Waves of snow crash down a Swiss mountainside
147 views · Published 4 February 2015 · 1:53 · Indexed 4 November 2026
Channel: vyganews com · 2015 · Entertainment
The terrifying moment an avalanche thunders down a mountainside has been captured by brave photographers at Vallee de la Sionne, near Sion in Switzerland. Incredible images reveal the snow crashing down the mountain at more than 50mph (80km/h) as scientists watch from a hut close to the avalanche's path. The full-scale avalanche was triggered by scientists using explosives as part of an experiment to help them understand and model avalanche motion. Researchers at the Swiss Institute of Research of Snow used seismic sensors - usually used to detect earthquakes - to record ground vibrations that could pick up an avalanche. Meanwhile, photographers took pictures so that they could compare it with the seismic data to estimate the size of future events. Another key measurement is snow temperature, and researchers collected data on this before, during and after the avalanche. Scientists are hoping to learn more about how avalanches form. They believe the most deadly type of avalanche, dubbed a 'slab avalanche,' forms when an area of snow shatters and slides off the mountainside.
