hazard in the coming snowmelt and monsoon seasons. This study supports the view that earthquake-triggered landslides are highly concentrated in specific zones associated with the lithology, structure, geomorphology, topography, and human presence. ?? 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The impact of an urban-industrial region on the magnitude and variability of persistent organic pollutant deposition to Lake Michigan.

Science.gov (United States)

Hornbuckle, Keri C; Green, Mark L

2003-09-01

A predictive model for gas-phase PCBs and trans-nonachlor over Lake Michigan has been constructed and the resulting data examined for trends. In this paper, we describe the model results to show how the magnitude and variability of a plume of contaminants from the Chicago area contributes to a highly variable region of net contaminant deposition over the entire lake. For the whole lake, gross annual deposition of PCBs is approximately 3200 kg, although the net annual gas exchange is not significantly different from zero. The data-driven model illustrates that on a daily basis, the net exchange of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) can change from net deposition to net volatilization depending on the area of plume impact. These findings suggest that i) control of urban areas can accelerate the rate of volatilization from lakes; and ii) release of POPs from urban areas is largely a result of volatilization processes.

From lab to field: Geotechnical properties for predicting embankment settlement on Lake Bonneville deposits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoagland, K.C.; Sampaco, C.L.; Anderson, L.R.; Caliendo, J.A.; Rausher, L.; Keane, E.

1994-01-01

The results of a laboratory analysis, to determine geotechnical properties of lacustrine Lake Bonneville deposits, within the I-15 corridor of Salt Lake City, Utah, is presented. Laboratory vertical and horizontal consolidation coefficients are compared with those back-calculated from observed, field settlement data and linear relationships established. The results are used to select vertical and horizontal field coefficients and predict settlement rate of an existing embankment, scheduled for enlargement. 27 refs., 9 figs

An equivalent fluid/equivalent medium approach for the numerical simulation of coastal landslides propagation: theory and case studies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P. Mazzanti

2009-11-01

Full Text Available Coastal and subaqueous landslides can be very dangerous phenomena since they are characterised by the additional risk of induced tsunamis, unlike their completely-subaerial counterparts. Numerical modelling of landslides propagation is a key step in forecasting the consequences of landslides. In this paper, a novel approach named Equivalent Fluid/Equivalent Medium (EFEM has been developed. It adapts common numerical models and software that were originally designed for subaerial landslides in order to simulate the propagation of combined subaerial-subaqueous and completely-subaqueous landslides. Drag and buoyancy forces, the loss of energy at the landslide-water impact and peculiar mechanisms like hydroplaning can be suitably simulated by this approach; furthermore, the change in properties of the landslide's mass, which is encountered at the transition from the subaerial to the submerged environment, can be taken into account. The approach has been tested by modelling two documented coastal landslides (a debris flow and a rock slide at Lake Albano using the DAN-W code. The results, which were achieved from the back-analyses, demonstrate the efficacy of the approach to simulate the propagation of different types of coastal landslides.

Inter- and intra-annual chemical variability during the ice-free season in lakes with different flushing rates and acid deposition histories.

Science.gov (United States)

Arnott, Shelley E; Dillon, Peter J; Somers, Keith; Keller, Bill

2003-01-01

Quantifying chemical variability in different lake types is important for the assessment of both chemical and biological responses to environmental change. For monitoring programs that emphasize a large number of lakes at the expense of frequent samples, high variability may influence how representative single samples are of the average conditions of individual lakes. Intensive temporal data from long-term research sites provide a unique opportunity to assess chemical variability in lakes with different characteristics. We compared the intra- and inter-annual variability of four acidification related variables (Gran alkalinity, pH, sulphate concentration, and total base cation concentration) in four lakes with different flushing rates and acid deposition histories. Variability was highest in lakes with high flushing rates and was not influenced by historic acid deposition in our study lakes. This has implications for the amount of effort required in monitoring programs. Lakes with high flushing rates will require more frequent sampling intervals than lakes with low flushing rates. Consideration of specific lake types should be included in the design of monitoring programs.

Stratigraphic constraints on the timing and emplacement of the Alika 2 giant Hawaiian submarine landslide

Science.gov (United States)

McMurtry, Gary M.; Herrero-Bervera, Emilio; Cremer, Maximilian D.; Smith, John R.; Resig, Johanna; Sherman, Clark; Torresan, Michael E.

