ABSTRACT
In the Wenchuan area in the south-west of China, a huge amount of loose co-seismic landslide deposits were present on the slopes after the Wenchuan earthquake. These loose deposits served as the source material for rainfall-induced debris flows or shallow landslides in the years after the earthquake. On 13th August, 2010 about 20 large debris flows were triggered by heavy rainfall in the area around the epicenter of the Wenchuan earthquake. Flume tests were carried out to study the initiation mechanism of post-earthquake debris flows. The experimental results show the whole initiation process of the debris flow and the soil moistures and soil suctions at monitoring positions.
