Articles | Volume 14, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-131-2020
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-131-2020
Research article
 | 
17 Jan 2020
Research article |  | 17 Jan 2020

Modeling snow slab avalanches caused by weak-layer failure – Part 2: Coupled mixed-mode criterion for skier-triggered anticracks

Philipp L. Rosendahl and Philipp Weißgraeber

Model code and software

Weak layer anticrack nucleation model, 2phi https://github.com/2phi/weac

Short summary
Dry-snow slab avalanche release is preceded by a fracture process within the snowpack. Recognizing weak layer collapse as an integral part of the fracture process is crucial and explains phenomena such as whumpf sounds and remote triggering of avalanches from low-angle terrain. In this second part of the two-part work we propose a novel mixed-mode coupled stress and energy failure criterion for nucleation of weak layer failure due to external loading of the snowpack.