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The influence of debris flows on channels and valley floors in the Oregon Coast Range, U.S.A.
Author(s) -
Benda Lee
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
earth surface processes and landforms
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.294
H-Index - 127
eISSN - 1096-9837
pISSN - 0197-9337
DOI - 10.1002/esp.3290150508
Subject(s) - debris , aggradation , geology , debris flow , bedrock , channel (broadcasting) , geomorphology , alluvium , sediment , landslide , alluvial fan , sediment transport , hydrology (agriculture) , levee , erosion , fluvial , geotechnical engineering , structural basin , oceanography , engineering , electrical engineering
Debris flows are one of the most important processes which influence the morphology of channels and valley floors in the Oregon Coast Range. Debris flows that initiate in bedrock hollows at heads of first‐order basins erode the long‐accumulated sediment and organic debris from the floors of headwater, first‐ and second‐order channels. This material is deposited on valley floors in the form of fans, levees, and terraces. In channels, deposits of debris flows control the distribution of boulders. The stochastic nature of sediment supply to alluvial channels by debris flows promotes cycling between channel aggradation which results in a gravel‐bed morphology, and channel degradation which results in a mixed bedrock‐ and boulder‐bed morphology. Temporal and spatial variability of channel‐bed morphology is expected in other landscapes where debris flows are an important process.