1999-01-01

Previous work has found evidence for giant tsunami waves that impacted the coasts of Lanai, Molokai and other southern Hawaiian Islands, tentatively dated at 100 + and 200 + ka by U-series methods on uplifted coral clasts. Seafloor imaging and related work off Hawaii Island has suggested the Alika phase 2 debris avalanche as the source of the ~ 100 ka "giant wave deposits", although its precise age has been elusive. More recently, a basaltic sand bed in ODP site 842 (~ 300 km west of Hawaii) estimated at 100 ?? 20 ka has been suggested to correlate with this or another large Hawaiian landslide. Our approach to the timing and linkage of giant submarine landslides and paleo-tsunami deposits is a detailed stratigraphic survey of pelagic deposits proximal to the landslide feature, beginning with a suite of seven piston, gravity and box cores collected in the vicinity of the Alika 2 slide. We used U-series dating techniques, including excess 230Th and 210Pb profiling, high-resolution paleomagnetic stratigraphy, including continuous, U-channel analysis, δ18O stratigraphy, visual and X-ray sediment lithology, and the petrology and geochemistry of the included turbidites and ash layers. Minimum ages for the Alika phase 2a slide from detailed investigation of two of the cores are 112 ± 15 ka and 125 ± 24 ka (2σ) based on excess 230Th dating. A less precise age for the Alika phase 1 and/or South Kona slide is 242 ± 80 ka (2σ), consistent with previous geological estimates. Oxygen isotope analyses of entrained planktonic foraminifera better constrain the Alika phase 2a maximum age at 127 ± 5 ka, which corresponds to the beginning of the stage 5e interglacial period. It is proposed that triggering of these giant landslides may be related to climate change when wetter periods increase the possibility of groundwater intrusion and consequent phreatomagmatic eruptions of shallow magma chambers. Our study indicates the contemporaneity of the Alika giant submarine landslides

Joint Geodetic and Seismic Analysis of the effects of Englacial and Subglacial Hydraulics on Surface Crevassing near a Seasonal, Glacier-Dammed Lake on Gornergletscher, Switzerland

Science.gov (United States)

Garcia, L.; Luttrell, K. M.; Kilb, D. L.; Walter, F.

2017-12-01

Glacial outburst floods are difficult to predict and threaten human life and property near glaciated regions. These events are characterized by rapid draining of glacier-dammed lakes via the sub/englacial hydraulic network to the proglacial stream. The glacier-dammed lake on Gornergletscher in Switzerland, which fills and drains each summer, provides an opportunity to study this hazard. For three drainages (2004, 2006, and 2007), we track icequakes (IQ) and on-ice GPS movement. Our seasonal seismic networks had 8 - 24 three component stations and apertures of about 300 - 400 m on the glacier surface. The seasonal GPS arrays contained 4 - 8 GPS antennae on the glacier surface. Using Rayleigh wave coherence surface IQ location, we located 2924, 7822 and 3782 IQs, in 2004, 2006 and 2007, respectively. The GPS data were smoothed using a nonparametric protocol, with average station velocities of 10 - 90 mm/day. In 2006, strains were calculated using five stations within 500 m of the lake, co-located with the seismic network. IQ productivity increased substantially during lake drainage only in 2004, which was the only year when the lake drainage was rapid ( 6 days) and primarily subglacial. In 2006, there was no obvious increase in GPS speeds with slow ( 21 days), supraglacial lake drainage. However, when drainage was subglacial as in 2004 and 2007 (sub/englacial over 11 days), GPS speed increased up to 160%. This speed increase is evidence for basal sliding induced by subglacial drainage. In general, we find that when the strain increase on the principle extension axis aligns with the crevasse opening direction, IQ are more prolific. We also observe a diurnal signal in both IQ occurrence and surface strain, with peak strain occurring in the mid- to late-afternoon (15:00 - 19:00 local) across the study area in 2006. We interpret this time-shift in strain and spatiotemporal dependence of IQs to be caused by diurnal variations in melt-induced sliding. Our analysis sheds

The 1963 Vajont landslide (Italy) simulated through a numerical 2D code

Science.gov (United States)

