Gorner Glacier - Switzerland
Image Source: https://www.gornergratbahn.ch/fileadmin/_processed_/8/b/csm_gornergletscher-zermatt-gletscher_1417d16aff.jpg
I visited the Gorner Glacier in Switzerland this week. What an absolutely amazing site. The Gorner Glacier is the third largest glacier in the Alps. It is approximately 8 miles long and 0.8 miles wide. Given that this glacier has formed high upon the mountains and move downward through the valleys, that would make it an alpine glacier (a.k.a valley glacier).
Typically with alpine glaciers, sediments are deposited. Moraine sediments of till are deposited by the Gorner Glacier. It is pretty amazing how this glacier flows through the mountain and follows the direction of the valley as it moves towards the bottom. The below picture has a better view of the sediment and the path flow of the glacier.
Credit : Larry Naess https://www.flickr.com/photos/137821517@N07/42549597830
One thing that is important to note is that this glacier is also classified as a retreating glacier. This is due its reduction is size consistently year after year. Recent estimates confirm this glacier loses around 100 feet per year and has lost a total 8,200 ft. since 1859.
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