Document Type : scientific-research article
Author
Abstract
Masouleh, a small and ancient tourist town, is located in a mountainous and forested area in western part of Guilan province in northern Iran. The altitude of the town, which is recorded as a national heritage, is 1050 meters above sea level. Because of its uniqueness, Masouleh has also been recorded by UNESCO. During tourist seasons, this town receives a considerable number of domestic as well as international tourists. Natural hazards such as 1998 flood adversely affected the number of tourists visiting this area. The paper aims to analyze the main factors contributing to the 1998 flood in Masouleh studied by the present researcher in 2001. Through a field work, the possible climatic, geomorphologic and human factors associated with the 1998 flood were explored. The results showed that human factor was the most crucial. From a morphological point of view, the area is mainly covered with glacial sediments, therefore, if proper steps are not taken, we would face severe floods in near future.
Key Words: Flood, Guilan, Masouleh, Natural Hazard, Natural Disaster.
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