Potential hazards from floodflows and debris movement in the Furnace Creek area, Death Valley National Monument, California-Nevada

Abstract

Death Valley is known as the driest and hottest region in the United States. Despite the aridity of the valley itself, however, very heavy rainfall sometimes occurs in the nearby mountains. Such violent rainstorms are likely to be of relatively short duration and to occur over rather small areas; nevertheless, they sometimes produce large floodflows that in turn cause severe erosion and flows of debris.The debris-laden flows may be hazardous to life and property. Given sufficient knowledge of the hydrologic and hydraulic environment, the degree of hazard can be estimated. Potential hazards are defined for areas in the vicinity of the Furnace Creek fan and the Park Service residential area.

The indication of Martian gully formation processes by slope–area analysis

“…341 This is a desert area that has well developed ephemeral gully networks with large alluvial 342 fans. There is little precipitation in this area although the nearby mountains receive as much 343 as 85 mm of rain per year (Crippen 1979) and rare large storms can do much geomorphic 344 work. Debris flows are found on the fans in the area (e.g., Blair 1999Blair , 2000, but the primary 345 process active in the gullies is alluvial transport (Crippen 1979).…”

Hydrology of modern and late Holocene lakes, Death Valley, California

“…In a regional analysis of floods, Crippen (1979;1982) developed a general equation for estimating the maximum flood for desert streams in Death Valley and the Basin and Range Province. The equation that was developed by Crippen (1979) and reported in Bowers (1990, p. …”

Potential hazards from flood in part of the Chalone Creek and Bear Valley drainage basins, Pinnacles National Monument, California

“…A flood of interest is the Q^, or maximum flood experienced. Crippen (1979) qualified the maximum flood experienced as follows:…”