Study Avalanches

avalanche

Avalanches are masses of snow that roar down steep slopes. You can learn more about them by making your own.

What You Need

  • Piece of foam board
  • Glue
  • Aluminum foil
  • Small rocks
  • Sandpaper
  • Flour
  • Rolled oats
  • Sugar
  • Protractor

What You Do

  1. Construct Your “Hillside”
    Use your materials to divide your piece of foam board into four sections:

        • a slippery, “icy” part made of aluminum foil
        • a “cliff” section made of rocks glued on in a row
        • a section of “grasses” and “bushes” made of sandpaper
        • a stony part made of small, glued-on rocks

    mock avalance

  2. Make It “Snow”
    Put the board down flat and made it “snow” by sprinkling layers of: flour, sugar, and rolled oats on it, layer by layer.
  3. Tilt Board
    Slowly tilted the board up and watched for any sliding of the “snow.” Use a protractor to measure how steep the board was when the snow started to slide.