Abstract

Damming rivers by landslides and ensuing outburst flooding is a common and potentially hazardous phenomenon worldwide, especially in tectonically active regions. Remarkable examples are the damming of the upper course of the San Pedro River (SPR) in south Chile during the 1960 Chile earthquake (M9.5) and its predecessor in 1575. Outburst floods following both events had tragic consequences for downstream communities. Here, we study both events from multiple sources of information, including previously published and newly found historical records, satellite imagery, LiDAR topography, and sedimentological and geomorphological field observations. We present the first detailed geomorphic map of the region. Morphological similarities between ancient deposits at the SPR and those associated with the 1960 earthquake suggest that the SPR has been dammed repeatedly in the past. The steep incision of the SPR and the sediments of glacio-lacustrine origin in the surrounding slopes facilitate the initiation of large landslides. The knowledge gained from studying these past events provides important implications for future risk assessments. We propose that besides large earthquakes, smaller and more frequent earthquakes as well as changes in land use, can also result in river-damming events.