The Cryosphere
The Cryosphere
TC
Articles | Volume 11, issue 1
Articles | Volume 11, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-217-2017
© Author(s) 2017. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-217-2017
© Author(s) 2017. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Articles | Volume 11, issue 1
Research article
 | 
27 Jan 2017
Research article |  | 27 Jan 2017

Snow fracture in relation to slab avalanche release: critical state for the onset of crack propagation

Johan Gaume, Alec van Herwijnen, Guillaume Chambon, Nander Wever, and Jürg Schweizer

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Short summary
Based on DEM simulations we developed a new model for the onset of crack propagation in snow slab avalanche release. The model reconciles past approaches by considering the complex interplay between slab elasticity and the mechanical behavior of the weak layer including its structural collapse. The model agrees with extensive field data and can reproduce crack propagation on low-angle terrain and the decrease in critical crack length with increasing slope angle observed in numerical experiments.
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