Abstract
The Wenchuan Earthquake of May 12, 2008 formed a large number of Quake lakes; 104 of them had a dam taller than 10 m, a water storage capacity larger than 1.0 × 105 m3, and a catchment area greater than 20 km2. If these Quake lakes are not thoroughly assessed and properly disposed, the losses caused by the burst of these lakes may be even larger than those caused by this earthquake itself. The Quake lakes with high risks have been properly disposed with the schemes proposed by the authors. This article presents a case study on the emergency disposal of the Tangjiashan, Laohuzui, Jiadanwan, and other Quake lakes. The key techniques applied in the emergency disposal of Quake lakes, including site exploration, risk assessment, design of discharge chutes, selection of construction method and equipment as well as post-emergency disposal evaluation, are discussed.
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Acknowledgment
This article is dedicated to the people of Sichuan, China. The authors appreciate the guidance and assistance provided by the Emergency Disposal Headquarters of the Tangjiashan Quake Lake and the Laohuzui Quake Lake, Armed Police Hydroelectric General Corps 3 Detachment 10, and City of Chengdu and City of Deyang, Sichuan, China. This research was funded in part by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC, No. 50739002) and the Open Research Fund Program of the State Key Laboratory of Hydraulics and Mountain River Engineering, Sichuan University, China (No. 200905). The authors want to thank Drs. Robert Lang, Orson Smith, and Anthony Paris, all from the School of Engineering, University of Alaska Anchorage, for their valuable comments and suggestions.
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Yang, X., Yang, Z., Cao, S. et al. Key techniques for the emergency disposal of Quake lakes. Nat Hazards 52, 43–56 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-009-9350-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-009-9350-y