Natural Avalanches 12-10-04

                               Many large natural avalanches  fell on Wednesday night and Thursday throughout the Logan Area.                

Snow continued to fall and westerly winds continued to blow after most of the avalanches occurred, so much evidence of this natural cycle has been drifted over already.

       This shallow remaining crown, on a 37 degree east facing slope east of Mount Magog, evidences an avalanche that was over 300' wide and 1'-3.5' deep.

               Derek ponders the evidence.  Here, a stiff wind-drifted slab broke on a layer of weak sugary snow near the ground.

                                                                      Bird Canyon 12-10-04

                                 Many of the huge, east facing slopes in the Wellsville Mountain Wilderness avalanched on Wednesday night. 

                             Deep piles of deposition are visible from across Cache Valley.  This avalanche ran over 2500 vertical feet.

                                             Snow stacked up in deep piles on each side of the long, snake-like  Bird Canyon gully.

                                                        Near the bottom of the deposition, a messy natural half-pipe was formed.