Preliminary results of slope stability simulations for the prediction of debris flows in the Central Andes (Mendoza, Argentina).

MERGILI, M., MOREIRAS, S.M., FELLIN, W. Y STÖTTER, J.

Obergurgl, Austria

Conferencia; Conference 'Geomorphology for the Future'; 2007

Abstract. The first partial results of debris flow simulations for some selected study areas along the international road corridor Mendoza (Argentina) – Valparaíso (Chile) are presented at the example of one small catchment. A deterministic coupled hydrological-slope stability model based on Open Source GIS products was designed for predicting the response of selected slopes and small catchments to rainfall events, both including failures due to saturation of the terrain and due to the kinetic energy of overland flow. Samples, taken in the field, were geotechnical analyzed for their physical and mechanical characteristics. Hydrological characteristics were derived using pedotransfer functions. The preliminary simulation results were promising, but more work is required for enabling a better evaluation and an optimization of the model.