Debris cones as a source of information on debris-flow activity

Debris cones located on the foothill plain of the northern slope of the Zailiysky Alatau Mountain Range are shown to be composed chiefly of debris-flow deposits (90-95%). Differences in the shapes of peripheral contour lines on debris cones allows for the determination of their genesis. A study of the subsurface geology of debris cones was used to estimate debris-flow activity during the Quaternary and to develop a scenario of debris-flow activity that might occur under a globally warming climate.