Main Content
-
Avalanche at Dawn
Photograph by Skip Brown
Snow surges down a mountain in a dawn avalanche in Chile's Torres del Paine National Park. Avalanches are commonly thought of as snow events, but can involve other materials as well, including rocks, ice, and debris.
-
Nameless Tower
Photograph by Bill Hatcher
An avalanche thunders down the rocky flanks of Nameless Tower in Pakistan's Karakoram Range. This massive cascade of snow followed a six-day storm.
-
Rock Mountain Avalanche
Photograph by Timothy G. Laman
Placid ground snow awaits the crush of an avalanche descending a rock mountain face in Alaska. Over the past several years, Alaska has recorded more avalanche fatalities than any other U.S. state.
-
Mountainside Avalanche
Photograph by Norbert Rosing
A column of snow slides down a mountainside in Germany's Berchtesgaden National Park. About 250,000 avalanches occur each year in the Alps.
-
Mt. Rainier Avalanche
Photograph by Marc Muench/Getty Images
A massive slab of glacier dislodges, triggering an avalanche in Mt. Rainier National Park in Washington. Avalanches range from a small-scale movement of loose snow, called sluffing, to massive displacements.
-
Hanging Glacier Avalanche
Photograph by Johnny Johnson/Getty Images
A hanging glacier throws off an avalanche of snow in Antarctica's South Georgia Island. Warming temperatures on the continent cause massive chunks of ice to break from glaciers, triggering avalanches.
-
Tuca, Spain Avalanche
Photograph by Per Eriksson/Getty Images
Part of a cross-country skiing track disappears in snow dust as an avalanche tumbles down a slope in Tuca, Spain. Certain avalanches can reach speeds of 245 miles (394 kilometers) per hour.
Related Features
Advertisement
World Water Day
The world's increasing population and development of agricultural land are putting pressure on the Earth's limited freshwater supplies. Find out what's at stake and how you can help.
-
Why Should You Care?
Learn more about the world's water challenge with photos, stories, videos, and more.
-
Water Is Life
Explore the pages of National Geographic magazine's special issue devoted to water.
-
How Much Water Per Pound?
Find out how much water it takes to put beef, wheat, and more on your plate.
Blogs
-
The Green Guide Blog
Get tips for everyday green living from National Geographic.
-
BlogWild
Step into the field with National Geographic explorers.
-
Beyond Green Travel
Get green tips and trip ideas from Adventure Editor Costas Christ.
-
NatGeo NewsWatch
Keep current on developments in science, nature, and cultures.
Special Ad Section
-
Blue Water Project
Take our quiz and test your water knowledge.
-
Sweepstakes
Enter to win a trip to Fort Worth, Texas, and spend a day with a National Geographic photographer!
