Editing Avalanche (section)

=== Avalanche pathway ===
As an avalanche moves down a slope it follows a certain pathway that is dependent on the slope's degree of steepness and the volume of snow/ice involved in the [[Mass wasting|mass movement]]. The origin of an avalanche is called the Starting Point and typically occurs on a 30–45 degree slope. The body of the pathway is called the Track of the avalanche and usually occurs on a 20–30 degree slope. When the avalanche loses its momentum and eventually stops it reaches the Runout Zone. This usually occurs when the slope has reached a steepness that is less than 20 degrees.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Natural Disasters|last=Abbott|first=Patrick|publisher=McGraw-Hill Education|year=2016|isbn=978-0-07-802298-2|location=New York}}</ref> These degrees are not consistently true due to the fact that each avalanche is unique depending on the stability of the [[snowpack]] that it was derived from as well as the environmental or human influences that triggered the mass movement.{{fact|date=January 2024}}