Characteristics and preventive measures of permafrost disasters in Xiongba town of Geji County in northwestern Tibet

The permafrost disaster in the Xiongba town of Geji County has been aggravated in recent years. Investigating the characteristics, origins and hazards of permafrost disasters is of great significance to formulate corresponding disaster prevention and mitigation policies. The authors in this paper have comprehensively analyzed the permafrost disaster in Xiongba town by basic characteristics, causes, development trends and prevention mea-sures. The main cause of aggravating permafrost disasters is the increase of rainfall and temperature caused by the global warming. The frost heaving and freeze-thawing effect of the soil are aggravated by the increasing moisture content of the soil with poor permeability and uneven distribution. The damage caused by the frost heaving and freeze-thawing effect are in form of house collapse, ground cracks, house wall cracks and uneven ground settlement, and the disruptive strength increased with the climate warming. The comprehensive control measures of diversion + flood control + drainage + engineering construction were put forward to reduce the damage of permafrost disaster. This research could provide scientific decision-making and basis for formation mechanism of permafrost disaster and prevention and control measures of major permafrost engineering construction in Xiongba town.