Avalanches are rapid flows of snow, ice, and debris down mountain slopes, triggered by factors like heavy snowfall, temperature changes, steep slopes (30-45°), and external forces like humans or earthquakes, leading to significant destruction of infrastructure, loss of life, and severe economic and environmental impacts such as flash floods.
Avalanches are rapid flows of snow, ice, and debris down mountain slopes, triggered by factors like heavy snowfall, temperature changes, steep slopes (30-45°), and external forces like humans or earthquakes, leading to significant destruction of infrastructure, loss of life, and severe economic and environmental impacts such as flash floods.
Causes of Avalanches:-
Avalanches occur when an unstable snowpack fails under stress, triggered by natural or human factors
Weather & Snowpack Conditions:
Heavy Snowfall: -
Adds weight, stressing weaker underlying layers.
Wind:-
Deposits snow unevenly, creating wind slabs.
Temperature Changes: -
Warming temperatures or strong temperature gradients can create weak, sugary (faceted) crystals between layers.
Layering: -
A fresh, cohesive slab of snow can sit on a weak, powdery layer, easily sliding off.
Slope Factors:Steepness: -
Slopes between 30° and 45° are most prone, as gravity's pull overcomes snow cohesion .
Most avalanches occur spontaneously during storms under increased load due to snowfall and/or erosion.
MJF Lion ER YK Sharma
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