Zaniboni, Filippo; Ausilia Paparo, Maria; Elsen, Katharina; Tinti, Stefano

2013-04-01

On October 9th, 1963, a huge mass of about 260 million m3 collapsed along Mt. Toc flank into the artificial lake called Vajont and generated a gigantic wave that invested the town of Longarone (North-East Italy, about 100 km north of Venice), provoking about 2000 casualties. The event started a public debate on the responsibilities for the disaster, and also raised crucial issues for the scientific and engineering community, regarding reservoir flank instability and safety of the hydroelectric plant. The peculiar features of the event were immediately evident. The clay layers remained uncovered in the upper part of the detachment niche, supporting the hypothesis of a well-defined pre-existing sliding surface, that could explain the high falling velocity (around 20 m/s as a maximum) and the compactness of the deposit layers that were found to sit almost unperturbed on the bottom of the valley. The numerical study presented here contributes to the understanding of dynamics of the Vajont landslide. It is found that the accurate knowledge of the pre- and post-slide morphology provides tight constraints on the parameters of the numerical model, that are tuned to fit the observed deposit. Numerical simulations are carried out by means of the in-house built code UBO-BLOCK2. The initial sliding body is divided into a mesh of interacting volume-conserving blocks, whose motion is computed numerically. The friction coefficient at the base of the landslide is determined through a best fit search by maximizing the degree of overlapping between the calculated and observed deposits. Our best solution is also able to account for the observed slight easterly rotation of the mass, the different behaviors of the eastern and western part of the sliding surface and the retrogressive motion of the slide that after climbing up the opposite flank of the valley reverted velocity to settle down on the bottom of the valley.

Sedimentology of a surficial uranium deposit on North Flodelle Creek, Stevens County, Washington

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Macke, D.L.; Johnson, S.Y.; Otton, J.K.

1985-01-01

Surficial accumulations of uranium (up to 0.2 wt. % U/sub 3/O/sub 8/, dry basis) are currently forming in organic-rich, poorly drained sediments deposited in fluvial-lacustrine environments. Known occurrences are in northeastern Washington, northern Idaho, the Sierra Nevada, the Colorado Front Range, New Hampshire, and several areas in Canada. The first accumulation of this type to be mined is in postglacial sediments of a 10-acre boggy meadow along North Flodelle Creek in Stevens County, Washington. The meadow is flanked by hills of fine- to medium-grained two-mica quartz monzonite that are mantled by glacial drift of late Wisconsin age (about 18,000 to 11,500 yr B.P.). Relatively thick, hummocky deposits of this same glacial drift impede drainage at the lower end of the meadow. Following ice retreat, glacial sediments on the meadow floor were reworked by fluvial processes, and patches of organic-rich sediment may have formed in ice-melt depressions. About 6700 yr B.P., a blanket of Mazama ash from the Crater Lake eruption was deposited in the meadow. Shortly thereafter, a beaver dam across the lower end of the meadow further restricted drainage, and peat and organic mud accumulated in the pond behind the dam. The dam is preserved in the stratigraphic record as a sheet-like body of woody peat (with beaver-gnawed sticks) about 100m wide and 60 cm thick. After the gradual influx of sand and coarse silt had filled the pond, and the beavers had abandoned the site, fluvial deposition was reestablished

The Cigar Lake uranium deposit: Analog information for Canada's nuclear fuel waste disposal concept

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cramer, J.J.

1995-05-01

The Cigar Lake uranium deposit, located in northern Saskatchewan, has many features that parallel those being considered within the Canadian concept for disposal of nuclear fuel waste. The study of these natural structures and processes provides valuable insight toward the eventual design and site selection of a nuclear fuel waste repository. The main feature of this analog is the absence of any indication on the surface of the rich uranium ore 450 m below. This shows that the combination of natural barriers has been effective in isolating the uranium ore from the surface environment. More specifically, the deposit provides analog information relevant to the stability of UO 2 fuel waste, the performance of clay-based and general aspects of water-rock interaction. The main geotechnical studies on this deposit focus on the evolution of groundwater compositions in the deposit and on their redox chemistry with respect to the uranium, iron and sulphide systems. This report reviews and summarizes the analog information and data from the Cigar Lake analog studies for the processes and scenarios expected to occur in the disposal system for used nuclear fuel proposed in Canada. (author). 45 refs., 10 figs

Landslide prediction system for rainfall induced landslides in Slovenia (Masprem

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Mateja Jemec Auflič

2016-12-01

Full Text Available In this paper we introduce a landslide prediction system for modelling the probabilities of landslides through time in Slovenia (Masprem. The system to forecast rainfall induced landslides is based on the landslide susceptibility map, landslide triggering rainfall threshold values and the precipitation forecasting model. Through the integrated parameters a detailed framework of the system, from conceptual to operational phases, is shown. Using fuzzy logic the landslide prediction is calculated. Potential landslide areas are forecasted on a national scale (1: 250,000 and on a local scale (1: 25,000 for fie selected municipalities where the exposure of inhabitants, buildings and different type of infrastructure is displayed, twice daily. Due to different rainfall patterns that govern landslide occurrences, the system for landslide prediction considers two different rainfall scenarios (M1 and M2. The landslides predicted by the two models are compared with a landslide inventory to validate the outputs. In this study we highlight the rainfall event that lasted from the 9th to the 14th of September 2014 when abundant precipitation triggered over 800 slope failures around Slovenia and caused large material damage. Results show that antecedent rainfall plays an important role, according to the comparisons of the model (M1 where antecedent rainfall is not considered. Although in general the landslides areas are over-predicted and largely do not correspond to the landslide inventory, the overall performance indicates that the system is able to capture the crucial factors in determining the landslide location. Additional calibration of input parameters and the landslide inventory as well as improved spatially distributed rainfall forecast data can further enhance the model's prediction.

