Debris Flow Following the 1984 Eruption with Pyroclastic Flows in Merapi Volcano, Indonesia Takashi Jitousono*1, Etsuro Shimokaw
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Journal of the Japan Society of Erosion Control Engineering. Vol. 48, Special Issue, 109-116 (1996) [Original article] Debris flow following the 1984 eruption with pyroclastic flows in Merapi volcano, Indonesia Takashi Jitousono*1, Etsuro Shimokawa*1 and Satoshi Tsuchiya*z *1 Faculty of Agriculture,Kagoshima University, Korimoto, Kagoshima 890, Japan *2 Faculty of Agriculture,Shizuoka University, Ohya, Shizuoka 422, Japan Abstract Merapi volcano which has often erupted with pyroclastic flows is one of the most active volcanoes in Indonesia. Recently, large-scale pyroclastic flows occurred in the southwestern flank of the volcano in June 1984. As a result, the hydrological and erosional regime of the hillslopes was radically altered and more than 203 debris flows and floods have occurred in the Putih river catchment. In this paper, using the records of debris flow in the Putih river catchment, the characteristics of debris flow following the 1984 pyroclastic flows were analyzed. The rainfall conditions not causing debris flow are definitely different between the 4-year period after the 1984 pyroclastic flows and since then. The rainfall intensity not causing debris flow is small just after the pyroclastic flows and then has increased with time. Also, the large-scale debris flows occurred within a 4-year period after the 1984 pyroclastic flows. The magnitudes of debris flows have de- creased with time. The sediment outflow by debris flows had almost finished within a 4-year period after the pyroclastic flows. Key words: Pyroclastic flow deposits, Debris flow, Merapi volcano, Indonesia Introduction Merapi volcano had an eruption with pyroclastic flows in June 1984. The pyroclastic flows were thickly deposited in the southwestern flank of Merapi volcano. At the same time the surroundings were widely covered with a fine volcaniclastic material originating from the pyroclastic clouds. After the 1984 pyroclastic flows, debris flows and floods have occurred frequently at the Putih river in the southwestern flank of Merapi volcano. The debris flows have been under observation since November 1985. In this paper, the characteristics of debris flow following the 1984 eruption with pyroclastic flows are described using the debris-flow records in the Putih river catchment. An outline of the research area Merapi volcano is located in central Java (Fig. 1). The study area is the Putih river catchment situ- ated in the southwestern flank of Merapi volcano (Fig. 2). Pyroclastic flows have often taken place in the southwestern flank of the volcano. Pyroclastic flows which occurred in June 1984, were thickly deposited in some area of the Putih river catchment and at the same time a wide area of the volcanic hillslopes was covered with fine pyroclastic airfall. As a result, the hydrological and erosional regime of the hillslopes was radically altered and much sediment was produced by the debris flows and floods. (C)JapanSoceityofErosionControlEngineering 110 T. Jitousono et. al. Fig. 2 Location and topography of study area. ■:Water-level gauge station ●:Rain-gauge station ■:1984pyroclastic flow Fig. 1 Location of Mt. Merapi. □:Putih river basin Analyzed data and methods The observation of debris flows and floods has been carried out at the Mranggen check dam (640m above sea level) on the Putih river since November 1985 by the Volcanic Sabo Technical Centre (VSTC). The VSTC was renamed the Sabo Technical Centre (STC) in 1992. The observation system of debris flows and floods is composed of an ultrasonic water-level gauge which was installed at the right wing of Mranggen check dam (VSTC, 1990). The ultrasonic water-level gauge is a nocontact type apparatus in which the water stage is detected by a round time of ultrasonic waves sent from a transmitter and receiver to the water surface. This apparatus is effective in observing debris flow as well as floods with sediment, and it is possible to get the data on all the debris flows and floods in- cluding small scale ones throughout the year. The data are useful for analyzing runoff characteristics of debris flow and sediment yield in a basin. The water-level records measured by the ultrasonic wa- ter-level gauge are transmitted to the STC by the telemeter every ten minutes for rainy days and one hour for fine days. The observation of rainfall has been carried out at the rain-gauge station of Mt. Maron (961m above sea level) in the Putih river catchment since 1984 (VSTC, 1990). The rainfall records are also transmitted to the STC by the telemeter every ten minutes for rainy days. One hundred and ninety-three debris flows and floods were observed during a 2. 