Dendrochronology as a tool for validating snow avalanches numerical simulations in the Patagonian Andes

CASTELLER, A., M. CHRISTEN, R. VILLALBA, H. MARTÍNEZ, V. STÖCKLI, J.C. LEIVA AND P. BARTELT

Santiago (Chile)

Conferencia; Cuarta Conferencia Internacional EGU Alexander von Humboldt- Los Andes: desafío para las geociencias.; 2008

European Geophysical Union (EGU)

Snow avalanches cause severe property damage and loss of life in many regions around the world, especially where they remain poorly documented. One such region is the Patagonian Andes. On 1 September 2002, the largest tragedy in the history of Argentinean mountaineering took place at Cerro Ventana when nine persons were killed by a snow avalanche. One way to confront this risk uncertainty is to apply numerical models to determine avalanche hazard zones. To do so, the friction parameters used by the models must be adjusted to local terrain and snow conditions (Furdada et al., 2002). This process can be conducted by simulating avalanche events for which the position of runout is known. In this investigation, dendrochronological methods were used to determine the spatial extent of the 2002 Cerro Ventana event (Casteller et al., 2008), thus allowing the first calibration of the frictions parameters for the region.