List of avalanches

High school (ages 12+)
Environment & Earth

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/list-of-avalanches

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the primary failure mechanism?Shear stress exceeding shear strength within the snowpack
2. What is the common avalanche types?Slab avalanches, powder avalanches, wet snow avalanches
3. What are some famous avalanches mentioned in the article?The article talks about the White Friday avalanches during World War I and the 1970 Huascarán debris avalanche in Peru.
4. How did the White Friday avalanches happen?They were triggered by artillery fire on the Italian front during World War I, causing many soldiers to be lost.

Snowpack Stratigraphy: The layering of different snow types and densities accumulated over time.
Shear Stress: The force acting parallel to a surface, tending to cause sliding.
Anthropogenic Trigger: An avalanche initiated by human activity or intervention.