An Analysis of Non-Steady Plastic Shock Waves in Snow

• Published in: Journal of Glaciology
• Main Author: Brown, R. L.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 1980
• Subjects: Earth-Surface Processes; Journal of Glaciology
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0022143000010492; https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0022143000010492

Abstract The propagation of plastic shock waves in snow is analyzed in order to evaluate the effect of wave intensity and frequency content on attenuation. The results show that frequency content is not very significant and that large amplitude pressure waves lose their effectiveness very quickly. These results seem to support the present-day contention that air-induced explosions are a more effective means of controlling avalanches than explosives placed in the snow-pack and that explosive speed is not a particularly important factor in determining explosive effectiveness.