Morphometric Factors Controlling the Old and New Debris-Laden Floods in the South-Southwest Catchment Area of the Esence Mountains with the Example of Günebakan (Erzincan) Flood

The research area is Günebakan, which represents a large number of parallel drained river basins located in the south-southwest part of the Keşiş (Esence) Mountains (Keşiş Tepe, 3549 m) that border the Erzincan Plain from the north in the northwest (NW)-southeast (SE) direction. The stream includes the Allahmedet Stream and Çadırtepe Stream basins. In this study, the formation and development processes of two flood-overflow events that occurred in Günebakan Stream Basin, the first on 17/07/2011 and the second on 03/07/2020, in the size of a natural disaster and resulted in significant property losses, and their effects on the natural and human environment were examined. In addition, the morphometric characteristics of the Günebakan, Çadırtepe, and Allahmedet stream basins, which are adjacent to each other in the south-southwest catchment area of the Esence Mountains, which surround the Erzincan Plain from the north, were revealed and their flood-overflow potentials were investigated. In this context, with an approach that prioritizes the flood-overflow events occurring in the Günebakan Stream basin, areal, linear, and relief morphometric indices were used to determine the effect levels of the basin morphometry in the flood-overflow events that occur or are likely to occur on the existing running waters. In the analyzes carried out, it was observed that there was a close relationship between the morphometric structure of the relevant basins and the debris-laden floods. In addition, it was concluded that the Günebakan Stream basin in the same catchment area has a higher flood and overflow potential compared to the neighboring basins.