Snow fracture in relation to slab avalanche release: critical state for the onset of crack propagation
The failure of a weak snow layer buried below cohesive slab layers is a necessary, but insufficient, Drying / Rinse Agents condition for the release of a dry-snow slab avalanche.The size of the crack in the weak layer must also exceed a critical length to propagate across a slope.In contrast to pioneering shear-based approaches, recent developments