Correct Answer - Option 2 : Slab
Avalanches: An avalanche can be simply defined as a mass of snow that moves quickly down a mountain.
| Type of snow |
Characteristics |
| Loose snow |
- They are common on steep slopes and are seen after a fresh snowfall.
- Since the snow does not have time to settle down fully or has been made loose by sunlight, the snow-pack is not very solid.
- Such avalanches have a single point of origin, from where they widen as they travel down the slope.
|
| Slab |
- Loose Snow Avalanches in turn could cause a Slab Avalanche, which is characterized by the fall of a large block of ice down the slopes.
- Thin slabs cause fairly small amounts of damage, while the thick ones are responsible for many fatalities.
- Slab avalanches are the most dangerous type and responsible for more than 90% of the deaths that occur in avalanches.
|
| Powder snow |
- A mix of the other forms, Loose Snow and Slab.
- The bottom half of this avalanche consists of a slab or a dense concentration of snow, ice, and air.
- Above this is a cloud of powdered snow, which can snowball into a larger avalanche as it progresses down the slope.
- The speed attained by this avalanche can cross 190 miles per hour and they can cross large distances.
|
| Wet snow |
- These are quite dangerous as they travel slowly due to friction, which collects debris from the path fairly easily.
- The avalanche comprises water and snow at the beginning, but understanding avalanches have shown us that it can pick up speed with ease.
|
From the above discussion, we can say that Slab avalanches are most destructive in nature.
