Avalanche

Avalanche

An avalanche is a rapid flow of snow down a slope, such as a hill or mountain. Avalanches can be triggered spontaneously, by factors such as increased precipitation or snowpack weakening, or by external means such as humans, other animals, and earthquakes. Primarily composed of flowing snow and air, large avalanches have the capability to capture and move ice, rocks, and trees. Avalanches 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. After being set off, avalanches usually accelerate rapidly and grow in mass and volume as they capture more snow. If an avalanche moves fast enough, some of the snow may mix with the air, forming a powder snow avalanche. Though they appear to share similarities, avalanches are distinct from slush flows, mudslides, rock slides, and serac collapses.

Data Source : Wikipedia

• Related Topics:  Glacier Collapse - Glacier Collapse Is A Variant Of A Landslide That Occurs When A Large Section Of A Glacier Breaks Apart, Detaches, And Slides Rapidly Downslope., Debris Flow - Debris Flows Are Geological Phenomena In Which Water-Laden Masses Of Soil And Fragmented Rock Flow Down Mountainsides, Funnel Into Stream Channels, Entrain Objects In Their Paths, And Form Thick, Muddy Deposits On Valley Floors., Gravity Current - In Fluid Dynamics, A Gravity Current Or Density Current Is A Primarily Horizontal Flow In A Gravitational Field That Is Driven By A Density Difference In A Fluid Or Fluids And Is Constrained To Flow Horizontally By, For Instance, A Ceiling., Lahar - A Lahar Is A Violent Type Of Mudflow Or Debris Flow Composed Of A Slurry Of Pyroclastic Material, Rocky Debris And Water. The Material Flows Down From A Volcano, Typically Along A River Valley., Landslide - Landslides, Also Known As Landslips, Rockslips, Rockfalls, Mudslides, Mudslips Or Rockslides, Are Several Forms Of Mass Wasting That May Include A Wide Range Of Ground Movements, Such As Rockfalls, Mudflows, Shallow Or Deep-Seated Slope Failures And Debris Flows., Mudflow - A Mudflow, Also Known As Mudslide Or Mud Flow, Is A Form Of Mass Wasting Involving Fast-Moving Flow Of Debris And Dirt That Has Become Liquified By The Addition Of Water. Such Flows Can Move At Speeds Ranging From Three To Five Metres Per Second., Avalanches, Natural Disasters, Weather Hazards