Silvretta Glacier

Silvretta glacier from the west in September 2008

The Silvretta glacier is a little more than 3 km long and 1 km wide Swiss Alpine glaciers in the northeast of the Canton of Grisons. With an area of ​​approximately 2.8 km ², it is the largest glacier in the Silvretta group. The Silvretta glacier formed on the western flank of the Silvretta Horn and extends to the west, where he in the north of the glacier back, a ridge over which the border between Switzerland and Austria runs, is flanked to the south by the crest of the Chremerchöpfe. In the southeast of the Silvretta glacier since Tiatscha hangs over the ice-covered alpine Silvretta Pass ( 3'003 m above sea level. M. ) with the Vadret together. Vadret is the Romansh name for Glacier. The Silvretta Pass also forms the watershed between the Rhine and the Danube.

From the Silvretta glacier in the Verstanclabach, a source stream of the country Quart is fed. Since his high status in 1860 during the Little Ice Age, the glacier has retreated slightly more than 1 km. In the left by the glacier moraine several small lakes have since emerged. Below the glacier tongue is at 2'341 m above sea level. M. the Silvretta Hut of the Swiss Alpine Club, starting point for extensive high alpine glaciers and mountain tours.

Since 1956 data are taken from the ETH Zurich annually. Since the start of measurement until the year 2011, a decrease of the glacier by 328 meters was found. Since 1960, the mass balance of the glacier is determined annually. This is the longest unbroken still continuing series of measurements of a Swiss glacier.

The Silvretta area was included into the Swiss Federal Inventory of Landscapes and Natural Monuments of National Importance.