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In recent years, rock avalanche disasters have been occurring frequently in southwest China, which seriously affect the regional ecological environment and human activities. To understand the fragmentation characteristics of the avalanche masses during their movement, this study is based on the field investigation of the rock avalanche in Zongling Town, Nayong County. The dynamic fragmentation process of the rock avalanche during the failure and accumulation stages was simulated using the particle discrete element method. Additionally, the distribution characteristics of the maximum feret's diameter of the fragments within the rock avalanche mass were statistically analyzed. The results show that: (1) Under the effect of gravity, the internal structural joints of the rock avalanche rapidly interconnected, dividing the avalanche mass into numerous fragmented blocks that eventually slid along the down-dip joint surfaces. (2) The collapse exhibited significant fragmentation phenomena in the entire movement process, with extensive disintegration during the initial failure and friction-induced tearing and cracking fragmentation during the accumulation stage. (3) The feret's diameter distribution curves of the fragments at different time intervals were fitted using Weibull two-parameter distribution model and fractal geometry theory. The results showed that the fragmentation degree of the avalanche during the accumulation stage (t = 21.7 to 72.4 s) was weaker than that during the initial failure stage (t = 0 to 21.7 s). The fractal dimension of the fragments and the proportion of fine-grained fragments continuously increased throughout the entire movement process, once again confirming the fragmentation and disintegration phenomena during the entire process of failure and accumulation. The research findings provide a theoretical basis for revealing the dynamic fragmentation mechanism of the Zongling rock avalanche, and provide scientific guidance for the prevention and control of rock avalanche disasters in the mountainous areas of southwest China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On January 27, 2021, a small-scale loess landslide occurred in Dangchuan Village, Yongjing County, Gansu Province, China. Timely monitoring and warning helped to prevent any casualties. The sliding mass of the Dangchuan landslide fell in two stages with an interval of 24 s and lasted for a total of 31 s. Eventually, the Dangchuan landslide had a descent height of approximately 120 m and a sliding portion stretching approximately 350 m. The landslide volume was approximately 3 × 104 m3. Based on the investigation of different stages of the Dangchuan landslide and the characteristics of the deposition area, the induction of this landslide was attributed to the effect of frozen stagnant water. Following field investigation of the landslide source and crack areas, a potential sliding mass model with a volume of 5 × 104 m3 was obtained via calculation. To predict the disaster scope of potential landslides, we first used DAN3D software to invert this Dangchuan landslide. Then, based on the numerical model parameters obtained from the inversion, the sliding accumulation process of the potential slide mass was simulated. The results showed that the maximum disaster scope of the potential slide mass would be larger than that of the Dangchuan landslide. The new deposit would cover an area of approximately 3.5 × 104 m2, with a thickness in the range of 0–6 m. The new deposition area would expand by approximately 50 m in the long-axis direction compared to the Dangchuan landslide, impacting the houses and roads. The DAN3D prediction results of the disaster scope will help residents in the potential danger zone evacuate in advance, reducing unnecessary damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]