Avalanche tarns are a particular morphological form of avalanche impact and sixteen of these features are described from the Fiordland region of New Zealand. Average area of the tarns is 11000 m 2 . Profiles are given for eight of the avalanche paths where such tarns occur. All are found at the base of very steep avalanche tracks (slopes 38–59 ° ), where there are no fans, so that there is an abrupt change of slope with the valley floor. The plunging avalanches which cause the tarns may have a mass of up to 300000 tonnes and impact pressures of more than 600 kN/m 2 , although no direct measurements are available.
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Fitzharris et al. (1984) studied this question.
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