Alluvial fans in the Italian Alps: sedimentary facies and processes

Sediment gravity flows are very common sedimentary processes in the Alpine region and are often characterized by rapid deposition of large amounts of material. Hazard evaluation in such mountainous areas depends on proper identification of the dominant sedimentary processes, interpreted both from modern and ancient sedimentary facies and their distribution. Three main groups of alluvial fans, characterized by different dominant sedimentary processes, have been distinguished on the basis of lithological characteristics of the catchment area. The dominant catchment lithologies are: 1 massive and/or crudely stratified carbonate rocks (dolomite and massive limestones); 2 fine-grained sedimentary and metamorphic rocks (schists, calc-schists, mica schists, slate, phyllites and quartzites); 3 massive crystalline rocks (granites, granodiorites). Their main characteristics are illustrated by three case studies concerning large debris-flow events that occurred in the recent past. The comparison of sediment texture and grain-size distribution indicates that important differences in the sedimentological features of debris flows are generated by the three different rock types in the catchments. Colluvium lithology strongly controls the grain-size distribution of the debris available on the catchment that is mobilized, transported and accumulated on the fan during catastrophic flood events. The proportion of fine-grained particles (clay and fine silt) within the colluvium plays a key role in controlling the dominant primary sedimentary processes. The study of 23 flood events over the past 30 yr indicates that the catchments of group 1 and 2 fans produce large amounts of clay and fine silt, which typically can lead to the generation of cohesive sediment gravity flows. Group 3 fan catchments produce colluvium free of clay and fine silt that can be mobilized and transported by water flow processes, and which in extreme flood events usually are associated with non-cohesive sediment gravity flows.