Articles | Volume 18, issue 10
https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-18-7861-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-18-7861-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Extreme precipitation events: a comprehensive catalog for northern Chile (17.5° S to 30.0° S)
Felipe Matus
Advanced Mining Technology Center (AMTC), Faculty of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
Marcia Paredes
Advanced Mining Technology Center (AMTC), Faculty of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
Miguel Lagos-Zúñiga
Departamento de Obras Civiles, Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, Valparaíso, Chile
Alex Garcés
Advanced Mining Technology Center (AMTC), Faculty of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
Diego Pinto
Advanced Mining Technology Center (AMTC), Faculty of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
Germán Aguilar
Advanced Mining Technology Center (AMTC), Faculty of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
Santiago Montserrat
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Advanced Mining Technology Center (AMTC), Faculty of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
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Sofía Segovia-Escafi, Pablo A. Mendoza, Miguel Lagos-Zúñiga, Lucía Scaff, and Andreas F. Prein
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 30, 6481–6510, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-30-6481-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-30-6481-2026, 2026
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High-resolution climate simulations can improve our understanding of precipitation and temperature patterns in regions with complex terrain. We evaluate a new climate dataset against in-situ observations and assess its potential for hydrological modeling. Our results show that, despite some limitations in dry areas, high-resolution climate models can provide useful daily-scale information for hydrological applications, supporting their use in water resources planning and decision-making.
Álvaro González, Alex Garcés, Aldo Tamburrino, and Santiago Montserrat
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-5979, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-5979, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences (NHESS).
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Debris flows can rapidly change the ground they move over, but many models do not let those changes affect the flow itself. We developed a model that updates the terrain as material is eroded or deposited. Tests with laboratory experiments, an idealized geometry, and a real event in Chile show that terrain change can alter flow paths, speed, depth, and runout, and can promote channel formation and blockage. These effects are important for understanding debris-flow hazards.
Jerónimo Sota, Pablo A. Mendoza, and Miguel Lagos-Zúñiga
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-4067, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-4067, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Hydrology and Earth System Sciences (HESS).
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Despite snowmelt runoff from mountainous domains is a vital water source, river flows months ahead remain difficult to predict. This study tested several ways to improve dynamical forecasts across 21 Andean basins using nearly four decades of past data. Results show that some configurations improve forecasts only at specific times or in certain basins, while others can reduce accuracy. The results can help water managers choose more reliable forecasting tools for decision making.
Johannes J. Fürst, David Farías-Barahona, Thomas Bruckner, Lucia Scaff, Martin Mergili, Santiago Montserrat, and Humberto Peña
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 25, 3559–3579, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-25-3559-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-25-3559-2025, 2025
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The 1987 Parraguirre ice–rock avalanche developed into a devastating debris flow, causing the loss of many lives and inflicting severe damage near Santiago, Chile. Here, we revise this event, combining various observational records with modelling techniques. In that year, important snow cover coincided with persistent warm periods in spring. We also put forward upward corrections for the trigger and flood volumes involved in this debris flow. Finally, temporary river damming was key for the flow ferocity.
Ivan Vergara, Fernanda Santibañez, René Garreaud, and Germán Aguilar
Earth Syst. Dynam. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-2024-27, https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-2024-27, 2024
Manuscript not accepted for further review
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The denudation rate was modelled in over a thousand basins across the Earth. The results suggest that water and associated life have a positive effect across their whole range, which is regulated by topography. Because of this, bioclimatic effect is weak in flat landscapes, but it could vary denudation forty times in mountain settings. It was also observed that other things being equal, water availability steepens basins, so climate also has an indirect effect acting on geological timeframes.
Tania Habel, Martine Simoes, Robin Lacassin, Daniel Carrizo, and German Aguilar
Solid Earth, 14, 17–42, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-17-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-17-2023, 2023
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The Central Andes are one of the most emblematic reliefs on Earth, but their western flank remains understudied. Here we explore two rare key sites in the hostile conditions of the Atacama desert to build cross-sections, quantify crustal shortening, and discuss the timing of this deformation at ∼20–22°S. We propose that the structures of the Western Andes accommodated significant crustal shortening here, but only during the earliest stages of mountain building.
Alex Garcés, Gerardo Zegers, Albert Cabré, Germán Aguilar, Aldo Tamburrino, and Santiago Montserrat
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 377–393, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-22-377-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-22-377-2022, 2022
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We propose a workflow to model the response of an alluvial fan located in the Atacama Desert during an extreme storm event. For this alluvial fan, five different deposits were identified and associated with different debris flow surges. Using a commercial software program, our workflow concatenates these surges into one model. This study depicts the significance of the mechanical classification of debris flows to reproduce how an alluvial fan controls the tributary–river junction connectivity.
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Short summary
We compiled a detailed catalog of extreme seasonal precipitation events observed in northern Chile during 1979–2019 to better understand how, when, and where these occur. The catalog uses atmospheric data and local meteorological products to identify different types of storms categories occurring in the study area, and the daily meteorological conditions for each event. This information was tested to evaluate landslide occurrence and composite analysis in Chilean arid and semiarid regions.
We compiled a detailed catalog of extreme seasonal precipitation events observed in northern...
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