The Physics of Avalanches

2009

 

There are three types of avalanches. Slab avalanches, Isothermal avalanches often called wet avalanches, finally the powder cloud avalanche also known as dry snow avalanches. There are an extraordinarily large amount of variables that cause the snow to manifest itself into a certain type of avalanche. For years engineers as well as physicists have tried to understand these variables and the effects that their interactions with one another cause. This website focuses on the three main types of avalanches, their qualitative properties, and some of the basic quantitive aspects that are used to understand them.

   







A massive powder snow avalanche hits a ski resort. (left)

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