Snowflakes and Avalanches Additional Information

Published by Franklin Watts/Scholastic, 1992.

In 1962, an avalanche in Peru destroyed eight villages and killed 3,500 people in just 7 minutes. Hundreds of avalanches, made of huge masses of snow, and landslides, made of rocks and mud, crash down from mountains every year. Most of them happen in remote areas, so they don’t affect people. Packed with color photographs, cutaway diagrams, and maps, this book features descriptions of the different types of avalanches and landslides. The book provides examples of the devastation caused by these natural disasters. It also discusses what people can do to predict and prevent avalanches.

Published by Tundra Books, 2004.

If you want to know anything and everything about snow, turn to this playfully illustrated book. Its short chapters cover dozens of snowy topics: how snow crystals develop, spring thaws, how filmmakers film snow, snow prints, avalanches, snowbirds, and more. Along with weather information, stories of snowy expeditions, and information about snow-dwelling plants and animals, the book offers wintry folktales from around the world.

Published by Franklin Watts/Scholastic, 1997.

Avalanches, landslides, slumps, and creeps are all examples of a natural event known as mass wasting. Mass wasting results from the downward movement of rocks or snow. It can happen quickly, due to a sudden thunderstorm. In other cases, it takes place over many years. Whatever the pace, mass wasting can cause extensive damage to homes, roads, and the environment. This book describes how scientists have studied this natural phenomenon and how people have attempted to prevent it. A chapter on historic landslides details the events of some of the most tragic and spectacular cases of mass wasting in recent times.