DESCRIPTION:
Sediment and Erosion -
Transport and Deposition
Sediment and Erosion, Transport and Deposition
MSH82_bank_erosion_toutle_river_02-22-82.jpg A major problem to people living downstream of Mount St. Helens was the high sedimentation rates resulting from stream erosion of the volcanic deposits. Streams were continuously down cutting channels, eroding their banks, and eating away at the avalanche and lahar deposits. This material was eventually transported downstream and deposited on the streambeds, decreasing the carrying capacity of the channels and increasing the chances of floods.
USGS Photograph taken on February 22, 1982, by Lyn Topinka.
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From:
Wright and Pierson, 1992, Living With Volcanoes, The U.S. Geological
Survey's Volcano Hazards Program, USGS Circular 1073
... Another, less-obvious threat comes from the gradual infilling of river
channels by sediment transported from highly erodible, volcanically disturbed
landscapes following large eruptions. This sediment can aggrade channel beds
with excess sand and gravel for tens to hundreds of kilometers downstream. Such
aggradation promotes lateral migration of channels and may cause serious
flooding during rainstorms, due to loss of channel capacity necessary to convey
floodwaters.
Mount St. Helens 1980
MSH81_dredging_toutle_river_02-05-81.jpg In order to remove the May 18, 1980 sediment deposits, and to keep up with new sedimentation, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began a dredging program on the Toutle (shown here), the Cowlitz, and the Columbia Rivers. By 1987, nearly 140 million cubic yards (110 million meters) of material had been removed from the channels. This is enough material to build twelve lanes of highway, one-foot thick, from New York to San Francisco.
USGS Photograph taken on February 5, 1981, by Lyn Topinka.
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MSH89_sediment_retention_dam_toutle_river_05-89.jpg In the spring of 1987, construction of a sediment retention dam on the North Fork Toutle River began. This retention dam is designed to help stop the downstream movement of the sediment near where it begins - on the debris avalanche.
USGS Photograph taken in May 1989, by Steve Brantley.
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From:
Brantley and Topinka, 1984,
Volcanic Studies at the
U.S. Geological Survey's David A. Johnston Cascades Volcano Observatory,
Vancouver, Washington, Earthquake Information Bulletin, v.16, n.2,
March-April 1984, p.106-122.
The May 18, 1980, eruption (of Mount St. Helens)
significantly increased the rate of surface runoff
during storms and the availability of readily erodible sediment by destroying
vegetation and by depositing loose debris over a wide area north of the volcano.
...
Rivers with headwaters in the blast area have a rapid streamflow response to
rainfall, owing to reduced infiltration rates on hillslopes and low roughness
along channels. Streams now respond more quickly to a given amount of rainfall
and produce higher peak flows as rainfall is quickly flushed through the
drainage system. Greater streamflow increases the erosion and transportation
of sediment from hillslopes and river channels; deposition of this debris in the
lower reaches of the Toutle and Cowlitz Rivers reduces channel depths, thereby
increasing the possibility of flooding. Flood levees, channel dredging, and
debris-retention structures built by the U.S.Army Corps of Engineers have thus
far prevented serious flooding to communities along the Toutle and Cowlitz
Rivers. ...
The
debris avalanche
that triggered the eruption slid north into Spirit Lake and
west 25 kilometers down the North Fork Toutle River valley, covering the valley
floor with unconsolidated debris to an average depth of 45 meters and as much as
180 meters in some places. Rapid erosion resulting from the breaching of
numerous ponds and lakes on the deposit and surface runoff have produced a new
drainage system on the avalanche. Streams following the initial drainage
pattern quickly eroded narrow channels because of the generally steep slopes and
the readily erodible character of the avalanche deposit. Channels more than 300
meters wide and 45 meters deep have been carved by the new North Fork Toutle
River. Nearly 4 years after the devastating eruption, erosion rates remain
high, and the channels display complex, alternating scour-and-fill sequences. ...
... The network of river gages provides information for flood forecasting and for
long-term sediment-transport trends. These data are used by the National
Weather Service to warn of severe flooding conditions and by the Corps of
Engineers to develop sediment-control solutions.
Since May 18, 1980, sediment transport rates for the rivers flanking Mount St.
Helens, especially the Toutle River, have been among the highest in the world.
More than 20 million tons of suspended sediment was transported from the Toutle
River basin in the first 7 months after the May 18, eruption, or 15 million tons
in only 13 days. About 39 million tons of suspended sediment was transported
from October 1981 to September 1982, enough to cover an average city block to a
depth of 8 kilometers. ...
In many places since the 1980 eruptions, channel modifications have been equal
to or greater than those resulting directly from the damaging lahars on May
18. Generally, erosion and sediment transport by channel widening and
downcutting dominate the upper reaches of the drainage basins, and aggradation
and sediment transport dominate the lower reaches. ...
From:
Tilling, Topinka, and Swanson, 1990, Eruptions of Mount St. Helens:
Past, Present, and Future: USGS General Interest Publication
... The
mudflow
in the Toutle River drainage area ultimately dumped more than
65 million cubic yards of sediment along the lower Cowlitz and Columbia Rivers.
The water-carrying capacity of the Cowlitz River was reduced by 85 percent, and
the depth of the Columbia River navigational channel was decreased from 39 feet
to less than 13 feet, disrupting river traffic and choking off ocean shipping.
Mudflows also swept down the southeast flank of the volcano ... and emptied
nearly 18 million cubic yards of water, mud, and debris into the Swift
Reservoir. ...
Since May 1980, the natural recovery of the drainage system around Mount St.
Helens has been substantial. Yet, during this recovery period, some roads in
the region sustained significant damage from mudflows and floods, and a number
of homes were lost because of stream-bank erosion. However, much more damage
would have occurred if it were not for the construction of sediment-retention
structures, dredging, and other engineering mitigation measures taken by the
Army Corps of Engineers. It should be emphasized, however, the recovering
drainage system has not been subjected to a truly major storm during the past
decade. Thus, scientists, engineers, and government officials must continue to
closely assess and monitor the continuing volcanic and hydrologic hazards.
...
URL for CVO HomePage is:
<http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/home.html>
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<http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Glossary/Hydrology/description_sediment.html>
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02/22/05, Lyn Topinka