Editing Avalanche (section)

=== United States classification for avalanche size ===
The size of avalanches are classified using two scales; size relative to destructive force or D-scale and size relative to the avalanche path or R-scale.<ref name="Snow-2010">{{Cite book|title=Snow, weather, and avalanches : observation guidelines for avalanche programs in the United States|publisher=American Avalanche Association, National Avalanche Center |year = 2010|isbn=978-0-9760118-1-1|location=Pagosa Springs, CO|oclc=798732486}}</ref><ref name="AmAvalAssoc">{{cite web|url=https://www.americanavalancheassociation.org/swag|title=SWAGuidelines|website=American Avalanche Association|access-date=26 March 2020}}</ref> Both size scales range from 1 to 5 with the D size scale half sizes can be used.<ref name="Snow-2010" /><ref name="AmAvalAssoc" />
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Size Relative to Path
|-
|R1~Very small, relative to the path.
|-
|R2~Small, relative to the path
|-
|R3~Medium, relative to the path
|-
|R4~Large, relative to the path
|-
|R5~Major or maximum, relative to the path
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! colspan="4" |Size – Destructive Force
|-
|code
|
|mass
|length
|-
|D1
|Relatively harmless to people
|<10 t
|10 m
|-
|D2
|Could bury, injure, or kill a person
|10<sup>2</sup> t
|100 m
|-
|D3
|Could bury and destroy a car, damage a truck, destroy a wood-frame house, or break a few trees
|10<sup>3</sup> t
|1000 m
|-
|D4
|Could destroy a railway car, large truck, several buildings, or substantial amount of forest
|10<sup>4</sup> t
|2000 m
|-
|D5
|Could gouge the landscape. Largest snow avalanche known
|10<sup>5</sup> t
|3000 m
|}