A microseismometer was installed near the Mataian River (馬太鞍溪) barrier lake in Hualien County yesterday to enhance monitoring of landslides and potential flood surges in the wake of an overflow that triggered deadly flooding in September.
The instrument, installed by a four-member team from National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU), was airlifted to a slope about 1km south of the lake by a National Airborne Service Corps helicopter, the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency said.
Microseismometers detect ground vibrations triggered by landslides, enabling real-time alerts and helping determine whether debris has blocked the creek or if a barrier lake dam is about to overflow, the agency said.
Photo courtesy of the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency’s Hualien Office via CNA
Because the device can also capture vibrations generated by actual water outflows or dam bursts and operates in all weather conditions, it complements two existing downstream microseismic stations and forms a more complete early-warning system, it said.
The laboratory of NYCU associate professor Chao Wei-an (趙韋安), who led the team that installed the device, first detected a major landslide in the area on July 21, making it the earliest team to identify the event, the agency said.
His group has since assisted in surveying and monitoring work in the area, the agency said, adding that the barrier lake holds an estimated 291,000m3 of water over an area of about 8 hectares.
Since the Sept. 23 overflow, the water level elevation has dropped by about 133m, and while the spillway remains stable, about 100 million cubic meters of sediment remains on the left bank, posing a risk of renewed blockage if an earthquake or heavy rain occurred, it said.
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