Mean Velocities and Boulder Transport During Tahoe–Age Floods of the Truckee River, California–Nevada

Research Article| January 01, 1968 Mean Velocities and Boulder Transport During Tahoe–Age Floods of the Truckee River, California–Nevada PETER W BIRKELAND PETER W BIRKELAND (PRESENT ADDRESS: UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO, BOULDER, COLORADO) Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information PETER W BIRKELAND (PRESENT ADDRESS: UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO, BOULDER, COLORADO) Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 19 Dec 1965 Revision Received: 15 Feb 1967 First Online: 02 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2674 Print ISSN: 0016-7606 Copyright © 1968, The Geological Society of America, Inc. Copyright is not claimed on any material prepared by U.S. government employees within the scope of their employment. GSA Bulletin (1968) 79 (1): 137–142. https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1968)79[137:MVABTD]2.0.CO;2 Article history Received: 19 Dec 1965 Revision Received: 15 Feb 1967 First Online: 02 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation PETER W BIRKELAND; Mean Velocities and Boulder Transport During Tahoe–Age Floods of the Truckee River, California–Nevada. GSA Bulletin 1968;; 79 (1): 137–142. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1968)79[137:MVABTD]2.0.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGSA Bulletin Search Advanced Search Abstract In Truckee River glacial outwash deposits of the Tahoe Glaciation, boulders and gravel bars indicate discharges and velocities far greater than those of the present river. Collapse of unstable glacier dams near Lake Tahoe's outlet would have been necessary to release quickly the large volumes of impounded water that produced the above features. A mean flood velocity, using the Manning formula, near 30 feet per second, probably was attained along the valley as far downstream as Verdi, Nevada. A velocity of slightly more than 10 feet per second was possible farther downstream. A reasonable tractive force can be estimated for the movement of most of the observed boulders. It is concluded that a tractive force of from 20 to 30 pounds per square foot was sufficient to move the largest boulder, measuring 40 × 20 × 10 feet above ground surface, in a 40-to 80-foot-deep flood moving nearly 30 feet per second on a slope of 0.007. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.