Gorner Glacier
Gorner Glacier and Monte Rosa
The Gorner Glacier is a valley glacier in the Monte Rosa massif, south-east of Zermatt in the Valais Alps, near the southern border of Switzerland. He is about 12.9 km long and making it the third longest glacier in the Alps. The area of the system of the Gorner glacier was estimated to be 54 km ² in 2007, this is according to the Aletsch Glacier, the second largest contiguous area of the Alps.
Below the union of the Gorner glacier with the second main arm, the Grenz glacier, the glacier is 5 km ranges, flanked by the Breithorn in the south and the Gornergrat in the North, even further to the west, the inclination being here only very flat. The ice is covered with the debris of numerous medial. The glacier tongue was in 2007 at an altitude of 2140 m. From here, the glacial stream flows Gornera to Zermatt, where it joins with other tributaries and drains under the name Matter Vispa the Matter of Rhone.
In contrast to most alpine glaciers, where it is temperate glaciers, the Gorner Glacier is a glacier polythermaler, it is also the largest of its kind in the Alps. In such a glacial the temperature is partly below the pressure melting point, this is particularly true for the Grenzgletscher.
His last high point reached the glacier in 1859. In a span of 60 years the glacier was earlier penetrated 600 meters in cultivated land and had destroyed individual houses in addition to numerous mountain huts.
On the rocky ridge above the confluence of the two main arms of the glacier Monte Rosa Hut is at 2'883 m above sea level. M. It can be reached from the Gornergrat ago by crossing of Gorner glacier and one of the starting points for climbing the peaks of Monte Rosa.
Source glacier
Main glaciers of Gornersystems is the Grenz glacier, which takes its starting point on the Signalkuppe ( 4'554 m above sea level. M. ) south of the Dufour Peak. Especially in the accumulation area at the Colle Gnifetti ( 4452 m ), the temperatures in the interior of the glacier with -13 ° C, well below the pressure melting point, so that the glacier behaves in this amount as a cold glacier and be preserved by air inclusions the historical conditions of the Earth's atmosphere. The Grenz glacier flows to the northwest of the northern foot of the Liskamms along.
North of the Dufour Peak at Weissgrat (up to 3700 m) is the actual origin of the Gorner glacier. This flows with a fairly uniform slope of 18% along the floor Horn Südfusses to the west. After about 7 km, it unites with the longer Grenzgletscher at an altitude of 2550 m, but retains its name with. Between these two glaciers on the western slope of the Dufour Peak, the 4-kilometer Monte Rosa glacier, which is connected laterally with both the border and with the Gorner glacier stretches. The Gorner is connected in its upper part over a broad ice-covered ridge with the Findel Glacier.
As an important side glaciers are the 3 to 4 km long, flowing to the south of twin glaciers ( formation at Castor, 4'228 m above sea level. M. ), blackness glaciers ( formation at Pollux, 4,092 m above sea level. M. ), Breithorn and Triftjigletscher (both on the northern slope of the Breithorn ) to name as well as the Lower Theodulgletscher.
Ablation zone
At the confluence of boundary and Gorner glacier is formed in the spring of Gornersee, a meltwater, which is dammed by the glacier ice. In the period from June to September it comes within a few days to drain the lake. This emptying caused flood peaks in Glacier Stream Gornera of up to 150 cubic meters per second, more side effects include increased flow rate of the glacier and the glacier uplift of up to half a meter.
By dominated by the Grenzgletscher polythermale nature of the Gorner glacier special phenomena are observed in the lower, flat bottom area for alpine ice streams. The glacier is particularly known for the blue glacial lakes that form on the surface. There is also a permanent network of deeply incised meltwater streams that nowhere else is there in this kind in the Alps. Also striking is the bright white color of glacial ice. These features are available only in the area of the glacier, the origin of which lies in the border glacier. This is caused by ice, the temperature is continuously below the melting point pressure.
Ground glacier
When the Gorner still handed down through the narrow passage between body boards and the cliffs of Riffelhorn and mountain, this lower section of the glacier floor was called. This name is probably " in the floor " due to the former Alpine hamlet.
In the colder periods of the Gorner glacier had advanced to the Schweigmatten at Furi, the last peak achieved was 1859. This tail -shaped, interspersed with numerous columns tongue was clearly visible from Zermatt. At this time also nourished the Breithorn glacier and the common tongue of the Triftji and the Lower Theodulgletscher the Gorner Glacier. Meanwhile, the tongue end of the Gorner glacier has moved up the valley good 2.65 km and the glacier floor no longer exists.