Formation Processes of Gully-side Debris-Cones Determined from Ground-Penetrating Radar (Mt. Unzen, Japan)

Volcanic gullies develop U-shape cross-profiles due to the lahars that shape them after eruptive events. Over time, the processes of sediment-transfer change and the erosion of sub-vertical walls become a leading process. It results in debris-cones at their foot. However, the processes that generate these landforms is still unclear. Indeed, the surface is the one of a cone or a “steep debris-fan”, but are these diffusive landforms starting through progressive regressive-erosion of the wall, or do they follow an original collapse? This we do not know, and as the material is poorly-sorted with a mixture of unconsolidated fine sands to large clasts, digging a trench is not possible as it destroys the material structure. Therefore, the present contribution aims to define the development mechanisms of the side-wall debris-cones using Ground Penetrating Radar imaging, working in the Tansandani Gully at Unzen Volcano (Japan). The GPR used in the study is a Mala Ramac Pro-Ex mounted with a 500 MHz shielded antenna. The GPR signal penetrated up to 4–5 m depth and the velocity was homogeneous on average through the different material layers and at the different location, although at depth variations occurred. The structure of the units in the radargrams present units' parallel to the surface for the first 40 to 60 cm, with underneath the presence of more irregular prograding units, with eventually underneath a set of units that are structureless and often rich in blocks. The two lower structureless-units are not always present and one of the debris-cone only showed a set of rough subparallel units. This differences are the result of the debris-cones being generated by (1) at first a wall collapse or by rapid water-borne processes creating (2) bulk prograding units, which have to be put in place during a heavy-rainfall event. Finally, near the surface, the (3) thin subparallel units are most probably post-rainfall deposition, resulting from gravity process in dry-material. This can be inferred because there is no evidence of erosion or remobilization in layers and the process has been observed in the field. For the observed debris-cones, their formation is dominated by a wall collapse, which is then recovered by finer-grained units deposited sub-horizontally to the surface. © 2022 Elsevier B.V.