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Post-wildfire debris-flow monitoring data, 2019 Woodbury Fire, Superstition Mountains, Arizona, USA November 2019 to February 2020

July 29, 2021

This data release contains data summarizing observations within and adjacent to the Woodbury Fire, which burned from 8 June to 15 July 2019. In particular, this monitoring data was focused on debris flows in burned and unburned areas. Rainfall data (1_Woodbury_Rainfall.zip) are contained in comma-separated value (CSV) files named ?Wdby_Rainfall? appended with the names of 3 rain gages: B2, B6, and Reavis. This is time-series data where the total rainfall in millimeters is recorded at each timestamp. The location of each rain gage is listed as a latitude/longitude in each file. Pressure data from absolute (i.e. not vented) pressure transducers (2_Woodbury_Pressure.zip), which can be used to constrain the time of passage of a flood or debris flow, are available in csv files called Wdby_Pressure for four drainages (B1, B6, Reavis 1, and Reavis 2). This is time-series data where the measured pressure in kilopascals is recorded at each timestamp. The location of each pressure transducer is listed as a latitude/longitude in each file. Infiltration data are located in the csv file called 3_Woodbury_Infiltration.csv. The location of the measurement is listed as a latitude/longitude. Three measurement values are reported at each location: Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity (Ks) [mm/hr], Sorptivity (S) [mm/h^(1/2)], and pressure head (hf) [m]. The date of each measurement and soil burn severity class are also reported at each location, as well as a table explaining the burn-severity numerical class conversion. Particle size analysis data using laser diffraction (4_Woodbury_LaserDiffractionSummary.zip) are located in the files called WoodburyLaserDiffractionSummary for the fine fraction (< 2 mm) of hillslope and debris flow Deposits. The diameter of each particle size class is listed in the first column. All subsequent columns begin with the sample name. The value in each row is the percentage of the grain sizes in the size class. Location data for each of these samples is listed in the accompanying data table titled: WoodburyParticleSizeSummary.csv. The particle size data are summarized in the csv files (5_Woodbury_ParticleSizeSummary.zip) called WoodburyParticleSizeSummary by debris flow deposits and hillslope samples. These files group the raw data into more useable information. The sample name (Lab ID) is used to identify the Laser Diffraction data. The data columns (Lat) and (Lon) show the latitude and longitude of the sample locations. The total fraction of all the grain sizes, determined by sieving, are listed in three classes (Fraction < 16 mm, Fraction < 4 mm, Fraction < 2 mm). The fine fractions (< 2 mm) are also summarized in the columns (%Sand, %Silt, %Clay), as determined by laser diffraction. The data are identfied as in the burn area using entries of Yes, whereas unburned areas are shown as No, indicating no burn. The median particle size (D50) is listed if the sample collected in the field was representative of the deposit. In some cases, large cobbles and boulders had to be removed from the sample because were much too large to be included in sample bags that were brought back to the lab for analysis. The last column label (Description) contains notes about each sample. Pebble count data (6_Woodbury_PebbleCountsSummary.zip) are available in csv files called WoodburyPebbleCountsSummary for six drainages (U10 Fan, U10 Channel, U22 Channel, B1 Channel, B7 Fan, and U42 Fan). Here U represents unburned, and B represents burned. The data name indicates whether the data come from a deposit located in a channel or a fan. In each file the particle is numbered (Num) and the B-axis measurement of the particle is reported in centimeters. The location of each pebble count is listed as a latitude/longitude in each file. Channel width measurement data for 23 channels are saved in unique shapefiles within the file called 7_Channel_Width_Transects.zip. These width measurements were made using Digital Globe imagery from 19 October 2019. Study basin location data used for the entire study can be found in the shapefile: Woodbury_StudyBasins.shp. The attribute table along with many morphometric and fire related statistics for each basin is also available in the file 8_Woodbury_StudyBasins_Table.csv. A description of each column name in the table is available in the file 9_Woodbury_StudyBasins_Table_descriptions.csv. Debris flow volume data were obtained in eleven drainage basins. The volume data is contained in the file 10_Woodbury_FlowVolume.csv in a column named (Volume). The volume units are cubic meters. The other column is the Basin ID, which can be found in the shapefile: Woodbury_StudyBasins.shp.

Publication Year 2021
Title Post-wildfire debris-flow monitoring data, 2019 Woodbury Fire, Superstition Mountains, Arizona, USA November 2019 to February 2020
DOI 10.5066/P9URVNXI
Authors Luke A. McGuire, Francis K Rengers, Ann M. Youberg, Nathan S. Abramson, Indujaa Ganesh, Alex N. Gorr, Olivia J Hoch, Justin C. Johnson, Patt Lamom, Alexander B Prescott, Jessica Zanetell, Brendan Fenerty
Product Type Data Release
Record Source USGS Digital Object Identifier Catalog
USGS Organization Landslide Hazards Programs