AVALANCHES

What?
Falling masses of snow that
contain rocks, soil or ice
that move downhill at
speeds up to 300 kph.
When hazardous?
When interact with people &
surrounding i.e. cause damaged to
properties, death, injuries,
It also cause damaged to transport
networks & livelihood-tourism
TYPES
WET SNOW
AVALANCHES
SLAB
AVALANCHES
LOOSE SNOW
AVALANCHES
-Later season
-8 to 25 km/hr
-causing snow weight 1
million tonne
-more deadly
-start due to human error
-a large slab ice & snow
shear away from hillside &
more rapidly downhill
-it has immense power
-start at a single point
-involve loose powdery
snow
-occur little warning
-any season
-speed; 300km/hr
force 50 tonnes/m2
CAUSES
HEAVY SNOWFALL TREE REMOVED HIGH RAINFALL HUMAN
RISE IN
TEMPERATURE
Add weight easily
snowfalls
Rapid melting
of snow, in
spring
Off piste
skiing
Lubricate
snow &
trigger
avalanches
Snow move
downhill
unimpeded


















Case study: Galtur Austria.
Where? Tyrolean village of Galtur
When? Tues, 23 Fe, 1999, 4 pm
Causes:
-Jan 20 Jan onwards, a sequence of 3 storms recorded
-Warmer weather at end of Jan causes melting & re-freezing until there was a much greater accumulation of snow
-Temperatures had fluctuated so that heavy wet snow fell on top of dry snow, forming unstable boundaries in the
snow pack
Nature of avalanches:
100 m height, 800 m wide, 2 sources; 200 kmph -300 kmph, 400 000 tonnes & lasted 16 seconds
Effect:
People crushed to death, 30 died in event, by 27
th
Feb -38 final death toll,
40 000 were stranded in ski resort, cars were crushed & hurled across roads, houses
Were completely buried, snow & ice clearly sliced off top of one building.



Ways to reduce
Closing Avalanches
prone slope & issue
warning
Trigger small
avalanches
Controlled Avalanches
activities
Planning
-Restrict activities;
snowboarding, skiing
in recreation with high
risk areas.

-close prone slope &
issue warning depend:
snow condition,
monitoring danger
slope &accurate
warning
Forecasting:
-Day to day
management
-predict (hazard land
zoning)
-forecast rely-
stabilizing test,
meterological data
Under controlled
condition before
the snow pack build
to a dangerous
situation. (use of
explosive to
produce small
avalanches)
Stabilizing snow
pack in starting
zone-prevent snow
pack from
achieving
momentum to
begin to move
2.planting of trees
3. Building snow
fence to deflect
avalanches from
building & slow
rate movement-
decrease energy.
Where and when to
build infrastructure
in mt areas to
minimized damage
to building &
infrastructure. It is
based on record of
previous
avalanches
activities &
reinforced by
legislation &
punishment for
infringing the
planning laws.

CASE STUDY: GALTUR AUSTRIA
Where? Tyrolean village of Galtur
When? Tues, 23 Fe, 1999, 4 pm
Causes:
1. Jan 20 Jan onwards, a sequence of 3 storms recorded
2. Warmer weather at end of Jan causes melting & re-freezing until there was a much greater accumulation of snow
3. Temperatures had fluctuated so that heavy wet snow fell on top of dry snow, forming unstable boundaries in the
snow pack
Nature of avalanches:
100 m height, 800 m wide, 2 sources; 200 kmph -300 kmph, 400 000 tonnes & lasted 16 seconds
Effect:
People crushed to death, 30 died in event, by 27
th
Feb -38 final death toll,
40 000 were stranded in ski resort, cars were crushed & hurled across roads, houses
Were completely buried, snow & ice clearly sliced off top of one building.