Articles | Volume 16, issue 4
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-1333-2022
© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-1333-2022
© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Brief communication
| 
12 Apr 2022
Brief communication |
| 12 Apr 2022
| 12 Apr 2022
Brief communication: An approximately 50 Mm3 ice-rock avalanche on 22 March 2021 in the Sedongpu valley, southeastern Tibetan Plateau
Chuanxi Zhao
Key Laboratory of Tibetan Environment Changes and Land Surface
Processes, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of
Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University,
Lanzhou 730000, China
Wei Yang
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Key Laboratory of Tibetan Environment Changes and Land Surface
Processes, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of
Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
CAS Center for Excellence in Tibetan Plateau Earth Sciences,
Beijing 100101, China
Matthew Westoby
Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Northumbria
University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8ST, UK
Baosheng An
Key Laboratory of Tibetan Environment Changes and Land Surface
Processes, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of
Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
School of Science, Tibet University, Lhasa 850011, China
Guangjian Wu
Key Laboratory of Tibetan Environment Changes and Land Surface
Processes, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of
Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
CAS Center for Excellence in Tibetan Plateau Earth Sciences,
Beijing 100101, China
South-East Tibetan Plateau station for integrated observation and research of alpine environment, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lulang 860100, China, Lulang, China
Weicai Wang
Key Laboratory of Tibetan Environment Changes and Land Surface
Processes, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of
Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
CAS Center for Excellence in Tibetan Plateau Earth Sciences,
Beijing 100101, China
Zhongyan Wang
Key Laboratory of Tibetan Environment Changes and Land Surface
Processes, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of
Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Yongjie Wang
Key Laboratory of Tibetan Environment Changes and Land Surface
Processes, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of
Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
South-East Tibetan Plateau station for integrated observation and research of alpine environment, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lulang 860100, China, Lulang, China
Stuart Dunning
School of Geography, Politics and Sociology, Newcastle University,
Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, UK
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Cited
31 citations as recorded by crossref.
- The Precursory 3D Displacement Patterns and Their Implicit Collapse Mechanism of the Ice-Rock Avalanche Events Occurred in Sedongpu Basin Revealed by Optical and SAR Observations C. Ding et al. 10.3390/rs15112818
- Thinning and surface mass balance patterns of two neighbouring debris-covered glaciers in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau C. Zhao et al. 10.5194/tc-17-3895-2023
- Geomorphic evolution of the Sedongpu Basin after catastrophic ice and rock avalanches triggered by the 2017 Ms6.9 Milin earthquake in the Yarlung Zangbo River area, China H. Gao et al. 10.1007/s10346-023-02118-3
- The climate-driven disaster of the Marmolada Glacier (Italy) A. Bondesan & R. Francese 10.1016/j.geomorph.2023.108687
- A Systematic Retrospection and Reflections on Main Glacial Hazards of the Tibetan Plateau C. Gu et al. 10.3390/rs17111862
- Continuous mass loss acceleration of Qiangyong Glacier, southern Tibetan plateau, since the mid-1880s inferred from glaciolacustrine sediments X. Zhang et al. 10.1016/j.quascirev.2022.107937
- Potential threats of glacial lake changes to the Sichuan-Tibet Railway M. Peng et al. 10.1017/jog.2024.40
- Triggers for multiple glacier detachments from a low-angle valley glacier in the Amney Machen Range, eastern Tibetan Plateau C. Zou et al. 10.1016/j.geomorph.2023.108867
- A large-scale rock avalanche-debris flow cascading hazard in the Sedongpu catchment, southeastern Tibetan Plateau Y. Deng et al. 10.1007/s10346-024-02382-x
