Objective Avalanches seriously threaten engineering safety and disaster prevention and mitigation in the complex terrain of the Tibetan Plateau. High-precision numerical simulation is essential for avalanche-hazard risk assessment and prevention.
Methods This study focuses on a typical gully-type avalanche in the Galongla Mountain area on the border between Bome County and Medog County, Tibet. Field investigation, remote-sensing interpretation, and a high-resolution digital elevation model was integrated, and two avalanche-dynamics simulation models, RAMMS and R.avaflow, were used to analyze key dynamic characteristics, including movement process, flow velocity, pressure, and flow height. The applicability and simulation differences of the two models were compared for a long-runout, large-relief scenario with strong gully confinement.
Results The results show that R.avaflow generally produces higher maximum velocity, flow height, pressure, and total duration than RAMMS. In spatial overlay validation, however, RAMMS better reproduces the extent of the accumulation and transport zones than R.avaflow.
Conclusions Through comparative simulation of the dynamic characteristics of a typical avalanche case, this study provides a reference for selecting appropriate avalanche simulation tools under specific scenarios and has theoretical and practical significance for improving avalanche-risk management on the Tibetan Plateau.
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