An Avalanche is a mass of snow, ice and sometimes even other debris falling rapidly down a 35 to 45° mountain slope.
How It Occurs
Firstly, there would have to be a large, heavy mass of snow, therefore making the slab on top of the mountain extremely heavy. Making this heavier forces the snow to lose its grip to the mountain. This then results in the snow breaking away from the oversupply of snow.
This then results in the slab collapsing, because of this forcing the snow to plummet somewhere, and that is unfortunately down the mountain track. All of the snow slides down the mountain at a maximum speed of 120Km/H. All of these eventually force an Avalanche to occur.
Where It Happens
Avalanches happen on many mountains worldwide, but happen very frequently in South America, Europe, North America and Asia. Places like Peru, Canada and Kyrgyzstan are mostly the most prone to this type of natural disaster, whereas places such as France and Afghanistan don’t have them occur as often, but when they do, they prove extremely dangerous, and sometimes even deadly.
Avalanches don’t just occur on any mountain. You would have to have a mountain that lives in a 35 to 45 degree angle, no more, no less. Firstly he slab would already have to be packed out with snow. In the meantime, it would have to be snowing relatively heavy, as a result forming an Avalanche.
Famous Examples
Most Avalanches can be very devastating, but some of them have been worse than others. Back in April 2014, Mount Everest suffered an Avalanche that took the lives of many people, wiped out homes completely, and using its 14,000,000 Kilograms of snow, reportedly wiped out completely loaded steam trains! If you thought that sounded bad, back on the 10th of January, 1970 in Peru, South America, 20,000 citizens of Peru were wiped out of their homes.
Famous Places
In other countries, there are up to 7,000 Avalanches reported every year! Places such as Nepal suffer many disastrous earthquakes which thanks to this results in an Avalanche.
Effect of the Disaster
The effect of an Avalanche can be devastating, but here are some examples of the damage that can be caused by this disaster. The victims of the Avalanche that were on the mountain at the time will usually be found at the bottom of the mountain, known as the runout, where, after 15 minutes, would be near impossible to get out of, let alone breathe. As a result of this, the victim’s worry would be suffocation.
Avalanches contain mass after mass of weight, therefore wiping out many thing that we mere humans see as extremely heavy. Even light masses of snow have the ability to wipe out strongly structured homes and motor vehicles. In a more destructive Avalanche, this natural disaster can wipe up this with as much weight as a fully loaded passenger train AND tram.
Warning Signs
There are in fact a few warning signs that you would see about ten to fifteen minutes before the Avalanches will begin it’s destructive fall down the mountain track. On the top of the mountain, known as the trigger, the snow will begin to slowly ooze down towards the runout, this results in the beginning of an Avalanche.
If snowfall is becoming reasonably heavy, the snow around the slab and the trigger will slowly begin to build up. Meanwhile, you should also see some pieces of the snow part away from the rest of the slab, causing all of the snow to fall down the mountain.
Precautions
Avalanches look impossible to escape but, like wildfires, getting out early is key to survival. Transmitting beacons in the snow recognize when it is believed to be the beginning of an Avalanche.
Another tip for staying safe during this disaster like this is to look for your friends. Your friends are the most likely people to pull you out of the wreckage of an Avalanche if you’re stuck in the runout of an Avalanche. Lastly, of course if you see it or hear news about it, immediately get out with all your belongings. Also, you should find an Avalanche expert at each skiing or snowboarding resort that you decide to make the trek to.
Conclusion
An Avalanche is a destructive wave of snow rapidly falling down a mountain. This terrifying mass of snow can move down the mountain track at a speed of 120 Kilometers per hour. Avalanches will only slide down a 35 to 45 degree angle, making this a deadly disaster. These destructive collapses of snow can contain a mass of up to 14,000,000 Kilograms, so if you’re caught, you’re going to need a helping hand or two. How would you like to get caught in the middle of this deadly natural disaster?