Avalanches :: essays research papers

descend Testing and SafetyWhite soft fluffy juggle, hard to create by mental act something so innocent could be so destructive. Just picture a few tons of hundred traveling down the mountain at approximately 80 miles per hour, taking down everything in its path. Avalanches have been a threat as long as there has been snow and mountains. Since Im an avid backcountry skier it is important to learn about these life laboured snow dregs of the people. So in order to protect yourself from anything you must frontmost learn how it works.First off there is three main components to an avalanche, without them you loafert have an avalanche. They go as follows 1) snow 2) slope 3) snow instability. Secondly, there be two kinds of avalanches slab and loose snow. Loose snow be minor and usu everyy never exceed 20 miles per hour. While slab avalanches are the destructive and deadly mountain slides. It is not uncommon for one of these to end a small town or forest. Since loose snow avalanc hes arent very dangerous, I will discuss slab avalanches. The fundamentals of how these snow masses occur, what to look for when mental testing and just all-together prevention.The basic chemistry behind a slab avalanche is when one socio-economic class of snow does not bond to the layer below it. Any kind of temperature change, fresh snowfall, the weight of a person, all can cause the slab to break free from the lower layer. The formation of a slab is manageable in many ways. One way is for the snow to bring on a crust and then there be more snowfall. Since snow doesnt bond to the crust it becomes a potential difference for an avalanche zone. other way is for surface hoar to develop, or large ice lechatelierite on the snow. This is usually caused by condensation on the snow surface. This will also have poor bonding characteristics, and cause for a potential slide. The crystal itself is also very stable and will stay in that formation until melted usually. Slab avalanches usu ally only occur between 35-45 ground level slopes and on a concave slope. There are ways possible to test for an avalanche zone. These tests have been developed over the years by ski patrollers, avalanche safety, and seasoned mountaineers. Make sure whenever performing an avalanche test you are not in an area where you could possibly part or be in the path of an avalanche.The most common test to use is the shear test.