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Hydrologic and Mass-Movement Hazards Near Mccarthy Wrangell-St

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Hydrologic and Mass-Movement Hazards Near Mccarthy Wrangell-St Hydrologic and Mass-Movement Hazards near McCarthy Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska By Stanley H. Jones and Roy L Glass U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Water-Resources Investigations Report 93-4078 Prepared in cooperation with the NATIONAL PARK SERVICE Anchorage, Alaska 1993 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR BRUCE BABBITT, Secretary U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY ROBERT M. HIRSCH, Acting Director For additional information write to: Copies of this report may be purchased from: District Chief U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Geological Survey Earth Science Information Center 4230 University Drive, Suite 201 Open-File Reports Section Anchorage, Alaska 99508-4664 Box 25286, MS 517 Denver Federal Center Denver, Colorado 80225 CONTENTS Abstract ................................................................ 1 Introduction.............................................................. 1 Purpose and scope..................................................... 2 Acknowledgments..................................................... 2 Hydrology and climate...................................................... 3 Geology and geologic hazards................................................ 5 Bedrock............................................................. 5 Unconsolidated materials ............................................... 7 Alluvial and glacial deposits......................................... 7 Moraines........................................................ 7 Landslides....................................................... 7 Talus........................................................... 8 Rock glaciers..................................................... 9 Description of drainage basins ............................................... 12 McCarthy Creek basin.................................................. 12 Physical characteristics............................................. 12 Recent glacier activity.............................................. 12 Streamflow characteristics .......................................... 18 Kennicott River basin .................................................. 20 Hydrologic and mass-movement hazards ....................................... 20 Hazard potentials...................................................... 20 History of floods ...................................................... 21 Glacier-dammed lakes and outburst floods.................................. 26 Kennicott River floods ............................................. 26 Hidden Creek Lake................................................ 27 Other glacier-dammed lakes near McCarthy ............................ 29 Erosion and deposition ................................................. 29 Snow avalanches...................................................... 31 Aufeis ............................................................. 31 Landslides........................................................... 32 Hydraulic and statistical analyses ............................................. 34 Accuracy of flood surveys............................................... 34 Flood magnitudes ..................................................... 35 Flood frequency....................................................... 35 Rainfall frequency..................................................... 43 Suggestions for future study ................................................. 43 Summary ................................................................ 44 References cited........................................................... 45 Glossary ................................................................ 48 Appendix ................................................................ 49 Contents III PLATES 1. Map showing generalized geology in the McCarthy area, Alaska 2. Map showing flood boundary, flood discharge determination sites, and mass- movement and flood-related hazards-McCarthy, Alaska FIGURES 1-3. Maps showing: 1. Location of part of the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve showing selected data-collection sites and the McCarthy study area....... VI 2. Location of McCarthy study area showing selected data-collection sites, glacier-dammed lakes, and the area of plates 1 and 2................... 4 3. Generalized mean annual precipitation, 1951-80, for the Copper River Basin above Chitina ............................................ 6 4-8. Photographs showing: 4. McCarthy Creek Glacier lateral moraine and tributary glacier stream, July 12, 1990 ................................................. 8 5. Debris-avalanche scar along the south terrace of lacustrine sediments, McCarthy Creek, July 12, 1990 ................................... 