Identifying the Characteristics and Implications of Post-Earthquake Debris Flow Events Based on Multi-Source Remote Sensing Images

Abstract

Strong earthquakes often bring amounts of loose material, disrupting the balance of material transportation within a watershed and severely impacting the restoration of the ecological environment and human safety downstream. Therefore, it is crucial to identify the frequency and scale of these debris flow events, as well as to explore their long-term development and impact on internal and external channels. Using multi-source remote sensing images from four perspectives, hillslope, channel, accumulation fan, and their relationship with the mainstream, we reconstructed a debris flow event dataset from 2008 to 2020, explored a method for identifying these events, and analyzed their impacts on channels and accumulation fans in Mozi Gully affected by the Wenchuan earthquake. Loose matter was predominantly found in areas proximate to the channel and at lower elevations during debris flow events. Alterations in channel width, accumulation fans downstream, and their potential to obstruct rivers proved to be vital for identifying the large scale of debris flow event. Finally, we encapsulated the evolution patterns and constraints of post-earthquake debris flows. Determination in frequency and scale could offer valuable supplementary data for scenario hypothesis parameters in post-earthquake disaster engineering prevention and control.