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avalanches
Avalanche
A fast-moving mass of snow, rock, ice, and soil rushes down a slope, snapping large trees like matchsticks. Large avalanches can weigh a million tons and travel at speeds of 200 mph.
Take a closer look at the two main types of snow avalanches, sluffs and slabs. Then discover why its difficult for scientists to predict these destructive events with any certainty.
Growing Snow to Help Predict Avalanches
Meet Ed Adams, an engineering professor at Montana State University. He's growing snow in a laboratory to learn more about avalanches and the unstable snow spots on mountains that can cause them. More...
Palm Sunday Avalanche
In the late 1890s, thousands of people headed to Alaska in hopes of finding gold. The deadliest event of the Klondike gold rush, the Palm Sunday Avalanche, buried more than 65 victims in up to 30 feet of snow. More...
Ping-Pong Avalanches
Trying to determine where an avalanche will occur and what path it will take is very difficult. But an experiment with ping-pong balls might help. More...
‘I Was Buried Alive in an Avalanche’
Imagine being buried under several feet of snow and having no idea if you would be found. That is exactly what happened to Rhianna Shaw in the winter of 2012. Listen to her talk about her experience. More...
Avalanche! Capturing It on Film
You really don't want to be in the path of an avalanche. But this page tells you how professionals safely capture film of an avalanche as it happens. More...
Avalanches 101
Think you know a lot about avalanches? Watch this video — then take the quiz. Don't worry. The answers are provided as well! More...
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