[thisjustinm]

Sorry, I didn't mean to suggest that only explosives can trigger an avalanche, obviously that is not true. Lots of natural and human activities can trigger an avalanche, shouting and even very loud soundwaves are simply not one of them. More here if you're interested: https://utahavalanchecenter.org/avalanche-problem-toolbox

[ahelwer]

Isn't an explosion just a very loud soundwave? This doesn't pass the physics sniff test, but maybe I am just being pedantic.

[astrodust]

At some point something is so loud it stops being "sound" and starts being "shock" and imparts so much energy it can break things or set things on fire.

[thfuran]

If you want to draw a distinction, ~194 dB is probably the place to do it (in Earth atmosphere). That's where the sound pressure oscillates between 0 and 2 atm and any louder would necessarily distort.

[madez]

Regarding the distortion, the error due to wrongly assumed superposition becomes noticeable before that. At this point, the non-linearity of soundwaves becomes glaringly obvious.