Short Note on Slab-Avalanche Measurements

• Published in: Journal of Glaciology
• Main Author: Perla, R.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 1978
• Subjects: Earth-Surface Processes; Journal of Glaciology
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0022143000021250; https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0022143000021250

Abstract From a study of 205 slab avalanches it is concluded that failure initiates where the slope is 25° or steeper, that slab failure stress is in the range 10 2 N m -2 to 10 4 N m -2 , and that the slab failure plane is most commonly at a temperature of -5°C or warmer. The study also indicates that the shear strength of weak layers varies approximately as the square of the density.