5-year period from November 1985 to May 1988 and 10 floods were observed during a 0. 5-year period from August 1989 to February 1990. The water-level gauge was inoperative during the period from June 1988 to July 1989 and no debris flow or flood have occurred since March 1990. Using the records of debris flow and rainfall in the Putih river catchment, the characteristics of debris flow following the 1984 eruption with pyroclastic flows were analyzed. Debris flow following the 1984 eruption with pyroclastic flows 111 Results and discussion Occurrence of debris flow and flood Fig. 3 shows the monthly distribution of occurrence of debris flows and floods with the mean month- ly rainfall at Mt. Maron. In the Merapi volcano area, approximately 86% of debris flows and floods occur during the rainy season from November to April. Similar analyses were carried out for the debris-flow records taken in the northern flank of Sakurajima volcano (Jitousono and Shimokawa, 1989). Sakurajima volcano is one of the most active volcanoes in Japan, and located at the center of Kagoshima Bay in southern Kyushu (Fig. 1). Sakurajima is a stratovolcano, whose flanks are covered with older and younger volcanic products. The present volcanic activity of Sakurajima volcano started in 1955 and ever since then eruptions have been continuous for more than 30 years. The hillslopes are largely susceptible to erosion, slope sliding and the occurrence of debris flow (Shimokawa and Jitousono, 1987a, b, c). In Sakurajima volcano, approximately 80% of debris flows and floods occur during the summer season from May to Septem- ber (Haruyama et al., 1984; Jitousono and Shimokawa, 1989). Characteristics of debris flow and flood The discharge of debris flow and flood at the Mranggen dam is calculated by multiply- ing the cross-sectional area of flow by the velocity of debris flow and flood, that is, Q=AV (1) where, Q (m3/s) is the discharge of debris flow and flood, A (m2) is the cross-sectional area of flow, and V (m/s) is the velocity of debris flow and flood. The cross-sectional area of flow, A (m2) at the Mranggen check dam is calculated as A=H(B+mH) (2) where, H (m) is the depth of flow measured by the ultrasonic water-level gauge, B (m) is the width of the spillway at the check dam, and m is the side-wall gradient of the check- dam spillway. B=30.4m and m=0.5 are given for the Mranggen check dam. The the velocity of flow, V (m/s) is calcu- lated by the Manning's equation, that is, Fig. 3 (A) Distribution of mean monthly V=n1R2/3I112 (3) rainfall at Mt. Maron during a 4- year period (1985-1988). (B) Monthly where, V (m/s) is the mean velocity of flow, distribution of occurrence-number of n is the roughness coefficient, R is hydraulic debris flow and flood at the radius (approximately equal to mean depth Mranggen dam in the Putih river. 112 T. Jitousono et. al. Fig. 5 Relationship between the peak dis- Fig. 4 Examples of observed hydrographs of charge and the total runoff of debris debris flows at the Mranggen dam in flows and floods at Mt. Merapi and the Putih river. Mt. Sakurajima. for wide channels), and I is the energy slope (equal to the channel slope for uniform flow). At the Mranggen check dam, n=0.06 (Koga and Agus, 1989) and I=0.048 are given. Fig. 4 shows the examples of the debris-flow hydrographs at the Mranggen dam and hyetographs at Mt. Maron. A certain correspondence between the occurrence of debris flow and that of the maximum rainfall per ten minutes is noted. Fig. 5 shows the relationship between the peak discharge and the total runoff of debris flows and fl- oods at Merapi volcano and Sakurajima volcano. The catchment area at the observation station of de- bris flows and floods at the Putih river in Merapi volcano is 8. 22km2, and 1. 38km2 at the Saido river in Sakurajima volcano. The solid and broken lines in the figure show the regression curves at the Putih river and the Saido river, respectively. A nearly linear relation is obtained on logarithmic graph paper at both rivers. The equations at both rivers are obtained by a least squares method, that is, Putih river: Qp=0.00558QT831 (r=0.977) (4) Saido river; Qp=0.00135QTOS7o (r=0.902) (5) where, QP (m3/s) and QT (m3) are the peak discharge and the total runoff of debris flows and floods. A positive correlationship of high significant level is noted. The relationships between QP and QT at Merapi volcano and Sakuraj ima volcano shown in Fig. 5 resemble each other in shape. According to the motion pictures of debris flows taken at the Putih river and the Saido river, the debris flows are mostly mudflow including a great amount of volcaniclastic materials. Temporal change of rainfall condition not causing debris flow or flood From the records of debris flows and floods observed at the Mranggen dam and of rainfall at Mt.