Detection and potential early warning of catastrophic flow events with regional seismic networks

Science. 2021 Oct;374(6563):87-92. doi: 10.1126/science.abj1227. Epub 2021 Sep 30.

Abstract

Early warning is a critical potential tool for mitigating the impacts of large mass wasting and flood events, a major hazard in the Himalaya. We used data from a dense seismic network in Uttarakhand, India, to detect and track a fatal rockslide to mass flow to flood cascade and examine the potential for regional networks to provide early warning for extreme flow events. Detection limits of the 7 February 2021 event depend on the nature of the active process and on the anthropogenic and environmental seismic noise levels at each station. With the existing network, a seismic monitoring system could have detected all event phases from up to 100 kilometers and provided downstream warnings within minutes of event initiation.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't