The Arolla Glacier () is a long
glacier
A glacier (; or ) is a persistent body of dense ice, a form of rock, that is constantly moving downhill under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires ...
(2005) situated in the
Pennine Alps
The Pennine Alps (, , , ), sometimes referred to as the Valais Alps (which are just the Northern Swiss part of the Pennine Alps), are a mountain range in the western part of the Alps. They are located in Italy (the Aosta Valley and Piedmont) an ...
in the canton of
Valais
Valais ( , ; ), more formally, the Canton of Valais or Wallis, is one of the cantons of Switzerland, 26 cantons forming the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. It is composed of thirteen districts and its capital and largest city is Sion, Switzer ...
in
Switzerland
Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
. In 1973, it had an area of .
The Glacier d'Arolla is in fact composed of two glaciers: the ''Glacier du Mont Collon'' and the ''Haut Glacier d'Arolla''.
Description
The Glacier du Mont Collon has a length of almost 5 km and a width of about 1 km at the top. It covers an area of . It begins on the tips of Oren (3525 m) and flows north through a corridor bordered by the Little Mount Collon (3,556 m) and Bishop (3716 m) west, and Mont Collon in the east. It is connected to the west by the glacial Otemma Chermotane Pass (3050 m), a wide passage covered with ice. On the west side of Mount Collon, the glacier undergoes a vertical drop of 600 meters with a slope of 60%.
Bas Glacier
The part that follows this steep descent is called "Bas Arolla glacier". It continues for about 1 kilometer to the north and the ice tongue stops at an altitude of 2160 meters (status 2007). The glacier emerges from the Borgne d'Arolla which then joins the Borgne Ferpècle then flows into the Val d'Herens before confluence with the Rhone plain.
Haut Glacier d'Arolla
In the valley located east of Mount Collon is the "Haut Glacier d'Arolla", with a length of 4 km and a width of 1 km. Its area is . It originates from the snowfields hanging north of Mount Brulé (or Mount Braoulé, 3585 m) and then descends with a slope of 12 to 15% towards the northwest and then north. The glacier tongue ends at an altitude of 2550 m (status 2007).
See also
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List of glaciers in Switzerland
This is a non-exhaustive list of the major glaciers in Switzerland. It contains their surface area, their lengths since the start of measurement and the most current year, their height and their outflow. Most of them are retreating and many wil ...
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List of glaciers
A glacier ( ) or () is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight; it forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation (melting and sublimation) over many years, often centuries. Glaciers slowly defor ...
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Retreat of glaciers since 1850
The retreat of glaciers since 1850 is a well-documented effects of climate change, effect of climate change. The retreat of Mountain glacier, mountain glaciers provides evidence for the Instrumental temperature record, rise in global temperatures ...
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Swiss Alps
The Alps, Alpine region of Switzerland, conventionally referred to as the Swiss Alps, represents a major natural feature of the country and is, along with the Swiss Plateau and the Swiss portion of the Jura Mountains, one of its three main Physica ...
External links
Swiss glacier monitoring network
Glaciers of the Alps
Glaciers of Valais
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