DEBRIS FLOW APPLICATION

Turkey experiences most of its avalanches and debris flows in the northeast part of Anatolia, a region replete with mountains, valleys and rivers. These events of nature interrupt transportation and communication lines, let alone their potentially deadly impact on life and loss of property. Contributing to their frequency is land use in the forms of new roads and railways, new residential developments and the expansion of arable farming lands, in addition to the effects of climate, geology and hydrology. The denuding of forested areas for human purposes exposes soils to nature’s elements triggering sliding movements of soil pulled by gravity downward seeking equilibrium. Particularly troublesome are steep slopes with high permeability and water volume discharge rates. Deposits form by debris particles moving down the slope. In some cases the speed of this movement can be so slow as to be almost imperceptible. Additionally, water seeping into the deposits freezes and thaws during winter months being finally released from this cycle in Spring. This freezing and thawing of water expands and contracts the deposits generating weathering particles that travel down the stream bed with the effect of gravity. The mass of the debris material in the flows can move from 8-10 cm to several meters per event. Moreover, highways and railways in slope areas particularly prone to debris flows experience flooding, mudslides and wash outs.