Strong earthquake can easily induce the debris flow process in mountainous areas, but it needs to be supplemented by necessary geomorphological, geological, hydrological or climatic conditions. The 2023 debris flow in Caotan and Jingtian Village, Zhongchuan Township in Minhe County, Qinghai Province, has attracted much attention due to its severe disaster. Based on the comprehensive investigation of debris-flow gully and its surrounding areas of Caotan village, including the survey of geomorphological and quaternary-geological features, outcrop observation, grain-size and grain-shape analysis of debris flow source and deposits as well remote sensing, the disaster process characteristics, influencing factors and future prevention and control are analyzed and discussed. The erosion/accumulation thickness and its spatial distribution characteristics of debris-flow gully show that the source area is mainly concentrated in the tributary source of the right bank on the upper reaches of Caotan Village. The rich fine sand material in the source area and the traditional irrigation method provide favorable conditions for the trigger of the slump under earthquake-induced vibration; the field investigation shows that the source is mainly supplied by a large number of shallow (2~3m) slumps, and is gradually broken and dispersed during the migration process. The existence of the shallow stable water table and the exposure of the spring water provide continuous supply of water source for the material in the source area, and finally form debris flow. The both longitudinal and transverse profiles of the circulation area of gully in the pre-disasters are complex, there exist a local small reservoirs and gully are blocked by human structures, these increase the paroxysmal and destructive capacity of debris flow. The spatial distribution characteristics of residual debris and mud traces show that the debris flow has typical plug flow characteristics and shows great viscosity. The increasing potential energy eventually led to debris-flow breaking through the valley barrier to continue to flow. Erosion and accumulation coexist along the way, reshaping the debris-flow valley. The topography of the accumulation area is further open, leading to the dispersion and accumulation of debris flows. The intrusion of civil architecture into the valley is one of the causes of the disaster. In addition, the severe cold weather and the midnight occurrence of earthquake, as well as the lack of public awareness of the nature of the disaster, also aggravated the severity of the debris flow disaster to a certain extent. In view of the many small and medium-sized basins in the upper reaches of the Yellow River, with similar stratigraphic structure, landform and hydrological conditions, and similar human settlement environment and human-land relationship, this paper proposes to carry out the investigation step by step in combination with the characteristics of this disaster. On this basis, regular inspections and investigations will be carried out for the identified high-risk and hidden dangers to strengthen the prediction and early warning of major disaster risks. At the same time, add publicity and popularization to improve the public"s scientific awareness of earthquake-induced disasters.