9 6. Sourdough Peakrock glacier, July 12,1990.......................... 10 7. Lower end of Porphyry Mountain rock glacier on McCarthy Creek, July 12, 1990.................................................. 11 8. View from Porphyry Mountain rock glacier showing McCarthy Creek drainage and Green Butte Mine, July 12, 1990........................ 13 9. Graph showing longitudinal profile of McCarthy Creek ................... 14 10-11. Photographs showing: 10. McCarthy Creek tributary at McCarthy Creek Glacier, July 24, 1990 ..... 15 11. Kennicott Glacier and River at McCarthy, August 10, 1988 ............. 28 12. Map showing active flood channel, McCarthy Creek at McCarthy ........... 30 13. Graph of channel cross section, McCarthy Creek at McCarthy, September 1990 30 14-15. Photographs of: 14. McCarthy Creek landslide and snow avalanche dam site, July 12, 1990.... 32 15. Landslide scars in Nikolai Creek tributary, July 12, 1990 ............... 34 16-17. Graphs showing: 16. Peak discharge as a function of drainage area ........................ 36 17. Estimates of 50-year and 100-year recurrence interval floods for McCarthy Creek ............................................... 39 IV Contents TABLES 1. Vertical aerial photography for McCarthy study area ....................... 2 2. Precipitation at selected climatological stations............................ 3 3. Basin characteristics of selected streams ................................ 16 4. Hydraulic properties for slope-area discharge determinations for selected streams 19 5. Hydrologic and mass-movement hazards ................................ 22 6. Flood stages and discharges of selected streams............................ 24 7. Channel and flood characteristics at selected sites ......................... 37 8. Flood magnitudes and frequency determinations for mountain drainages using selected methods ................................................... 40 CONVERSION FACTORS AND VERTICAL DATUM Multiply By To Obtain inch (in.) 25.4 millimeter foot (ft) 0.3048 meter mile (mi) 1.609 kilometer square foot (ft2) 0.09294 square meter square mile (mi2) 2.590 square kilometer cubic foot (ft3) 0.02832 cubic meter foot per mile (ft/mi) 0.1894 meter per kilometer foot per second (ft/s) 0.3048 meter per second cubic foot per second (ft3/s) 0.02832 cubic meter per second cubic foot per second per square mile [(ft /s)/mi ] 0.01093 cubic meter per second per square kilometer ton 0.9072 megagram degree Fahrenheit (°F) °C = 5/9 x (°F-32) degree Celsius (°C) National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 (NGVD of 1929): A geodetic datum derived from a general adjustment of the first-order level nets of both the United States and Canada, formerly called Sea Level Datum of 1929. Notes: In this report, "Kennecott" pertains to the mines, mining company, ore deposits, and related topics, and "Kennicott" to geographic and geologic features. The rationale for the dual spelling and usage is as follows: the mining company was named for the Kennicott Glacier, which was named for Robert Kennicott, a pioneer surveyor; somehow, probably inadvertently, an "e" was substituted for the "i" in company name. A "Glossary" of technical terms used in this report starts on page 48. A term defined in the glossary appears in bold type at its primary reference in the text or on a table. Contents V EXPLANATION 24 Climatological station Crest-stage gage Numbers refer to sites in tables Boundary of figure 2 WRANGELL-ST ELIAS NATIONAL\ ^ PARK AND PRESERVE BOUNDARY* ^> \ 61°- Figure 1. Location of part of the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve showing selected data- collection sites and the McCarthy study area. VI Hydrologic and Mass-Movement Hazards near McCarthy, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska By Stanley H. Jones and Roy L. Glass Abstract McCarthy, Alaska, is at the confluence of McCarthy Creek and the Kennicott River, about 1 mile from the terminus of Kennicott Glacier in the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve. McCarthy Creek and Kennicott River basins are prone to several natural haz­ ards including floods; formation and failure of natural dams; stream erosion and sediment deposition; snow avalanches; aufeis; and the mass wasting of rock, soil, and debris. Low- lying areas along the Kennicott River flood annually, commonly during late July or early August, as a result of outbursts from glacier-dammed lakes, but floods can occur during any month of the year. Flood plains along McCarthy Creek and its tributaries are frequently flooded and are prone to rapid erosion and deposition during intense rainfall and periods of rapid snowmelt. Sediments from continual mass wasting accumulate in stream channels and are mobilized during floods. Severe lateral erosion, scour, and deposition resulting from floods in September 1980 and August 1985 destroyed bridges near McCarthy.
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