Rhône Glacier

For the glacier in Antarctica, see Rhone Glacier (Antarctica).

Rhône Glacier
272px View towards the Tieralplistock
Type	Valley glacier
Location	Valais, Switzerland
Coordinates

The Rhône Glacier (German: Rhonegletscher/ Valais German: "Rottengletscher") is a glacier in the Swiss Alps and the source of the river Rhône and one of the primary contributors to Lake Geneva in the far eastern end of the Swiss canton of Valais. Because the Glacier is located close to the Furka Pass road it is easily accessible.

Geography

The Rhône Glacier is the largest glacier in the Urner Alps. It lies on the south side of the range at the source of the Rhône. The Undri Triftlimi (3,081 m) connects it to the Trift Glacier. The glacier is located on the northernmost part of the canton of Valais, between the Grimsel Pass and the Furka Pass and is part of the Oberwald municipality. The Dammastock (3,630 m) is the highest summit above the glacier.

Evolution

• 2010-10-10 Furka 035-by bohdan urbanowicz.jpg

  2010

• Glacier du Rhone.jpg

  2008

• Rhoneglacier.JPG

  2005

• Gletch und Rhonegletscher um 1900.jpeg

  1900

• Rhonegletscher1870.jpg

  1870

File:Rhone glacier stats.svg

Evolution of The Rhône Glacier.
Vertical axis: length difference in meters
Horizontal axis: years
In thick green: cumulated length difference starting 1879
In thin red: growth during one year

The Rhône Glacier is easily accessible so its evolution is observed since the 19th century. The glacier lost ~1300 m during the last 120 years leaving behind a track of naked stone.

See also

• List of glaciers

References

• Rhône Glacier at Glaciers online
• Rhône Glacier at NASA Earth Observatory

External links

• Simulation of the shrinking of the glacier
• Swiss Glacier Monitoring Network: Rhône Glacier - with length variation measurements since 1879
• Media related to at Wikimedia Commons
• Interactive repeat photo comparisons of the Rhône Glacier