Evaluation of debris-flow hazard following the Dome Fire, Bandelier National Monument: a preliminary report

Cannon, Susan

The Dome fire of April, 1996 covered 16,1516 acres in Bandelier National Monument and the adjacent Sante Fe National Forest. The connection between forest fires and major sedimentation events has been recognized for some time, particularly in southern California where the concept of "fire-flood sequences" was first defined (e.g. Kotok and Kraebel, 1935). The report of the Burned Area Emergency Rehabilitation (BAER) Team that evaluated conditions at Bandelier National Monument immediately after the fire identified the potential for this hazard, and recommended further evaluation. This report presents: 1) brief descriptions of the two processes by which debris flows initiate, and the classification system used to define debris-flow processes; 2) summaries of the influence of the geologic and geomorphic factors described above on the erosion potential of hillslopes and channels, and the observations made regarding their influence in the generation of sediment for debris flows in Capulin canyon; and 3) conclusions regarding the potential for generating debris flows in Capulin canyon.