avalanche

thumb|upright=1.25|A powder snow avalanche in the Himalayas near [[Mount Everest]] 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.

AI overview

An avalanche is a rapid flow of snow down a slope such as a hill or mountain, which can be triggered by natural factors like heavy precipitation or snowpack weakening, or by external causes like humans, animals, and earthquakes. Large avalanches matter because they can capture and move not just snow and air, but also ice, rocks, and trees, making them potentially destructive events.

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Research

4,965 papers

[Avalanche rescue 2024-Current recommendations].Die Anaesthesiologie · 2025
Avalanche burial pathophysiology - a unique combination of hypoxia, hypercapnia and hypothermia.The Journal of physiology · 2024
Single Photon Avalanche Diode Arrays for Time-Resolved Raman Spectroscopy.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021
On-Site Medical Management of Avalanche Victims-A Narrative Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021
Effectiveness and use of avalanche airbags in mortality reduction among winter-recreationists.Journal of travel medicine · 2023

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Wikidata facts

Image: Laviin MAL-Pamir 85 02.jpg

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Commons gallery: Avalanche
Commons category: Avalanches
exact match: purl.obolibrary.org/obo/ENVO_01000691

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Article

39 sections

Contents

Formation
Slab avalanches
Powder snow avalanches
Wet snow avalanches
Ice avalanche
Avalanche pathway
Injuries and deaths
Terrain, snowpack, weather
Terrain
Snowpack structure and characteristics
Weather
Dynamics
Modeling
Human involvement
How to prevent avalanches
Mitigation
Early warning systems
Alarm systems
Survival, rescue, and recovery
Notable avalanches
Classification of avalanches
European avalanche risk
European avalanche size table
North American Avalanche Danger Scale
Avalanche problems
Canadian classification for avalanche size
United States classification for avalanche size
Rutschblock Test
Avalanches and climate change
Impacts on avalanche type and frequency
Impacts on burial survival rate
Avalanches of dust on Mars
See also
Related flows
Avalanche disasters
References
Bibliography
Notes
External links

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.