1 GeoScience Engineering Volume LIX (2013), No.2 http://gse.vsb.cz p. 1-8, ISSN 1802-5420 ESTIMATION OF AVALANCHE HAZARD IN THE SETTLEMENT OF MAGURKA USING ELBA+ MODEL POSÚDENIE OHROZENOSTI OSADY MAGURKY LAVÍNAMI S POUŽITÍM MODELU ELBA+ Martin BARTÍK 1 , Matúš HRÍBIK 2 , Miriam HANZELOVÁ 3 , Jaroslav ŠKVARENINA 4 1 Ing., Department of Natural Environment, Faculty of Forestry, Technical university in Zvolen T. G. Masaryka 2117/24, Zvolen, tel. (+421) 45 5206 219 e-mail bartikmartin@gmail.com 2 Ing.,PhD., Department of Natural Environment, Faculty of Forestry, Technical university in Zvolen T. G. Masaryka 2117/24, Zvolen, tel. (+421) 455206 551 e-mail vrchar@gmail.com 3 Ing., Department of Natural Environment, Faculty of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Technical university in Zvolen, T. G. Masaryka 2117/24, Zvolen, tel. (+421) 45 5206 210 e-mail mirowka@gmail.com 4 Prof., Ing.,CSc., Department of Natural Environment, Faculty of Forestry, Technical university in Zvolen,T. G. Masaryka 2117/24, Zvolen, tel. (+421) 45 5206 209 e-mail skvarenina@tuzvo.sk Abstract In our study we focused on advanced software applications to allow simulation of an avalanche. We used the model ELBA+, by which we tried to assess the vulnerability of mountain environments around the old mining settlement called Magurka (1036 m a.s.l.), which lies below the main ridge of Low Tatras at the end of Ľupčianská valley. The avalanche in the Ďurková valley released on 14 th March 1970 went down in history because it is still one of the largest avalanches recorded in Slovakia. Using archived data of the Avalanche Prevention Centre in Jasná, we tried its most faithful reconstruction. Then we tried to simulate an avalanche in the Viedenka valley using the same amount of snow in the release zone as it was supposed to be in 1970. Because a part of the Magurka settlement is situated at the mouth of this valley, which has more direct and shorter terrain than the valley of Ďurková, we examined the possibility of intervention by the avalanche. Abstrakt V našej študií sme sa zamerali na moderné softvérové aplikácie umožňujúce simuláciu lavíny. Použili sme model ELBA+, pomocou ktorého sme snažili zhodnotiť ohrozenosť horského prostredia v okolí starej banskej osady Magurka (1 036 m n. m.), ktorá leží v závere Ľupčianskej doline pod hlavným hrebeňom Nízkych Tatier. Do histórie sa zapísala hlavne lavína v doline Ďurková zo 14. marca 1970, ktorá dodnes patrí medzi najväčšie lavíny zaznamenané na Slovensku. S použitím archívnych údajov Strediska lavínovej prevencie v Jasnej sme sa pokúsili o jej čo najvernejšiu rekonštrukciu. Následne sme sa pokúsili o simuláciu lavíny v doline Viedenka pri použití rovnakej výšky snehu v odtrhovom pásme ako sa predpokladá pri lavíne v roku 1970. Keďže časť osady Magurka je situovaných pri ústí tejto doliny, ktorá má priamejší aj kratší priebeh ako dolina Ďurková, skúmali sme možnosť jej zásahu lavínou. Key words:avalanches, model ELBA+, Magurka, Low Tatras Mts., upper forest limit 1 INTRODUCTION Avalanches are a frequent phenomenon of our mountain landscapes during winter. They pose a threat to inhabitants of the mountains areas, skiers, climbers and tourists. In the past, people were looking for possibilities how to protect against avalanches. In order to avoid a formation of avalanches or minimize their destructive consequences, different measures are used. These might be in a technical, biological or organizational form [4] . In the process of making a decision about prevention and technical avalanche measures, software applications may DOI: 10.2478/gse-2014-0050