Debris flow imprints

Around a month ago there was a debris flow near the area of Buffalora. The debris flow left still visible imprints on the trees on its way down. Those imprints were on different heights if one compared the back of the tree with the front. We wanted to determine whether the inclination of the slope (thus the velocity) has an effect on the height difference of the imprints on the front and the back of the trees.

How far can the colouring imprints of debris flow affeted trees in Buffalora P10 be used to reconstruct its velocity (inclination)

The debris flow imprints on the trees reflect the velocity of the debris flow itself

To find an answer to our research question we measured different factors on several locations. We started by measuring the circumference of the trees as well as the inclination of the slope. For the inclination we set up a scale with 4 different steepness sections. Then we determined and calculated the difference between the back of the tree where the debris flow first hit the tree and the front where it moved further down the slope. Another step was to determine the coordinates and to state where the tree stands in the debris flow, e.g. if the tree stands rather on the right or the left side of the flow or in the middle.

Not many results have been found. Having studied only the bottom area from only one debris flow, the values might not mean much. The fact of it happening only a month ago made the imprints remain relatively visible and measurable.

• There is no visible correlation between the circumference of the tree and the difference in height of the imprint.

• There is a small correlation between the slope of the ground and the slope of the imprint.

Looking back from our results to our Hypothesis we can see a small correlation between the inclination of the slope and the imprints on the trees. The relation is not that precise due to the fact that we used the average of certain values. Having used more factors, as the process is very complex, and better material, as the measures could have been more precise, would also have helped.

Nevertheless the project shows the power of nature and the marks the debris flow leaves reminds us of its enormous force.

In this project the difference in height of the imprints that the debris flow has left in the front and the back of the trees as well as the inclination of the soil beneath were measured to determine whether the assumption that those two correlate were true or not. The results of the research showed that there is in fact a correlation all though it is much smaller or less visible than we expected it to be. That can be due to several factors e.g. the use of unprecise values and measurements of the great complexity of the topic that would have necessitated more factors to be cleared.