- Rock-ice avalanche-generated erosion behaviors at the Sedongpu gully, Tibet, China: New insights from the geomorphologic perspective T. Zhang et al. 10.1016/j.jseaes.2024.106403
- Intra‐Seasonal Variability in Sediment Provenance and Transport Processes in the Brahmaputra Basin A. Dixit et al. 10.1029/2023JF007105
- Early warning system for ice collapses and river blockages in the Sedongpu Valley, southeastern Tibetan Plateau W. Yang et al. 10.5194/nhess-23-3015-2023
- Сatastrophic Phenomena in the last Decades Associated with the Degradation of Glaciers and Permafrost in Mountains (Analytical Review) M. Bekkiev et al. 10.31857/S2587556623070051
- More mass wasting activities reported in sedongpu gully of Tibetan plateau, China W. Li et al. 10.1016/j.jrmge.2024.07.012
- Massive glacier-related geohazard chains and dynamics analysis at the Yarlung Zangbo River downstream of southeastern Tibetan Plateau T. Zhang et al. 10.1007/s10064-023-03423-w
- Preliminary observation of Marmolada glacier collapse of July 2022 with space-based cameras L. Olivieri & C. Bettanini 10.1080/2150704X.2022.2152754
- Source processes associated with the 2021 glacier collapse in the Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon, southeastern Tibetan Plateau L. Bai et al. 10.1007/s10346-022-02002-6
- Risk assessment of the Sedongpu high-altitude and ultra-long-runout landslide in the lower Yarlung Zangbo River, China Y. Gao et al. 10.1007/s10064-023-03374-2
- Assessing potential risk of glacier avalanches to hydropower infrastructure in the Himalayan region S. Laha et al. 10.1007/s11069-023-06389-w
- Brief communication: Rapid ∼ 335 × 106 m3 bed erosion after detachment of the Sedongpu Glacier (Tibet) A. Kääb & L. Girod 10.5194/tc-17-2533-2023
- Frequent Glacial Hazard Deformation Detection Based on POT-SBAS InSAR in the Sedongpu Basin in the Himalayan Region H. Li et al. 10.3390/rs17020319
- Himalayan glaciers threatened by frequent wildfires C. You & C. Xu 10.1038/s41561-022-01076-0
- Vegetation Fire Emissions Exacerbate Glacier Melting on the Third Pole C. You et al. 10.1021/acs.est.4c08090
- Characteristics of Massive Glacier-Related Watershed Geohazard Chains in the Eastern Himalayan Syntaxis, China S. Gao et al. 10.1007/s12583-024-0116-y
- Understanding the 2004 glacier detachment in the Amney Machen Mountains, northeastern Tibetan Plateau, via multi-phase modeling T. Zhang et al. 10.1007/s10346-022-01989-2
- Dynamic characteristics and erosion mechanisms of debris flows triggered by ice avalanches X. Li et al. 10.1016/j.geomorph.2025.109835
- Seismic landslide probabilistic assessment using Newmark displacement and remote-sensing: insights from 2017 Milin Ms 6.9 earthquake, eastern Himalayan Syntaxis S. Gao et al. 10.1007/s11069-025-07179-2
- Modeling Potential Glacial Lake Outburst Flood Process Chains and Effects From Artificial Lake‐Level Lowering at Gepang Gath Lake, Indian Himalaya A. Sattar et al. 10.1029/2022JF006826
- Risk of glacier collapse in the Southeast Tibetan basin M. Ding et al. 10.1038/s41612-025-00981-6
- Stability of the Hailuogou glacier during the “9.5” Luding Earthquake: a preliminary assessment based on multi-source observations Q. Liu et al. 10.1007/s11629-022-7730-x
- Comprehensive interpretation of the Sedongpu glacier-related mass flows in the eastern Himalayan syntaxis X. Zhang et al. 10.1007/s11629-022-7376-8
27 citations as recorded by crossref.
- The Precursory 3D Displacement Patterns and Their Implicit Collapse Mechanism of the Ice-Rock Avalanche Events Occurred in Sedongpu Basin Revealed by Optical and SAR Observations C. Ding et al. 10.3390/rs15112818
- Thinning and surface mass balance patterns of two neighbouring debris-covered glaciers in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau C. Zhao et al. 10.5194/tc-17-3895-2023
- Geomorphic evolution of the Sedongpu Basin after catastrophic ice and rock avalanches triggered by the 2017 Ms6.9 Milin earthquake in the Yarlung Zangbo River area, China H. Gao et al. 10.1007/s10346-023-02118-3
- The climate-driven disaster of the Marmolada Glacier (Italy) A. Bondesan & R. Francese 10.1016/j.geomorph.2023.108687
- A Systematic Retrospection and Reflections on Main Glacial Hazards of the Tibetan Plateau C. Gu et al. 10.3390/rs17111862
- Continuous mass loss acceleration of Qiangyong Glacier, southern Tibetan plateau, since the mid-1880s inferred from glaciolacustrine sediments X. Zhang et al. 10.1016/j.quascirev.2022.107937
