Debris flow, one of the major natural disasters in Korea, usually occurs because of heavy rainfall during the rainy season. Recently in Korea, rainfall, as well as the frequency of debris flow, has continually increased as a result of climate change. Therefore, it is necessary to study the characteristics of the debris flow behavior for hazard mitigation and damage assessment. In this study, vane-type rheometer tests were conducted to estimate the rheological properties (viscosity, yield stress) of two soil samples collected from Mt. Hwangnyeong and Mt. Umyeon Several series of small-scale flume experiments were also performed to evaluate the characteristics of the debris flow behaviors (flow velocity, runout distance, and deposition volume) of these two sites. The results of the experiments show that front velocity, runout distance, and deposition volume of the debris flow gradually decrease with increase in viscosity and yield stress. Especially in the case of the Mt. Hwangnyeong sample, which has a high fine content, experimental results showed that the rate of increase in front velocity, runout distance, and deposition volume tended to high as viscosity and yield stress decreased compared to Mt. Umyeon.

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