Earthquake-induced snow avalanches: I. Historical case studies

Podolskiy, Evgeny A.; Nishimura, Koichi; Abe, Osamu; Chernous, Pavel

doi:10.3189/002214310792447815

Cited by 31 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 35 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Earthquakes with longer duration of shaking i.e. higher TD, are more prone to slab failure (Podolskiy et al, 2010a). These results are consistent with the physical conditions and the geographical situation of the earthquakes (Fig.…”

supporting

confidence: 80%

“…Therefore, the snow cover structure is one of the most important factors, apart from earthquake magnitude and distance, to consider in the correlation of earthquakes and snow avalanches. Podolskiy et al (2010a) using snow profiles from starting zones of avalanches triggered by earthquakes in Japan, showed the weakness of the snow strength to be stressed until failure by the inertial forces induced by the earthquake.…”

Section: Nivo-meteorological Conditions and Snow Cover Simulationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Podolskiy et al (2010a) (Podolskiy et al, 2010c) showed an important reduction of that threshold. In particular, statistically identified earthquakes of magnitudes in the range M w 3-3.9 induced snow avalanches at distances 100-199 km.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The relationship between the frequency content of the seismic source and the slab failure has not been studied yet. All the documented cases of earthquakes-induced avalanches (Podolskiy et al, 2010a) were for earthquakes located at a distance relatively close to the source (in a range of 0.2-640 km). Teleseismic earthquakes do not usually trigger snow avalanches, although the peak ground acceleration recorded at the site could be higher than that of the studied local earthquakes.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…3). However, earthquakes and explosions affect snow with a high loading rate (Podolskiy et al, 2010a) and at these high rates the elastic properties of the snow are predominant and the snow samples break after very limited deformation (McClung, 2009).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

Evaluation of a snow avalanche possibly triggered by a local earthquake at Vallée de la Sionne, Switzerland

Pérez-Guillén

Tapia

Furdada

et al. 2014

Cold Regions Science and Technology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Please cite this article as: Pérez-Guillén, C., Tapia, M., Furdada, G., Suriñach, E., McElwaine, J.N., Steinkogler, W., Hiller, M., Evaluation of a snow avalanche possibly triggered by a local earthquake at Vallée de la Sionne, Switzerland, Cold Regions Science and Technology (2014), doi: 10.1016/j.coldregions.2014 This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain.A C C E P T E D M A N U S C R I P T ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT AbstractSnow avalanches are moving sources of infrasonic and seismic energy. They can be triggered by many different mechanisms that include the shaking produced by earthquakes. The forces induced by an earthquake can cause an increase in the load down the slope and can also decrease the shear strength and both effects can cause the release of an avalanche. This phenomenon represents an important hazard associated with earthquakes in snow-covered mountain areas with high seismicity.On 6 December 2010 a snow avalanche was released at the experimental site of Vallée de la Sionne (VDLS) in Switzerland seconds after a local earthquake of magnitude A C C E P T E D M A N U S C R I P T ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT2 M L 3.1 with the hypocenter in France, approximately 43 km from the avalanche starting zone. The seismic and infrasound signals generated by the earthquake and the snow avalanche were recorded by an array of sensors installed at VDLS. This paper analyses these data and shows that the avalanche was possibly triggered by the earthquake. This analysis also allows us to determine the characteristics of the avalanche (type and path).The infrasound data shows that the time of the avalanche release coincided with the arrival of the seismic waves of the earthquake. We calculate the values of the ground vibration parameters (PGD, PGV, PGA, PSA, I a and TD) measured at the release area of the avalanche and compare them with those of two other earthquakes that did not trigger an avalanche. To evaluate the influence of the snowpack stratigraphy with the effectiveness of the earthquakes to trigger an avalanche, we simulate the snow cover using the one-dimensional snow cover model SNOWPACK. The weather and snow cover conditions of the days on which these events occurred are compared and used to evaluate the snowpack stability and the consequent likelihood of avalanche activity. The snowpack stability is the primary factor that determines whether an avalanche may be triggered by minor earthquakes. We conclude that when the snowpack is only marginally stable then the displacement caused by even a small earthquake could be enough to trigger an avalanche. Furthermore, the analysis of the other two, even stronger...

show abstract

supporting

confidence: 80%

Section: Nivo-meteorological Conditions and Snow Cover Simulationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations