Effects of intense rainfalls and their recurrence: Case study in Corralito ravine, Córdoba Province, Argentina

This paper deals with the possible occurrence, within the next 100–1000 years, and under the same geomorphological conditions, of meteorological events similar to the precipitation which triggered the hydric erosion that initiated Corralito ravine. The study area is located in the central part of Córdoba Province (32° 05′–31° 45′S; 64°10′–63°30′W) in the Plains region. The erosive process was started by the storm of September 1978. Five years later, two extreme rains took place in the same humid period (1983/84), with recurrence intervals of 10 and 25 years, respectively, and in the year 2000 another extreme rainstorm with a 100-year return period occurred. Each event can be correlated with the main reactivation surfaces, visible as successive deepening levels at the gully. Although there is a positive climatic tendency in annual rainfall, due to an increasing number of rainy days, the annual maximum of daily rainfall remained constant. Hence, the dominant factor in the ravine development was the occurrence of convectively generated extreme hydrometeorologic events. Prediction of 24-h maximum rainfall through the DIT Model is applicable to the future, allowing the design of structures required to control overflowing and sediment production.