Landslide dams are a particular kind of natural dams which form when an earth or rock mass reaches a river channel causing its complete or partial blockage. Landslide dams are notoriously formed by different kinds of mass movements, such as rockslides, debris flows and slumps, and may occur in various physiographic settings. Their formation and the related impounded lakes are considered among the major sources of catastrophic events, with downstream settlements and infrastructures threatened by huge, extremely rapid floods. The inventory of the existing landslide dams is a key-tool not only to mitigate the specific risk associated to them but, above all, to predict the possible occurrence of such morphologies in similar settings. In Italy the risk related to landslides is practically ubiquitous and widespread: more than 480.000 events have been inventoried up-to now, covering about 7% of the national territory. However, very little is known in Italy as regards the significance of landslide dams. The present paper is a first contribution framed within an ongoing research, focused on landslide dams of Campania, one of the Italian regions more severely and recurrently hit by adverse consequences related to slope movements. The main aim of the research is to define a regional-scale quantitative geomorphological approach, useful to identify areas which in the future could be prone to dams-forming landslides. To this aim, 40 landslide dams have been recognised through a detailed field survey integrated by air-photo interpretation. These data served as “training areas” for a preliminary statistical procedure implemented to locate regional “target areas”, geomorphological settings which can follow similar evolutionary mechanisms as the training areas.huge, extremely rapid floods. The inventory of the existing landslide dams is a key-tool not only to mitigate the specific risk associated to them but, above all, to predict the possible occurrence of such morphologies in similar settings. In Italy the risk related to landslides is practically ubiquitous and widespread: more than 480.000 events have been inventoried up-to now, covering about 7% of the national territory. However, very little is known in Italy as regards the significance of landslide dams. The present paper is a first contribution framed within an ongoing research, focused on landslide dams of Campania, one of the Italian regions more severely and recurrently hit by adverse consequences related to slope movements. The main aim of the research is to define a regional-scale quantitative geomorphological approach, useful to identify areas which in the future could be prone to dams-forming landslides. To this aim, 40 landslide dams have been recognised through a detailed field survey integrated by air-photo interpretation. These data served as “training areas” for a preliminary statistical procedure implemented to locate regional “target areas”, geomorphological settings which can follow similar evolutionary mechanisms as the training areas.
A preliminary perspective on landslide dams of Campania region, Italy
GUIDA, Domenico
2011-01-01
Abstract
Landslide dams are a particular kind of natural dams which form when an earth or rock mass reaches a river channel causing its complete or partial blockage. Landslide dams are notoriously formed by different kinds of mass movements, such as rockslides, debris flows and slumps, and may occur in various physiographic settings. Their formation and the related impounded lakes are considered among the major sources of catastrophic events, with downstream settlements and infrastructures threatened by huge, extremely rapid floods. The inventory of the existing landslide dams is a key-tool not only to mitigate the specific risk associated to them but, above all, to predict the possible occurrence of such morphologies in similar settings. In Italy the risk related to landslides is practically ubiquitous and widespread: more than 480.000 events have been inventoried up-to now, covering about 7% of the national territory. However, very little is known in Italy as regards the significance of landslide dams. The present paper is a first contribution framed within an ongoing research, focused on landslide dams of Campania, one of the Italian regions more severely and recurrently hit by adverse consequences related to slope movements. The main aim of the research is to define a regional-scale quantitative geomorphological approach, useful to identify areas which in the future could be prone to dams-forming landslides. To this aim, 40 landslide dams have been recognised through a detailed field survey integrated by air-photo interpretation. These data served as “training areas” for a preliminary statistical procedure implemented to locate regional “target areas”, geomorphological settings which can follow similar evolutionary mechanisms as the training areas.huge, extremely rapid floods. The inventory of the existing landslide dams is a key-tool not only to mitigate the specific risk associated to them but, above all, to predict the possible occurrence of such morphologies in similar settings. In Italy the risk related to landslides is practically ubiquitous and widespread: more than 480.000 events have been inventoried up-to now, covering about 7% of the national territory. However, very little is known in Italy as regards the significance of landslide dams. The present paper is a first contribution framed within an ongoing research, focused on landslide dams of Campania, one of the Italian regions more severely and recurrently hit by adverse consequences related to slope movements. The main aim of the research is to define a regional-scale quantitative geomorphological approach, useful to identify areas which in the future could be prone to dams-forming landslides. To this aim, 40 landslide dams have been recognised through a detailed field survey integrated by air-photo interpretation. These data served as “training areas” for a preliminary statistical procedure implemented to locate regional “target areas”, geomorphological settings which can follow similar evolutionary mechanisms as the training areas.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
