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Advances in Geomorphology and Quaternary Studies in Argentina pp 181–201Cite as

Flash Flood Hazard Assessment in an Ungauged Piedmont Basin in the Sierras Pampeanas Western Region, Province of Córdoba, Argentina

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Abstract

In Argentina , in both mountain and piedmont basins , generally with insufficient hydrological data , flash floods are recurrent . The objective of this paper is to evaluate the flash flood hazard of a typical ungauged piedmont basin , the Arroyo (= creek) Chuchiras, province of Córdoba , Argentina , through the analysis of geomorphological , sedimentological , hydrological , and anthropogenic variables that control the behavior of these fluvial systems . The concept of hazard represents the susceptibility and natural fragility of a region exposed to a threat. The susceptibility was evaluated through the following indicators: slope, aspect, valley depth, landscape and landforms, and road networks. Five classes of flash flood susceptibility and hazard were defined. To assess the threat, analysis was made taking into account temporal distribution and intensity of precipitation , field hydrological evidence , and eyewitness reports. The Manning and the paleo-hydraulic methods were used to estimate mean velocity values during the extraordinary event flash flood which occurred on February 4, 2014. The flash flood hazard in the western piedmont of the Sierras Grandes de Córdoba is the result of the combination of variables: low permeability rocks in the upper basin; important topographical contrasts between the fault scarp and piedmont area ; and streams with torrential regime and high energy (velocity, competence, and transport capacity ) that make up distributary systems in the distal-middle piedmont and high intensity rainfalls . A 26% of the study area presents high/moderately high flash flood hazard , associated with the lower reaches and proximal-middle active alluvial fan of Arroyo Chuchiras; 64 and 10% of the investigated sector correspond to low/moderately low and moderate classes of flash flood hazard , respectively.

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Acknowledgements

This chapter has been completed within the framework of research projects funded by the Secretaría de Ciencia y Técnica of the Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto (SECyT-UNRC), the Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica of Argentina (ANPCyT), and the Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología of the province of Córdoba (MINCyT).

The authors would like to express their gratitude to Jorge Rabassa for his invitation to publish this chapter and for his constructive and generous review of the English text and to Mariana Chiuffo for her help with a preliminary version of the English text.

Finally, the authors thank the residents of the towns of Villa de las Rosas, Villa Dolores, and Las Tapias, for providing information of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Geología, Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto, Ruta Nacional Nº 36, Km 601, X5804BYA, Río Cuarto, Córdoba, Argentina

    Karina V. Echevarria, Susana B. Degiovanni, Mónica T. Blarasin & M. Jimena Andreazzini

  2. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Karina V. Echevarria & M. Jimena Andreazzini

Authors
  1. Karina V. Echevarria
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  2. Susana B. Degiovanni
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  3. Mónica T. Blarasin
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  4. M. Jimena Andreazzini
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Correspondence to Karina V. Echevarria .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratorio de Geomorfología y Cuaternario, CADIC-CONICET, Ushuaia, Argentina

    Jorge Rabassa

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Echevarria, K.V., Degiovanni, S.B., Blarasin, M.T., Andreazzini, M.J. (2017). Flash Flood Hazard Assessment in an Ungauged Piedmont Basin in the Sierras Pampeanas Western Region, Province of Córdoba, Argentina. In: Rabassa, J. (eds) Advances in Geomorphology and Quaternary Studies in Argentina. Springer Earth System Sciences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-54371-0_7

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