Debris Flow Fan Evolution, Chalk Creek Natural Debris Flow Laboratory, Colorado

Abstract

Terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) is a surveying technique used to gather dense point cloud data that can be converted to high-resolution digital elevation models (DEM). TLS techniques are employed in the current study to monitor changes to a debris flow fan following five separate debris flows over twenty-five months (May 2009 to July 2011). This thesis represents a combination of two peer-reviewed journal articles. The first focuses on a new critical review of the six predominant themes dominating the last 40 years of alluvial fan dynamism studies. The themes include the development of conceptual models, field experiments, physical models, numerical models, high-resolution morphometric analyses, and climate change scenarios. Each theme is presented independently, but as highlighted in the concluding statements, there should be greater efforts placed on integrating scientists from these disparate approaches to provide greater understanding of alluvial fan evolution. A case study is also presented in support of the review and contains pilot results from the first debris flow recorded for this study at the Colorado Natural Debris Flow Laboratory near Buena Vista, CO, USA.