Strandlines from large floods on the Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

Seven distinct strandlines from large floods on the Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, provide critical data for understanding flood dynamics. These strandlines, marked by driftwood logs, woody debris, and trash, were deposited during floods with peak discharges ranging from 45,000 to 210,000 cubic feet per second (ft³/s) between 1884 and 2012. The study used multiple lines of evidence—including strandline vertical position, weathering of indicators, datable trash, and map-view location—to determine the year of each flood event. Stage-discharge relations developed from these strandlines revealed that river width significantly influences stage changes, with narrower bedrock-dominated reaches experiencing greater stage variability than wider alluvial reaches. This comprehensive dataset validates model-predicted flood stages along the Colorado River, offering insights into historical flood events and improving future modeling accuracy.

Sabol, T. A., Griffiths, R. E., Topping, D. J., Mueller, E. R., Tusso, R. B., & Hazel, J. E. (2021). Strandlines from large floods on the Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona. Scientific Investigations Report. https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20215048