Stein Glacier
The rock glacier ( Swisstopo: Steigletscher ) is a valley glacier south of the Susten Pass in the Urner Alps, in the extreme east of the canton of Bern, Switzerland. It has a length of 4.3 km and covers an area of almost 8 km ².
His starting point takes the stone glaciers on the mountain ridge between the Gwächtenhorn ( 3,420 m above sea level. M. ) in the west and the Sustenhorn in the east. From here, the glacier flows north along the western flank of the Little Horn Susten ( 3'318 m above sea level. M. ) and the Susten lace ( 2'931 m above sea level. M. ). The glacier is currently at 1,940 m above sea level. M. just behind the Steinsee ( Swisstopo: Steisee ); another tongue overlaps the ridge between the Tierbergli and the mountain goat. The glacier drains into the stone water that flows through the Gadmertal and flows as Gadmerwasser at Innertkirchen in the Aare.
In its upper part the rock glacier is connected to the west snowfields on the north slope of the Gwächtenhorns with the Steinlimigletscher. This is 2.8 km long and covers an area of 2.5 km ². It flows from Tierberg parallel to the rock glacier north, bordered by the Tierbergli the east and the Gigli floor ( 2,900 m above sea level. M. ) in the west. Its glacier is located on 2,120 m above sea level. M. The drain opens only below the stone in the lake water stone.
During the high stage in the Little Ice Age in the mid- 19th century, the Stein Glacier was still around 1 km longer than today. While retreating, formed in 1940 in the plane of the former glacier tongue Steinsee.
In contrast to the glaciers in the Valais, for example, Arolla, the 1850 end- moraine and here are, however, still relatively close to the present-day glacier bed. Looking at the surrounding peaks ( Sustenhorn, rear Tierberg, Dammastock, Tieralplistock and Diechterhorn ), these are 3400-3500 m high ( ridge framing ). This results in a very large catchment area, when determining the 3000 - m isotherm as the boundary between intake and the ablation zone. So stands, looking in the direction of the glacier, far below, on the left, still on ice. Overall, since 1850, there was in spite of the larger catchment area and the greater thickness of the ice less initiatives. The glacier is long since fallen not so much in the last 150 years and in the last decades, as was observed in the other glaciers.
On top of the rocky ridge of Tierbergli is at 2,795 m above sea level. M. Tierberglihütte of the Swiss Alpine Club SAC. It serves as a starting point for climbs and for the alpine glacier hike south across the 3,089 m above sea level. M. Sustenlimi high in the Chelenalptal ( rearmost part of the Göschener valley ).