Price: 30,00 EUR

A 1:250,000 scale model of the susceptibility to debris flows has been developed for an area of Slovenia of over 20,000 km2. To calculate the susceptibility to occurrence of this rare and complex slope mass movement, information layers describing the geology (lithology and distance to fault structures), rainfall intensity (48-hour rainfall), digital elevation model derivatives describing the geomorphological characteristics of the terrain (slope gradient and curvature, energy potential related to elevation), surface water flow networks (distance from surface flows, energy potential of channels) and the locations of 16 known debris flow events, which were used to assess the quality of the debris flow susceptibility models. The linear weighted sum method was chosen to produce a simple and robust model that would be applicable to other areas, using readily available spatio-temporal data. The most appropriate combination of weights was selected on the basis of the calculations of 672 linear models with different combinations of weights of the spatio-temporal factors used and the results of their accuracy in predicting areas subject to debris flow events. The model is intended for the spatial prediction of debris flow origination/detonation and transport areas and provides a general overview of the exposed areas in Slovenia and a basis for further detailed research and analysis. It shows that there is a very high susceptibility to occurrence of debris flows in about 4 % of the territory of Slovenia and a high susceptibility to occurrence of debris flows in about 11 % of the territory. As expected, these areas belong mainly to the Alpine and mountainous regions of north-western and northern Slovenia.

Authors Marko Komac, Špela Kumelj, Mihael Ribičič

Year of publication: 2010

ISBN 978-961-6498-17-3