TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2021//
TI  - Mechanisms of slab avalanche release and impact in the Dyatlov Pass incident in 1959
JO  - Communications Earth & Environment
A1  - Gaume, Johan
A1  - Puzrin, Alexander M.
SP  - 1
EP  - 11
VL  - 2
IS  - 1
N2  - The Dyatlov Pass incident is an intriguing unsolved mystery from the last century. In February 1959, a group of nine experienced Russian mountaineers perished during a difficult expedition in the northern Urals. A snow avalanche hypothesis was proposed, among other theories, but was found to be inconsistent with the evidence of a lower-than-usual slope angle, scarcity of avalanche signs, uncertainties about the trigger mechanism, and abnormal injuries of the victims. The challenge of explaining these observations has led us to a physical mechanism for a slab avalanche caused by progressive wind-blown snow accumulation on the slope above the hikers' tent. Here we show how a combination of irregular topography, a cut made in the slope to install the tent and the subsequent deposition of snow induced by strong katabatic winds contributed after a suitable time to the slab release, which caused severe non-fatal injuries, in agreement with the autopsy results.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 2662-4435
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s43247-020-00081-8
ID  - ref1
ER  -