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USING A GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM (GIS) TO MODEL SLOPE

INSTABILITY AND DEBRIS FLOW HAZARDS IN THE


FRENCH BROAD RIVER WATERSHED, NORTH CAROLINA
Anne Carter Witt
Dept. of Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Box 8208, North Carolina State University,
Raleigh, N. C. 27695, awitt48662@aol.com

Introduction
Catastrophic, storm-generated mass wasting is a destructive erosional process in the portion
of the Southern Appalachians that extends through North Carolina. Steep slopes, a thin soil
mantle, and extreme precipitation events all increase the risk of slope instability and failure.
Since the early 1900’s, several intense storms and hurricanes have tracked through the
French Broad watershed initiating hundreds of debris flows and causing severe flooding. In
the Appalachian Mountain chain, it has been estimated that as many as 1,700 debris flows
occurred in the 20th century, killing at least 200 people and destroying thousands of acres of
farm and forested land.

•Watershed Area:
~7,000 km²
•Counties:
Transylvania,
Henderson,
Buncombe, Madison,
and Haywood and
portions of Avery,
Mitchell, and Yancey
•Major Rivers: French
Broad, Nolichucky,
Toe, and Pigeon
Rivers Research Objectives:

•Population: 1. To investigate and predict the spatial distribution of regional slope instability within the
~426,000 French Broad watershed by analyzing the results of the GIS-based modeling application:
SINMAP (Stability INdex MAPping) (Pack, et al., 1998);
2. To identify triggering mechanisms particular to the area that influence instability and failure;
History
3. To determine which soil and geologic units are the most prone to instability and those that
The mountains of North Carolina have a long history of producing destructive debris flows are the most stable, in general; and
through the 20th century. The prior record is incomplete, as the evidence and scarring of
previous debris flows has been quickly removed by vegetation and weathering. By reviewing 4. To study the effect of parameter variation on the modeling program.
both historical rainfall events that have triggered debris flows, and the locations of these
debris flows, predictions can be made about future debris-flow locations and the triggering SINMAP
mechanisms that are common to the region. As an extension to ArcView® 3.x, SINMAP computes and maps a slope-stability index by
calculating factors of safety using a modified form of the infinite slope equation.
Date Precipitation (mm) Debris Flow Occurrences
Topographic slope is derived from digital-elevation data (30-meter and 10-meter DEMs)
May 1901 205 Buncombe and Henderson Counties
while parameters for soil and climate are considered more variable and are entered as
July 1916 315 South and East of Asheville upper and lower bounded values. Actual debris flow and slide locations are used to verify
August 14-15, 1940 380 Northern part of the watershed the model results.
August 28-31, 1940 200-300 Western portion of the watershed
November 4-6, 1977 200-300 Buncombe and Yancey Counties
May 2003 100-150 Smoky Mtn. NP and Cherokee County The final output of a
SINMAP session is a
series of maps that define
Debris flows are swift-moving areas of potential terrain
mass-wasting events that occur instability; shaded green
predominantly in shallow, coarse- areas are considered
grained soil on steep slopes during stable while dark red areas
periods of exceptionally heavy have a high probability of
precipitation. They are particularly failure based on parameter
dangerous to life and property inputs.
because they travel quickly, often
strike without warning, and may be
of sufficient density to move large
boulders, trees, and cars (Cruden
and Varnes, 1996).
SINMAP Stability Index map for 125mm recharge and
using a 30-meter DEM

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