Mechanisms of rockslide-debris avalanches and the associated air blast—insights from the Su Village rockslide-debris avalanche in Zhejiang, China

Typhoon-induced rockslide-debris avalanches are among the most dramatic geohazard in coastal mountainous regions, which commonly result in serious casualties and economic loss. In September 2016, typhoon “Catfish” attacked the Su Village in Southeastern China and triggered a devastating rockslide-de...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Landslides 2024-02, Vol.21 (2), p.339-352
Main Authors: Zhuang, Yu, Xing, Aiguo, Jiang, Yuehua, Sun, Qiang
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aerial explosions
Air
Avalanche dynamics
Avalanches
Casualties
Coastal zone
Debris
Detritus
Dust
Economic impact
Entrainment
Geological hazards
Geology
Hurricanes
Investigations
Landslides
Landslides & mudslides
Mountain regions
Mountainous areas
Numerical analysis
Numerical models
Risk assessment
Rockslides
Typhoons
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Summary:Typhoon-induced rockslide-debris avalanches are among the most dramatic geohazard in coastal mountainous regions, which commonly result in serious casualties and economic loss. In September 2016, typhoon “Catfish” attacked the Su Village in Southeastern China and triggered a devastating rockslide-debris avalanche. The detached mass traveled 1000 m, generated a powerful air blast, and resulted in 27 deaths. In this study, we performed a thorough survey to investigate the avalanche characteristics and damages caused by air blasts. Meanwhile, numerical modeling and video analysis were conducted to investigate the avalanche dynamics and impacts of the air blast. Results indicated that the avalanche movement lasted for approximately 60 s with a maximum velocity of 42 m/s. The entrainment effect greatly enlarged the avalanche volume and extended the avalanche runout. Moreover, the generated air blast indicated a maximum pressure of 2.5 kPa and caused tree breakage beyond the avalanche runout.
ISSN:1612-510X
1612-5118
DOI:10.1007/s10346-023-02161-0