Development history and activity characteristics of typical debris flows in the Grand Bend of the Yarlung Zangbo River since the Holocene

Abstract

Multi-period debris flows have been developed in the last glacial period of the late Pleistocene-Holocene near the Grand Bend of the Yarlung Zangbo River in southeast Tibet, which combined to form a modern large-scale fan-shaped accumulation. The debris flows in the Bangga gully, Pai Town, were explored by ground survey, borehole, and 14C dating methods to investigate the chronological sequence of formation, accumulation depth, and outrush range. The analysis results show that there are still small-scale debris flows in the tributaries of the Bengga gully, and they are widely accumulated in the channel, but no debris flow accumulation has been found in the existing accumulation fan area. The Holocene debris flows in the Bunga gully were active around 8500 years ago, and the cumulative accumulation depth of a single period is about 10.9 m. The two carbon samples in the light gray silt sand formed by the shallow lake facies (fluvial facies) show that the modern riverbed of the Yarlung Zangbo River was deposited at a depth of about 0.4 m in 40 to 100 years, and the annual average deposition rate was about 4~10 mm. The boreholes at 2906.1~2896.7 m and 2849.4~2848.2 m above sea level reveal a thickness of 9.4 m and 1.2 m cake-like bluish-gray clay in turn. It is assumed that two river-blocking events occurred. The above results could provide a reference for the study of the debris flow activity characteristics since the Holocene in this region.

Keywords

• grand bend of the yarlung zangbo river
• holocene
• debris flow
• history of development
• activity characteristics