![]() There are many classification systems for the different forms of avalanches, which vary according to their users' needs. In mountainous areas, avalanches are among the most serious natural hazards to life and property, so great efforts are made in avalanche control. They are most frequent in winter or spring, but may occur at any time of the year. They are also different from large scale movements of ice.Īvalanches can happen in any mountain range that has an enduring snowpack. Though they appear to share similarities, avalanches are distinct from slush flows, mudslides, rock slides, and serac collapses. If an avalanche moves fast enough, some of the snow may mix with the air, forming a powder snow avalanche. After being set off, avalanches usually accelerate rapidly and grow in mass and volume as they capture more snow. Primarily composed of flowing snow and air, large avalanches have the capability to capture and move ice, rocks, and trees.Īvalanches occur in two general forms, or combinations thereof: slab avalanches made of tightly packed snow, triggered by a collapse of an underlying weak snow layer, and loose snow avalanches made of looser snow. Īvalanches can be set off spontaneously, by factors such as increased precipitation or snowpack weakening, or by external means such as humans, animals, and earthquakes. The terminus of an avalanche in Alaska's Kenai Fjords.Īn avalanche is a rapid flow of snow down a slope, such as a hill or mountain.
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