Miage Glacier

Coordinates: 45°48′15″N 6°50′26″E / 45.80417°N 6.84056°E / 45.80417; 6.84056
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Miage Glacier
Debris-covered lower slopes of Miage Glacier in 2009
Map showing the location of Miage Glacier
Map showing the location of Miage Glacier
Miage Glacier
Glacier's location in the Alps
Map showing the location of Miage Glacier
Map showing the location of Miage Glacier
Miage Glacier
Miage Glacier (Northern Italy)
LocationSouthern slopes of the Mont Blanc massif
Coordinates45°48′15″N 6°50′26″E / 45.80417°N 6.84056°E / 45.80417; 6.84056
Area11 square kilometres (4.2 sq mi)
Length10 km (6.2 mi)
Map

The Miage Glacier (French: Glacier du Miage; Italian: Ghiacciaio del Miage) is a debris-covered glacier in the upper Aosta Valley, in northwestern Italy.

Description

It is situated on the southwest flank of the

above sea level) in a generally southerly direction towards Val Veny
. Its most northerly arm or tributary is the Glacier de Bionnassay Italien, which arises from a cirque between the south eastern side of the Aiguille de Bionnassay, the Col de Bionnassay and the Calotte des Aiguille Grises. This descends for 2.5 km below the Col Infranchissible then turns south-east to merge with other glaciers, thence continuing as the Glacier du Miage (Ghiacciaio del Miage).

At around 10 km (6.2 mi) in length, the Miage Glacier is Italy's longest glacier and also the largest debris-covered glacier in Europe.

tributaries.[4] Debris carried along within the glacier is also being exposed at increased rates due to accelerating thinning of the glacier tongue.[4]

The number of sources of supraglacial debris as well as the unusual,

moulins occur.[4] Debris thickness generally increases from a few centimetres at 2,400 m (7,900 ft) asl to over 1 metre (3 ft 3 in) at the terminus at ~1,775 m (5,823 ft) asl, although the spatial distribution of thicknesses is heterogeneous especially on parts of the northern terminal lobe.[5]

Miage Lake

View of Miage Lake from the west, summer 2010

Miage Lake is an

filtering effect of the debris.[7]

Huge ice blocks have been known to break off the glacier and fall into the lake, providing another major tourist attraction despite the low chance of such an event occurring. On August 7, 1996, a particularly large block, estimated to have had a volume of 7000-16000m3, fell into the lake causing an abnormally large wave that seriously injured several people.[8] The incident was caught on camera by at least one tourist.

References

  1. ^ "Miage Glacier, Italy". earth.esa.int. European Space Agency. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
  2. doi:10.1191/0959683605hl809rr
    .
  3. doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2008.09.025
    .
  4. ^
    doi:10.1016/j.coldregions.2007.03.004
    .
  5. doi:10.1029/2009JD013224
    .
  6. doi:10.1007/s11269-009-9519-x
    .
  7. ^ "SwissEduc: Glaciers Online - Glacier du Miage". Swisseduc.ch. 2008-01-28. Retrieved 2010-09-13.
  8. doi:10.1016/S1464-1895(99)00012-5
    .
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Miage_Glacier&oldid=1071882429"