- Potential threats of glacial lake changes to the Sichuan-Tibet Railway M. Peng et al. 10.1017/jog.2024.40
- Triggers for multiple glacier detachments from a low-angle valley glacier in the Amney Machen Range, eastern Tibetan Plateau C. Zou et al. 10.1016/j.geomorph.2023.108867
- A large-scale rock avalanche-debris flow cascading hazard in the Sedongpu catchment, southeastern Tibetan Plateau Y. Deng et al. 10.1007/s10346-024-02382-x
- Rock-ice avalanche-generated erosion behaviors at the Sedongpu gully, Tibet, China: New insights from the geomorphologic perspective T. Zhang et al. 10.1016/j.jseaes.2024.106403
- Intra‐Seasonal Variability in Sediment Provenance and Transport Processes in the Brahmaputra Basin A. Dixit et al. 10.1029/2023JF007105
- Early warning system for ice collapses and river blockages in the Sedongpu Valley, southeastern Tibetan Plateau W. Yang et al. 10.5194/nhess-23-3015-2023
- Сatastrophic Phenomena in the last Decades Associated with the Degradation of Glaciers and Permafrost in Mountains (Analytical Review) M. Bekkiev et al. 10.31857/S2587556623070051
- More mass wasting activities reported in sedongpu gully of Tibetan plateau, China W. Li et al. 10.1016/j.jrmge.2024.07.012
- Massive glacier-related geohazard chains and dynamics analysis at the Yarlung Zangbo River downstream of southeastern Tibetan Plateau T. Zhang et al. 10.1007/s10064-023-03423-w
- Preliminary observation of Marmolada glacier collapse of July 2022 with space-based cameras L. Olivieri & C. Bettanini 10.1080/2150704X.2022.2152754
- Source processes associated with the 2021 glacier collapse in the Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon, southeastern Tibetan Plateau L. Bai et al. 10.1007/s10346-022-02002-6
- Risk assessment of the Sedongpu high-altitude and ultra-long-runout landslide in the lower Yarlung Zangbo River, China Y. Gao et al. 10.1007/s10064-023-03374-2
- Assessing potential risk of glacier avalanches to hydropower infrastructure in the Himalayan region S. Laha et al. 10.1007/s11069-023-06389-w
- Brief communication: Rapid ∼ 335 × 106 m3 bed erosion after detachment of the Sedongpu Glacier (Tibet) A. Kääb & L. Girod 10.5194/tc-17-2533-2023
- Frequent Glacial Hazard Deformation Detection Based on POT-SBAS InSAR in the Sedongpu Basin in the Himalayan Region H. Li et al. 10.3390/rs17020319
- Himalayan glaciers threatened by frequent wildfires C. You & C. Xu 10.1038/s41561-022-01076-0
- Vegetation Fire Emissions Exacerbate Glacier Melting on the Third Pole C. You et al. 10.1021/acs.est.4c08090
- Characteristics of Massive Glacier-Related Watershed Geohazard Chains in the Eastern Himalayan Syntaxis, China S. Gao et al. 10.1007/s12583-024-0116-y
- Understanding the 2004 glacier detachment in the Amney Machen Mountains, northeastern Tibetan Plateau, via multi-phase modeling T. Zhang et al. 10.1007/s10346-022-01989-2
- Dynamic characteristics and erosion mechanisms of debris flows triggered by ice avalanches X. Li et al. 10.1016/j.geomorph.2025.109835
- Seismic landslide probabilistic assessment using Newmark displacement and remote-sensing: insights from 2017 Milin Ms 6.9 earthquake, eastern Himalayan Syntaxis S. Gao et al. 10.1007/s11069-025-07179-2
4 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Modeling Potential Glacial Lake Outburst Flood Process Chains and Effects From Artificial Lake‐Level Lowering at Gepang Gath Lake, Indian Himalaya A. Sattar et al. 10.1029/2022JF006826
- Risk of glacier collapse in the Southeast Tibetan basin M. Ding et al. 10.1038/s41612-025-00981-6
- Stability of the Hailuogou glacier during the “9.5” Luding Earthquake: a preliminary assessment based on multi-source observations Q. Liu et al. 10.1007/s11629-022-7730-x
- Comprehensive interpretation of the Sedongpu glacier-related mass flows in the eastern Himalayan syntaxis X. Zhang et al. 10.1007/s11629-022-7376-8
Latest update: 01 Jul 2025
Short summary
On 22 March 2021, a ~ 50 Mm 3 ice-rock avalanche occurred from 6500 m a.s.l. in the Sedongpu basin, southeastern Tibet. It caused temporary blockage of the Yarlung Tsangpo river, a major tributary of the Brahmaputra. We utilize field investigations, high-resolution satellite imagery, seismic records, and meteorological data to analyse the evolution of the 2021 event and its impact, discuss potential drivers, and briefly reflect on implications for the sustainable development of the region.
On 22 March 2021, a ~ 50 Mm 3 ice-rock avalanche occurred from 6500 m a.s.l. in the Sedongpu...
