preprints.org > environmental and earth sciences > geophysics and geology > doi: 10.20944/preprints202404.1489.v1

Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Version 1 : Received: 22 April 2024 / Approved: 23 April 2024 / Online: 23 April 2024 (11:58:31 CEST)

On the afternoon of January 31, 2022, the northwest and central part of the city of Quito (Ecuador) was hit by a mud-flow that originated in one of the ravines of the Pichincha volcanic complex. According to the official reports, there were 28 fatalities, one missing person, 52 injured, and 53 families affected. The mudflow was triggered by unusual and heavy rainfall in the upper part of the drainage. However, the analysis of the deposits allowed us to establish the existence of anthropogenic elements as crucial components of a local disaster that affected daily life in the city for more than a week. Based on the preliminary data, we were able to determine that the mud and water flowed through different streets of the city, reaching a maximum distance of 3.2 km from the overflow point (collector, construction works to dam the drainage under the city). The analysis of the multimedia material published on social networks and in the press also made it possible to detect the change in the behavior of the flow during its evolution, which went from a hyper-concentrated flow to muddy water. A similar event occurred in 1975, and although it was a larger event (52000 m3, seven times larger than in 2022), it caused two deaths and little damage in the same area. The main causes of the disaster included urban development that did not meet the needs of the area and a lack of awareness or ignorance about the management and intervention of drainage in Quito City.

mudflow; El Tejado ravine; sedimentology; La Gasca Street; Pichincha volcano; multimedia

Environmental and Earth Sciences, Geophysics and Geology

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