Avalanches Essay

613 Words3 Pages
CAUSES TO AVALANCHES: Most avalanches occur after a heavy snowfall, 24 hours after the avalanche is the most critical. What happens is that recent snow fall puts stress on the existing snow pack, and if the old pack does not adequately bond with the others it becomes disasters. Warm fronts can impact on avalanches drastically because the heat can seriously weaken the top layers of snow. Wind usually blows up one side of the mountain and down the other, when the wind blows on the other side and the slope becomes uneven and the slope then becomes prone to and avalanche. The most important factor would be how the snow pack has formed. Trying to understand the history of the slope can show you a few clues on the slopes stability. Although avalanches will run on slopes facing any direction, most avalanches run on slopes facing north, east, and northeast. The sun is at such a low angle, particularly during the winter. Once the avalanche has fallen it leaves the rest of the slope very weal and any sudden provocation could cause the slope to collapse again. CONSEQUENCES OF AVALANCHES: During an avalanche many people are killed because of the cold conditions and of course being buried under snow. Avalanches also damage or completely destroy homes and anything in the way of one, they can take lives and homes they also change the landscape of the ground and will be now uneven that will cause more avalanches. Communication lines, rail roads, and large buildings are also in danger. Everything in the avalanches path will be destroyed. Prevention and protective measures: Areas at high risk of avalanches can usually be identified because of the mountain slope; these areas will then be observed very carefully for any sudden changes. Prevention and protective measures that have been implemented are the following: • Evacuation planning for
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