Avalanche control by explosives is among the key temporary preventive measures. Hitherto, little is known about wave propagation in a snowpack caused by an explosion. During the winter 2013-2014 we performed field experiments on a flat study site. We triggered slurry explosive charges at different heights above the snow surface. At three different distances from the point of explosion we measured surface air pressure and accelerations of the snowpack at various depths. Cameras were placed in the snow pits for recording weak layer failure and crack propagation. We report empirical relations for the decay of near-surface air pressure, accelerations, displacement velocities and displacement with distance from the explosion and depth within the snowpack. Waves within the snowpack arrived earlier at the sensors than the corresponding air pressure waves at the microphones. Air pressure decayed stronger than accelerations within the snowpack. Weak layer failure mainly happened in the top part of the snowpack. We observed two types of weak layer failure, one caused by the direct impact of the air pressure wave close to the point of observation, the other by failure induced by the air pressure wave closer to the point of explosion and subsequent crack propagation. Our measurements increase the understanding of acoustic wave propagation in snow and can be used for comparison with numerical simulations.
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