Arolla Glacier

The Arollagletscher (French Glacier d' Arolla ) refers to a glacier system at the far end of the Val d' Arolla in the Valais Alps, in the canton of Valais, near the southern border of Switzerland. The system consists of the following two glaciers:

  • Glacier du Mont Collon called ( German Mont Collon Glacier ), in the lower part Bas Glacier d' Arolla ( German Lower Arollagletscher )
  • Haut Glacier d' Arolla ( German Upper Arollagletscher )

The German names are each hardly used. The larger glacier is the Glacier du Mont Collon with a length of almost 5 km and a width of 1 km in the upper part. It covers an area of around 7 km ². He takes his starting point in the Pointes d' Oren (up to 3525 m above sea level. M. ) and flows northward through a broad trough between the Petit Mont Collon ( 3556 m above sea level. M. ) in the west and L' Eveque ( 3716 m above sea level. M. ) and Mont Collon in the east. To the west it has a wide, ice-covered pass ( Col de Chermotane, 3050 m above sea level. M. ) connection with the Otemmagletscher. On the west face of Mont Collon Glacier crashes with a gradient of some 60 % in the depth and overcomes a height difference of 600 m. In the lower, back flat part of the glacier usually Bas Glacier d'Arolla is called. This flows a little more than 1 km to the north and ends with its glacier tongue at 2160 m above sea level at present. M. Here arises the Borgne d' Arolla, which later united with the Borgne de Ferpècle and flows through the Val d' Hérens the Rhône.

In the valley east of Mont Collon is the Haut Glacier d' Arolla, which is 4 km long and up to 1 km wide and occupies an area of ​​about 5 sq. km. It has its origin at 3200 m above sea level. M. north of Mont Brulé ( 3585 m above sea level. M. ). Then it flows with uniform slope of 12 to 15% first northwest, then to north, bordered by the Mont Collon in the west and the Bouquetins (up to 3838 m above sea level. M. ) in the east. The glacier is currently at 2550 m above sea level. Level, about 1 km before the ice flow of the Bas Glacier d' Arolla.

At the time of the high stage of the Little Ice Age in the mid- 19th century and until the 20th century were the two glaciers in a coherent system. During its largest expansion in the modern era of the Bas Glacier d' Arolla almost 2 km was made down the valley and ended only a little behind the present-day resort Arolla.

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