In snowy mountainous regions, avalanches are a dangerous and destructive problem. Researchers studying the mechanisms of these flows have a suggestion: plant more trees. A group of researchers found that Keep reading
Tag: avalanche
Sliding on Sand
Getting around on sandy slopes is no easy feat. On steep inclines, even small disturbances will cause an avalanche. The predatory antlion takes advantage of this fact by building a Keep reading
Slab Avalanche Physics
Slab avalanches like the one shown here begin after weak, porous layers of snow get buried by fresher, more cohesive snow layers. On a steep slope, the weight of the Keep reading
What Controls an Avalanche?
In an avalanche, grains spontaneously flow when a slope reaches a critical angle, and they continue flowing until they settle at a new, lower angle. Scientists have long debated why this Keep reading
Digging Sandpits
Antlion larvae dig sandpits to catch their prey, and, according to a new study, they rely on the physics of granular materials to do so. The antlion digs in a Keep reading
Inside Avalanches
Avalanches have traditionally been difficult to model and predict because of their complex nature. In the case of a slab avalanche, the sort often triggered by a lone skier or Keep reading
Flowing Flowers
Granular mixtures with particles of different sizes will often segregate themselves when flowing. In this half-filled rotating drum large red particles and smaller white ones create a stable petal-like pattern. Keep reading
The Catherine Wheel
When particles of different sizes fall in an avalanche, they separate out by size. Smaller particles form one layer with another layer of larger particles over the top. This happens Keep reading
Skiing, Avalanches, and Freezing Bubbles
To wrap up our look at Olympic physics, we bring you a wintry mix of interviews with researchers, courtesy of JFM and FYFD. Learn about the research that helped French Keep reading
Singing Sand Dunes
Reports of singing sand dunes date at least as far back as 800 C.E. Strange as it sounds, about forty sites around the world have been associated with this phenomenon, Keep reading