Item: The Avalanche Catasthophe of El Teniente-Chile: August 8 of 1944
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Title: The Avalanche Catasthophe of El Teniente-Chile: August 8 of 1944
Proceedings: 2002 International Snow Science Workshop, Penticton, British Columbia
Authors:
- Jose Vergara [ Universidad de Chile, Santiago-Chile ]
- Maria C. Baros [ Direccion de Comunicaciones, Division EI Teniente Codelco-Chile ]
Date: 2002
Abstract: The avalanche of El Teniente-Chile (~34°S) August 8 of 1944, was the most serious avalanche accident in Chile of the last 100 years. On the night of August 8, 1944, a major avalanche impacted a The Sewell, a worked village of the Copper Mine of EI Teniente, there were 102 fatalities, 8 building, one school and one bridged destroyed. Due to a storm over the central part of Chile where intense precipitation fall over the Andes mountains during nine days. Historical precipitation records near to Sewell shows that total rainfall during the storms was 299mm (La Rufina) and 349mm (Bullileo), and the day before of avalanche the 24 hours rain intensity was 93mm. The Weilbull statistical analysis of monthly snowfall (water equivalent) record in Sewell from 1912-2001 show that the total August 1944 snowfall (621mm) was the larger of the all historical records and the return period is close one events in 180 years, and the annual snowfall during 1944 was 1140mm and return periods was 3.8 years.
Object ID: issw-2002-225-227.pdf
Language of Article: English
Presenter(s): Unknown
Keywords: chile, avalanches, andes mountains, avalanche disaster, historical snow records
Page Number(s): 225-227
Subjects: catastrophe avalanche el teniente-chile historical snow records
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