In the Swiss glacier ski area Glacier 3000, the Zanfleuron Pass, which has been under the ice for more than 2000 years, is now resurfacing. At the end of September, the pass will be completely free of ice, they say. In 2012, an ice thickness of 15 meters was measured there.
The two glaciers Scex Rouge and Zanfleuron, which separate the pass, have lost three times the thickness this year than the average of the past ten summers, Glacier 3000 announced Thursday.
Was covered in ice for at least 2000 years
It is estimated that the Zanfleuron Pass, a thin strip of land between the cantons of Vaud and Valais at 2800 meters altitude, has been covered with ice for at least 2000 years, probably even longer. According to glaciologist Mauro Fischer of the University of Bern, without further research it is not possible to say whether the pass was really under the ice during the last interglacial period, about 6000 years ago.
In the near future, the changes will also significantly affect the glacier’s use for snow sports, Glacier 3000 writes. Originally, skiers could have skied the Zanfleuron Glacier down to the chairlift at the bottom of the Scex Rouge Glacier, which brought them up. . to the cable car station of the same name.
With the pass separating the two glaciers, consideration is being given to how to adapt the existing infrastructure, Glacier 3000 cable cars director Bernhard Tschannen said in the post.
Natural lakes will be replaced by glaciers
In the next 10 to 15 years, a natural lake is likely to form in place of the Scex Rouge Glacier. It should have a depth of about ten meters and a volume of 250,000 cubic meters.
Source: Krone
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