From November 7 to 9, 2025, Stara Tarikhazer, DSc. and Associate Professor of Geosciences and a researcher at the H. Aliyev Institute of Geography, conducted a study of the Gusarchay River basin. Mudflow activity has been observed in the Gusarchay basin in recent years. On September 22, heavy rainfall caused a powerful mudflow near the village of Laza in the Gusar district, in the Goshashale region. Damage was caused to village roads, agricultural land, and other property. A mudflow occurred on September 1, 2016, resulting in the evacuation of 53 residents of Laza. A mudflow occurred on June 4, 2019, damaging the crops of Laza residents. On August 2, 2024, a mudflow damaged the bridge over the Gusarchay River, which residents of the village of Laza crossed to go to field work and pastures.
The village of Laza is located on the banks of the Gusarchay River in the Gusar District at an altitude of 1,680 meters above sea level. The village has approximately 30 residential buildings, with approximately 130 people.
The Gusarchay River's source is located at an altitude of 3,780 m. In the highlands, the river basin is composed of thick layers of easily eroded clay shale. Up to Mount Gyzylgaya (3,726 m), the right slope of the Gusarchay River is composed of shale, in places alternating with layers of fine-grained sandstone, which are easily eroded, while the left slope is composed of chalk deposits. Clayey shale is exposed in the lower part of the left slope. Both slopes of the valley here have deluvial deposits. The upper part of the left slope is rich in landslide material, which ensures good percolation of meltwater. The powerful alluvial fans of the right tributaries consist of loosened clay shale. Below the right tributary, a thick cover of loosely packed material has formed on the slope. During intense snowmelt and heavy rains, this material is washed away and feeds the river. In the arid low-mountain zone, there are frequent cases of mudflow solidification at the bottom of ravines and gullies due to their enrichment with silt-clay inclusions during short-term rainfalls.
Mudflow sources on the Gusarchay River are confined to elevations of 2,500 meters and above, where the destruction of grassy vegetation in the mountain meadow zone has been observed in recent years. This part of the basin is composed primarily of Jurassic clay shales and sandstones. A characteristic feature of the upper part of the mudflow basin is the presence of old scree deposits in the surface layers, formed on the exposed surface, primarily highland clay shales, where the rocks are eroded to a fine dust. During heavy rainfall, the dust becomes wet, turns into mud, and flows down the slopes in streams. These streams merge to form a sediment-laden flow in the riverbed.
