Debris flows in Glacier National Park, Montana: geomorphology and hazards

Wilkerson, Forrest D.; Schmid, Ginger L.

doi:10.1016/s0169-555x(03)00147-8

Cited by 37 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…In several cases, the chronologies provide details of events occurring within single landforms from near the end of the Little Ice Age to the present. Detailed results of these can be found in Wilkerson et al 2002 andWilkerson andSchmid 2003. Ten years of field observations and measurements by the authors to establish debris flow recurrence intervals raised questions about the spatial distribution of the debris flows within the Glacier National Park. Distribution did not appear to be completely random across all the recently de-glaciated slopes, nor did it appear to be controlled by lithology (Sterling and Slaymaker 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…Butler 1979, Oelfke and Butler 1985, De Chano and Butler 2001, Wilkerson and Schmid 2003. It is only recently that the hazards debris flow activity poses to park visitors, personnel, and infrastructure has been recognized (De Chano and Butler 2001, Wilkerson 2004.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…Hupp et al 1987, Fritts and Swetnam 1989, Luckman 1992, Strunk 1997, Winchester and Chujar 2002. Each of these has been used in Glacier National Park (Oelfke and Butler 1985, Butler and Malanson 1996, Butler et al 1998, Wilkerson and Schmid 2003. The combination of methods provides a reliable chronology for debris flow frequency and magnitude.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

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Distribution of debris flows in Glacier National Park, Montana, U.S.A.

Wilkerson

Schmid

2008

J. Mt. Sci.

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The spectacular scenery of Glacier National Park is the result of glacial erosion as well as post-glacial mass wasting processes. Debris flow magnitude and frequency have been established through extensive fieldwork across seven separate drainage basins in the eastern portion of the park. This paper summarizes the investigation of the hypotheses that debris flow distribution in the Glacier National Park, east of the Continental Divide is (a) not random; and (b) concentrated adjacent to the Continental Divide. The location of 2317 debris flows were identified and mapped from sixty-three 1-m resolution Digital Orthophoto Quarter Quadrangles and their spatial distribution was then analyzed using ArcView Spatial Analyst GIS software. The GIS analysis showed that the debris flows are not randomly distributed nor are they concentrated directly adjacent to the Divide. While the Continental Divide provides orographic enhancement of precipitation directly adjacent to the Divide, the debris flows are not concentrated there due to a lack of available weathered regolith. The most recent Little Ice Age glaciation removed the debris directly adjacent to the Divide, and without an adequate debris supply, these steep slopes experience few debris flows. Both abundant water and an adequate debris supply are necessary to initiate slope failure, resulting in a clustering of debris flows at the break in slope where valley walls contact talus slopes. A variety of summer storm and antecedent moisture conditions initiate slope failures in the Glacier National Park, with no distinct meteorological threshold. With over two million visitors every year, and millions of dollars of park infrastructure at risk, identifying the hazard of debris flows is essential to future park management plans.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

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Distribution of debris flows in Glacier National Park, Montana, U.S.A.

Wilkerson

Schmid

2008

J. Mt. Sci.

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“…Previous debris-flow studies using dendrogeomorphological methods primarily focused on the dating of individual events or deposits (Stefanini and Ribolini, 2003;May and Gresswell, 2004), on the reconstruction of magnitudes and/or frequencies (Strunk, 1997;Wilkerson and Schmid, 2003;Bollschweiler and Stoffel, 2007) or on a comparison of reconstructed debris-flow data with flooding events in neighboring rivers (Stoffel et al, 2005b). Further, the spatial patterns of past debris flows on forested cones have been studied by Bollschweiler et al (in press).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dynamics in debris-flow activity on a forested cone — A case study using different dendroecological approaches

Bollschweiler

Stoffel

Schneuwly

2008

CATENA

102

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Dendrogeomorphological analyses of trees affected by debris flows have regularly been used to date past events. However, this method has always been limited to forested cones where trees registered the impact of previous events. The minimum age dating of trees growing in the debris deposits can, in contrast, provide information on the latest possible moment of past activity. In this paper, we report on results obtained from a combination of these two approaches on a forested cone in the Valais Alps (Switzerland). A detailed geomorphic map in a scale of 1:1000 served as a basis for the sampling strategy. Disturbed Larix decidua Mill. and Picea abies (L.) Karst. trees growing in the deposits allowed reconstruction of 49 events between AD 1782 and 2005 as well as the determination of the spatial extent of events. In the debris-flow channels where survivor trees are missing, we selected the oldest post-event trees and assessed their age by counting their growth rings. Missing rings due to lack of center as well as to sampling height were added so as to determine real tree age. The combination of the dendrogeomorphological event reconstruction with the assessment of germination dates of successor trees allowed realistic approximation of the minimum time elapsed since the last debris-flow activity in 23 of the 29 channels present on the current-day cone surface. In general, channels in the northern part of the cone and those close to the currently active channel generally show signs of (sub-) recent activity with one last overbank sedimentation event in the 1980s, whereas signs of debris-flow activity are absent from the channels in the outermost part since the late 19th century. As a consequence of the deeply incised channel and the stabilization measures undertaken along the banks, signs of debris flows are missing in the tree-ring record for the past two decades.

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“…As soon as the slope angle or the water content of the mass decreases, the movement is stopped and material deposited in the form of terminal lobes (Major and Iverson, 1999). Repeated debris-flow activity at the same site leads to the formation of a debris-flow cone (Rapp and Nyberg, 1981;Takahashi, 1991;Hungr, 1995;Wilkerson and Schmid, 2003;.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Debris flows on forested cones – reconstruction and comparison of frequencies in two catchments in Val Ferret, Switzerland

Bollschweiler

Stoffel

2007

Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci.

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Abstract. Debris flows represent a major threat to infrastructure in many regions of the Alps. Since systematic acquisition of data on debris-flow events in Switzerland only started after the events of 1987, there is a lack of historical knowledge on earlier debris-flow events for most torrents. It is therefore the aim of this study to reconstruct the debrisflow activity for the Reuse de Saleinaz and the La Fouly torrents in Val Ferret (Valais, Switzerland). In total, 556 increment cores from 278 heavily affected Larix decidua Mill., Picea abies (L.) Karst. and Pinus sylvestris L. trees were sampled. Trees on the cone of Reuse de Saleinaz show an average age of 123 years at sampling height, with the oldest tree aged 325 years. Two periods of intense colonization (the 1850s-1880s and the 1930s-1950s) are observed, probably following high-magnitude events that would have eliminated the former forest stand. Trees on the cone of Torrent de la Fouly indicate an average age of 119 years.As a whole, tree-ring analyses allowed assessment of 333 growth disturbances belonging to 69 debris-flow events. While the frequency for the Reuse de Saleinaz study site comprises 39 events between AD 1743 and 2003, 30 events could be reconstructed at the Torrent de la Fouly for the period 1862-2003. Even though the two study sites evince considerably different characteristics in geology, debris-flow material and catchment morphology, they apparently produce debris flows at similar recurrence intervals. We suppose that, in the study region, the triggering and occurrence of events is transport-limited rather than weathering-limited.

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Debris flows in Glacier National Park, Montana: geomorphology and hazards

Cited by 37 publications

References 28 publications

Distribution of debris flows in Glacier National Park, Montana, U.S.A.

Distribution of debris flows in Glacier National Park, Montana, U.S.A.

Dynamics in debris-flow activity on a forested cone — A case study using different dendroecological approaches

Debris flows on forested cones – reconstruction and comparison of frequencies in two catchments in Val Ferret, Switzerland

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