Rhône Glacier

Rhone Glacier 2008

The Rhone Glacier (partly also called rotting glacier ) is a valley glacier, source of the Rhone, in the extreme northeast of the Canton of Valais, in the Central Alps of Switzerland. He is almost 8 km long, has an average width of about two kilometers and covers an area of about 16 km ². The Rhone Glacier was especially in the 19th and early 20th century due to its then still far down into the valley at Gletsch reaching tongue a big tourist attraction. The Rhone glacier melts continuously since the mid-19th century. Experts predict that it will be almost completely disappeared by 2100.

Location

The Rhone glacier occurs at relatively shallow southwest slope of Winterberg massif on Dammastock to around 3,600 m above sea level. M. At first 2.5 km to the ice rink is named Eggfirn and overcomes a difference in altitude of about 600 m. In 3'080 m, the glacier is connected by the Lower firnbedeckte drift gap to the north adjacent Triftgletscher. The Rhone glacier now flows with slight turns and a gradient of 16% on average to the south, flanked by Tieralplistock ( 3,383 m) and the Gärstenhörnern ( 3,189 m) in the west and from Galenstock ( 3'586 m) in the east. The glacier is currently just above 2,200 m above a steep rocky slope. Here arises the Rhone. Due to the steady retreat of the glacier began to form a small lake behind the threshold of the steep slope in the years 2006/2007. This is Gletscherzungensee on further melting of the Rhone glacier clearly aggravated.

Expansion in the 19th century

During the high stage of the Little Ice Age in the 19th century and until the beginning of the 20th century, the Rhone glacier over the steep slope below the present tongue reached down to the valley of Gletsch to around 1,800 m, and indeed at times to just before the hotels of Gletsch. The maximum extent in 1856 is still good to see from the ground smooth bare rock and the deposited Moränenmaterials.

1870

1900

2005

2008

2007

2010

Glacial July 2012

Because of the Rhone glacier located on the Furka Pass road, a classic route through the Swiss Alps, he is the most accessible glacier in Switzerland. From the Hotel Belvédère on the pass road, the glacier is accessible by a few 100 m long paid footpath. Here you can visit an ice cave. In the Valley of Gletsch ( 1815 ) indicate about 1.5 m high pyramid-shaped pillars with the years the glacier shrinkage in the 19th century.

Ice, 2010

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Blue ice in the ice cave in 2010

Blue Ice 2010

Rhone Glacier Interior July 2012

Scientific research

The Rhone Glacier is one of the most researched glacier; with first geodetic measurements began in 1874. since then, there is a nearly continuous record of both length and Eisdickenänderungen were systematically recorded. And the flow velocity and the flow direction in the different portions of the Glacier were examined. One result of the early glacier studies is the 1916 published book surveys the Rhone Glacier from 1874 to 1915 of PL Mercanton, a standard work of glaciology. On average, the Rhone glacier has retreated since 1874 at an annual rate of 8.5 m and then also lost annually about 25 cm of ice thickness.

As part of a project study of the Geographical Institute of the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, a testing porch was in August 2008 built, should be examined with the following thesis: flow When radiation weather conditions so-called katabatic katabatic winds (cold katabatic winds ) over the glacial ice down the valley. If it would be possible with a porch, dam up those cold fall winds, would create a cold air cushion, which is to cool down the glacier surface. The project study was recorded by the research team led by the physical geographer Prof. Dr. Hans -Joachim Fuchs as a success. The wind catcher scored the cooling effect. About six days accumulated eleven stations around the porch around 100,000 individual measured values ​​. These indicate a maximum cooling effect of the windscreen of 3 ° C. In the area of the windscreen cold air cushion was produced.

The glacial Rhone Glacier

During the ice ages of the Rhone glacier reached together with its side glaciers in each case the largest mass of ice of all Alpine glaciers. He filled the entire Rhone valley with up to 2000 m thick ice and united with the glaciers of the Bernese and Valais Alps. In the area of Lake Geneva, it divided into two branches, one of which is further rhonetalabwärts extended into the area east of Lyon. The other arm stretched out to the northeast, where he covered the entire west-central heartland with ice and united in the Bern region with the Aaregletscher. During high stages of crack and Würm the Swiss Mittelland closest Jura chain was covered in the area of ​​Mont Tendre by the ice of the Rhone Glacier in part. In the Ice Age, the Rhone glacier extended to the area of cheeks before an der Aare between Solothurn and Olten, this is proved by the remains of former moraines. Boulders consisting of granite or gneiss of the Pennine Alps in the West Midlands to meet common. Some have such large proportions that a transport solely by hydro power is not physically possible. They could only be transported by a glacier and provided a key to the justification of the ice age theory (eg by Louis Agassiz ).