Definition
A snow avalanche ensues when a pent up snow mass loses its hold and is discharged from the mountainside (Seligman, 1936, 292).
Introduction
Human interaction with snow avalanches undoubtedly began before recorded history when travelers first encountered steep slopes and deep snow. Written accounts and studies on snow avalanches began in the European Alps in the mid-nineteenth century (Seligman, 1936). Whereas at one time the majority of loss of life and property damage was associated with natural avalanches affecting those living and working in the mountains, today the majority of victims are recreationists who trigger such avalanches themselves. Over the 5-year period from 2004–2005 to 2008–2009, between 120 and 195 avalanche fatalities per year were reported to the International Commission on Alpine Rescue (www.ikar-cisa.org).
Avalanche phenomena
Avalanche types include loose snow avalanches which start from a point and spread downhill (Figure 1) and slabavalanches which...
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Stethem, C. (2013). Avalanches. In: Bobrowsky, P.T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Natural Hazards. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-4399-4_7
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