Assessing landslide exposure in areas with limited landslide information

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pellicani, R.; van Westen, C.J.; Spilotro, G.

2014-01-01

Landslide risk assessment is often a difficult task due to the lack of temporal data on landslides and triggering events (frequency), run-out distance, landslide magnitude and vulnerability. The probability of occurrence of landslides is often very difficult to predict, as well as the expected

Whole-lake algal responses to a century of acidic industrial deposition on the Canadian Shield

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vinebrooke, R.D.; Dixit, S.S.; Graham, M.D.; Gunn, J.M.; Chen, Y.-W.; Belzile, N.

2002-01-01

A century of cultural acidification is hypothesized to have altered algal community structure in boreal lakes. To date, this hypothesis has remained untested because of both the lack of data predating the onset of industrial pollution and incomplete estimates of whole-lake algal community structure. High-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) of sedimentary pigments was used to quantify whole-lake algal responses to acid deposition in six boreal lakes located in Killarney Park, Ontario, Canada. Concomitant significant increases in chlorophyll and carotenoid concentrations, diatom-inferred lake acidity, and metal levels since 1900 suggested that algal abundances in four acidified lakes and one small, circumneutral lake were enhanced by aerial pollution. An alternate explanation is that increased acidity and underwater light availability in the acidified lakes shifted algal abundance towards phytobenthos and deepwater phytoplankton, whose pigment signatures were better preserved in the sediments. Taxonomically diagnostic pigment stratigraphies were consistent with shifts in algal community structure towards filamentous green phytobenthos and deepwater phytoflagellates in the acidified lakes. Our findings suggest that decades of aerial pollution have altered the base of foodwebs in boreal lakes, potentially rendering them less resilient to other environmental stressors. (author)

Red Indian Lake fishway, an innovative design for difficult conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Helwig, P.C.; Goosney, R.; Smith, W.L.

1993-01-01

Red Indian Lake Dam is a large concrete gravity structure, 10-12 m high and 245 m long, in the Exploits River watershed in Newfoundland. The watershed is an ideal habitat for production of Atlantic salmon. Since 1985, the watershed above the dam has undergone an extensive stocking program to optimize the salmon production capacity of the upper reaches of the system. To sustain this development, a fishway was needed to permit returning salmon to bypass Red Indian Lake Dam, the last remaining migrational barrier. The difficulties with installing a fishway at the dam site included extreme variation in upstream water levels, the need to retrofit a fishway into an existing structure, and the necessity to attract fish into the fishway in competition with other flows from power plant, spillway, or waterfall. After examining several design approaches, an innovative design was developed incorporating two separate but interrelated flow ways: one to handle attraction water and the other for transportation water. The latter passage leads to a trap at the upper end of the fishway from which salmon are hoisted via a hopper/monorail system across the dam and into the lake. Construction of the fishway was staged over four phases between December 1985 and December 1988. 3 refs., 1 fig

Geology and geomorphology of Bear Lake Valley and upper Bear River, Utah and Idaho

Science.gov (United States)

Reheis, M.C.; Laabs, B.J.C.; Kaufman, D.S.

2009-01-01

levels have decreased from as high as 1830 m to 1806 m above sea level since the early Pleistocene due to episodic downcutting by the Bear River. The oldest exposed lacustrine sediments in Bear Lake Valley are probably of Pliocene age. Several high-lake phases during the early and middle Pleistocene were separated by episodes of fluvial incision. Threshold incision was not constant, however, because lake highstands of as much as 8 m above bedrock threshold level resulted from aggradation and possibly landsliding at least twice during the late-middle and late Pleistocene. Abandoned stream channels within the low-lying, fault-bounded region between Bear Lake and the modern Bear River show that Bear River progressively shifted northward during the Holocene. Several factors including faulting, location of the fluvial fan, and channel migration across the fluvial fan probably interacted to produce these changes in channel position. Late Quaternary slip rates on the east Bear Lake fault zone are estimated by using the water-level history of Bear Lake, assuming little or no displacement on dated deposits on the west side of the valley. Uplifted lacustrine deposits representing Pliocene to middle Pleistocene highstands of Bear Lake on the footwall block of the east Bear Lake fault zone provide dramatic evidence of long-term slip. Slip rates during the late Pleistocene increased from north to south along the east Bear Lake fault zone, consistent with the tectonic geomorphology. In addition, slip rates on the southern section of the fault zone have apparently decreased over the past 50 k.y. Copyright ?? 2009 The Geological Society of America.

