Balletto Glacier is near the summit of
Mount Kilimanjaro
Mount Kilimanjaro () is a dormant volcano in Tanzania. It has three volcanic cones: Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira. It is the highest mountain in Africa and the highest free-standing mountain above sea level in the world: above sea level and ab ...
in
Tanzania
Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...
, on the southwest slope of the peak and is a small remnant of an
icecap
In glaciology, an ice cap is a mass of ice that covers less than of land area (usually covering a highland area). Larger ice masses covering more than are termed ice sheets.
Description
Ice caps are not constrained by topographical features ...
which once crowned the top of Mount Kilimanjaro.
The glacier is situated at an elevation of between . Balletto Glacier is situated on the enormous rock wall known as the "Breach Wall" and is below Diamond Glacier. The two glaciers are connected by an enormous icicle which hangs down the rock face as much as .
See also
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Retreat of glaciers since 1850
The retreat of glaciers since 1850 affects the availability of fresh water for irrigation and domestic use, mountain recreation, animals and plants that depend on glacier-melt, and, in the longer term, the level of the oceans. Deglaciation occu ...
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List of glaciers in Africa
References
Glaciers of Tanzania
{{Tanzania-glacier-stub