Author(s): CHENG Genwei1, HE Xiubin1*, CHEN Guirong2, TAO Heping1 1 Key Laboratory of Mountain Environment Evolvement and Regulation, Institute of Mountain Hazards & Environment, CAS, Chengdu 610041, China 2 Sichuan Hydrology&Water Resource Survey Bureau, Chengdu 610041, China
Pages: 100-104
Year: 2010 Issue:  1
Journal: Journal of Mountain Science
Keyword:  Wenchuan earthquake; sediment load; the Yangtze River;
Abstract: On May 12, 2008, an earthquake of 8.0 magnitude on the Richter scale and its numerous aftershocks devastatingly hit Wenchuan County and its nearby region along the Longman Mountains in Sichuan Province, China. The heavy ruined area was up to 30,000 km2 and 13% of its land surface was denuded by the extremely terrible quakes. The mountain collapses, landslides and debris flows induced by the earthquake not only scared the landscape at the immense scale, but also poured 1.66-billion-m3 sediment combined with offscourings and rubble into the Yangtze River and its breaches. This amount of sediments is 3 times more than the normal amount discharged into the Yangtze River, and will significantly increase sediment transportation of rivers and decrease storage capacities of reservoirs downstream. The dramatic increase in sediment load will imperil the engineering safety and impact the operation of the giant Three-Gorge Hydro-power Station if no proper prevention measures are taken.