Friday, September 6, 2019

Glaciers


I live where glaciated valleys are visible every day of the year but it is rare that I get a chance to see them in action. In this example from the Alps, I can see two glaciers merging and forming a medial moraine (the dark line running down the right side of the merged glaciers). This medial moraine is like a conveyor belt carrying rocks and illustrates the grinding action of the glaciers as they create regolith. This is the Gorner Glacier Here is an explanation of this glacier from Wikipedia: Gorner Glacier.
The Gorner Glacier (German: Gornergletscher) is a valley glacier found on the west side of the Monte Rosa massif close to Zermatt in the canton of Valais, Switzerland. It is about 12.4 km (7.7 mi) long (2014) and 1 to 1.5 km (0.62 to 0.93 mi) wide. The entire glacial area of the glacier related to Gorner Glacier is 57 km2 (22 sq mi) (1999), which makes it the second largest glacial system in the Alps after the Aletsch Glacier system; however it ranks only third in length behind the Aletsch and Fiescher Glacier, respectively. Numerous smaller glaciers connect with the Gorner Glacier. Its (former) tributaries are: Gornergletscher (after which the whole system is named, but the upper part is almost disconnected from the lower part nowadays), Monte Rosa Gletscher, Grenzgletscher (nowadays by far its main tributary), Zwillingsgletscher, Schwärzegletscher, Breithorngletscher, Triftjigletscher, and Unterer Theodulgletscher (although the last three ones are actually disconnected now).


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