Natural Phenomena
Avalanche
Geological Events
Citation Formats
General Reference
APA Style
BibTeX
A rapid flow of snow down a slope, triggered when an unstable layer within the snowpack fails, often set off by additional snow load, warming temperatures, or the weight of a skier or animal crossing the slope. Avalanches range from small, harmless sloughs to massive slab avalanches capable of destroying buildings and burying entire valleys, and are among the most significant natural hazards in mountainous, snow-covered regions worldwide.
Cross-Tradition Connections
Associated With
Strong seismic shaking from an earthquake is a well-documented direct trigger of snow avalanches on unstable slopes.
The rapid temperature rise and snowmelt a foehn wind brings on its lee-side descent is a well-documented direct trigger of wet-snow avalanches in mountain regions.
Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.
View At A Past Year
The atlas records no dated fact of its own for this entry, so there is no other year to choose.