A review of the effects of dams on the hydrology, water quality and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

In this paper, the effects of dams on the hydrology, water quality and invertebrate fauna of some Nigerian inland waters were reviewed. The freshwaters considered include Awba Reservoir (Oyo State), Shiroro Lake (Kaduna State), Moro Lake (Kwara State), Aiba Reservoir (Osun State), Ikpoba Reservoir (Edo State), Onah ...

Increased sediment load during a large-scale dam removal changes nearshore subtidal communities.

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Stephen P Rubin

Full Text Available The coastal marine ecosystem near the Elwha River was altered by a massive sediment influx-over 10 million tonnes-during the staged three-year removal of two hydropower dams. We used time series of bathymetry, substrate grain size, remotely sensed turbidity, scuba dive surveys, and towed video observations collected before and during dam removal to assess responses of the nearshore subtidal community (3 m to 17 m depth. Biological changes were primarily driven by sediment deposition and elevated suspended sediment concentrations. Macroalgae, predominantly kelp and foliose red algae, were abundant before dam removal with combined cover levels greater than 50%. Where persistent sediment deposits formed, macroalgae decreased greatly or were eliminated. In areas lacking deposition, macroalgae cover decreased inversely to suspended sediment concentration, suggesting impacts from light reduction or scour. Densities of most invertebrate and fish taxa decreased in areas with persistent sediment deposition; however, bivalve densities increased where mud deposited over sand, and flatfish and Pacific sand lance densities increased where sand deposited over gravel. In areas without sediment deposition, most invertebrate and fish taxa were unaffected by increased suspended sediment or the loss of algae cover associated with it; however, densities of tubeworms and flatfish, and primary cover of sessile invertebrates increased suggesting benefits of increased particulate matter or relaxed competition with macroalgae for space. As dam removal neared completion, we saw evidence of macroalgal recovery that likely owed to water column clearing, indicating that long-term recovery from dam removal effects may be starting. Our results are relevant to future dam removal projects in coastal areas and more generally to understanding effects of increased sedimentation on nearshore subtidal benthic communities.

Increased sediment load during a large-scale dam removal changes nearshore subtidal communities

Science.gov (United States)

Rubin, Stephen P.; Miller, Ian M.; Foley, Melissa M.; Berry, Helen D.; Duda, Jeffrey J.; Hudson, Benjamin; Elder, Nancy E.; Beirne, Matthew M.; Warrick, Jonathan; McHenry, Michael L.; Stevens, Andrew; Eidam, Emily; Ogston, Andrea; Gelfenbaum, Guy R.; Pedersen, Rob

2017-01-01

The coastal marine ecosystem near the Elwha River was altered by a massive sediment influx—over 10 million tonnes—during the staged three-year removal of two hydropower dams. We used time series of bathymetry, substrate grain size, remotely sensed turbidity, scuba dive surveys, and towed video observations collected before and during dam removal to assess responses of the nearshore subtidal community (3 m to 17 m depth). Biological changes were primarily driven by sediment deposition and elevated suspended sediment concentrations. Macroalgae, predominantly kelp and foliose red algae, were abundant before dam removal with combined cover levels greater than 50%. Where persistent sediment deposits formed, macroalgae decreased greatly or were eliminated. In areas lacking deposition, macroalgae cover decreased inversely to suspended sediment concentration, suggesting impacts from light reduction or scour. Densities of most invertebrate and fish taxa decreased in areas with persistent sediment deposition; however, bivalve densities increased where mud deposited over sand, and flatfish and Pacific sand lance densities increased where sand deposited over gravel. In areas without sediment deposition, most invertebrate and fish taxa were unaffected by increased suspended sediment or the loss of algae cover associated with it; however, densities of tubeworms and flatfish, and primary cover of sessile invertebrates increased suggesting benefits of increased particulate matter or relaxed competition with macroalgae for space. As dam removal neared completion, we saw evidence of macroalgal recovery that likely owed to water column clearing, indicating that long-term recovery from dam removal effects may be starting. Our results are relevant to future dam removal projects in coastal areas and more generally to understanding effects of increased sedimentation on nearshore subtidal benthic communities.