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Contour.—The general contour of the mountainside also affects the bondage of the snow. On a concave slope, the snow in the lower, flatter portion of the slope tends to support the snow higher up, whereas on a convex slope the steepest portion is at the bottom, and it consequently provides less support for the snow on the flatter portion at the top. The effect of contour is relatively important if the principal cause of an avalanche is a lack of bondage between the sliding layer and the next lower layer, which may be the ground. The snow then slides, to a certain extent as a blanket. The effect of contour is less important when the danger of avalanche is due to lack of internal cohesion within a snow layer so that the snow flows |
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