NONLINEAR DYNAMICS OF SLOPE FLOWS: SIMPLE MODELS AND EXACT SOLUTIONS

Abstract

Regular observations at the Northern Caucasus Geophysical Observatory recorded on March 10, 2006, a catastrophic avalanche, which caused disaster and fatalities. The instruments located immediately beneath the avalanche development zone in the tunnel of the Baksan neutrino observatory recorded detailed structure of the seismic and magnetic fields at the stage of preparation and descent of the avalanche. We obtained unique data that make it possible to correlate them with independently measured characteristics of the avalanche (volume of the snow mass, velocity of motion, moments of contacts with uneven features of the pathway, and so on). However, simple models and formulas for the specific analysis are lacking. Therefore, we propose a theoretical basis for comparison with the field experiment data.