Essays on Avalanches

Avalanche

Summary

Avalanches pose grave risks to the lives of human beings. People who have the misfortune to get stuck in the path of an avalanche have a 50% chance of survival. The remaining 50% either suffocate beneath the layers of snow that the avalanche brings in its wake, or die of trauma caused by the weight of snow and debris. In every century, there are, on an average, two large-scale avalanches. Of all types of avalanches, the dry slab avalanche is the most dangerous. The dry slab avalanches are responsible for nearly 90% of the deaths that occur due to ...

A natural disaster occurs as the effect of natural hazard. The UN office for co-ordination of humanitarian affairs, defines natural disaster as the “consequences of events triggered by natural hazards that overwhelm local response capacity and seriously affect the social and economic development of a region.”. According to the UN office definition, not all natural phenomenons that occur on planet earth can be termed as natural disasters. A natural phenomenon becomes natural disaster when it proves uncontrollable during its occurrence. For instance, when hurricanes strike an uninhabited island, such a phenomenon cannot be termed as a natural disaster. In this case, ...

Are you one of those adventurers who are planning to climb Mount Everest to reach the highest point on earth? You may have to change your plans already. Mount Chimborazo, located in the Cordillera Occidental, Andes Mountains, Ecuador has been found out to be the “Highest Mountain above the Earth’s Center”. Although, Mt. Everest has the highest altitude, Mount Chimborazo is said to be higher by at least two (2) kilometers than Mount Everest due to the “equatorial bulge” of the earth. (geology.com, 2014) Mount Chimborazo is an Andean stratovolcano in Central Ecuador. It is also the ...

- What is a Volcano? A volcano can be described as a mountain that leads to a pool of molten rock present below the surface of the earth. Upon building up of enough pressure, an eruption of the molten lava occurs. Eruptions can cause lava flows, hot ash flows, lateral blasts, avalanches, mudslides, falling ash, and floods. Tsunamis and earthquakes are also possible consequences of such volcanoes (Wicker). - Formation of Volcanoes When the magma from the Earth’s interiors erupts to form lava deposits and ash flows on the surface due to pressure, a volcano is said to have ...