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Serac
A serac () (from Swiss French ''sérac'') is a block or column of glacial ice, often formed by intersecting crevasses on a glacier. Commonly house-sized or larger, they are dangerous to mountaineers, since they may topple with little warning. Even when stabilized by persistent cold weather, they can be an impediment to glacier travel. Seracs are found within an icefall, often in large numbers, or on ice faces on the lower edge of a hanging glacier. Notable examples of the overhanging glacier edge type are well-known obstacles on some of the world's highest mountains, including K2 at " The Bottleneck" and Kanchenjunga on the border of India and Nepal. Significant seracs in the Alps are found on the northeast face of Piz Roseg, the north face of the Dent d'Hérens, and the north face of Lyskamm. Incidents * On a 1969–1970 Japanese expedition to Mount Everest, Kyak Tsering was killed by a falling serac. * In 1990, an earthquake caused a block of serac to fall off Lenin Pea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2008 K2 Disaster
The 2008 K2 disaster occurred on 1 August 2008, when 11 mountaineers from international expeditions died on K2, the second- highest mountain on Earth. Three others were seriously injured. The series of deaths, over the course of the Friday ascent and Saturday descent, was the worst single accident in the history of K2 mountaineering. Some of the specific details remain uncertain, with different plausible scenarios having been given about different climbers' timing and actions, and different versions reported later via survivors' eyewitness accounts or via radio communications of climbers who died (sometimes minutes) later in the course of events on K2 that day. The main problem was reported to be an ice avalanche which occurred at an area known as "the Bottleneck". This destroyed many of the climbers' rope lines leaving them unable to descend. However, two climbers died on the way up to the summit prior to the avalanche. Among the dead were climbers and support crew from France ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2014 Mount Everest Ice Avalanche
On 18 April 2014, seracs on the western spur of Mount Everest failed, resulting in an ice avalanche that killed sixteen climbing Sherpas in the Khumbu Icefall. This was the same icefall where the 1970 Mount Everest disaster had taken place. Thirteen bodies were recovered within two days, while the remaining three were never recovered due to the great danger in attempting such an expedition. Many Sherpas were angered by what they saw as the Nepalese government's meager offer of compensation to victims' families, and threatened a protest or strike. On 22 April, the Sherpas announced they would not work on Everest for the remainder of 2014 as a mark of respect for the victims. Background Guide employment on Mount Everest A Sherpa who works as a porter specialised in high-altitude work including rope fixing on Mount Everest typically earns about US$125/day per climb. Most come from climbing families, are raised on stories of wealth from climbs, with relatively few other econom ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2022 Marmolada Serac Collapse
On 3 July 2022, a serac collapsed on the mountain of Marmolada, in the Dolomites at the regional border between Trentino and Veneto, Italy. Eleven people were killed and eight were wounded. The large-scale collapse of the serac led to one of the most serious accidents in the Alps in decades. The seismic energy released was comparable to an earthquake of 0.6 M. Background Prior to the collapse the area had seen an early heat wave, with the summit of the Marmolada recording abnormally high temperatures of around . The collapse occurred near Punta Rocca at a height of , on a route utilized by climbers to reach the top peak. Description On the afternoon of Sunday 3 July, around 13:45, a massive avalanche was triggered by a serac that collapsed due to the high temperatures, which reached 10 °C the day before the tragedy. At an elevation of 2800 metres, the lower end of a glacier snapped off. The break-off had a width of about 80 metres and a height of 25 metres. The detache ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Khumbu Icefall
The Khumbu Icefall is located at the head of the Khumbu Glacier and the foot of the Western Cwm. It lies at an elevation of on the Nepali slopes of Mount Everest, not far above Base Camp and southwest of the summit. The icefall is regarded as one of the most dangerous sections of the South Col route to Everest's summit. Overview The Khumbu Glacier moves an estimated down the flank of Mt. Everest every day. Ice entering the fall takes approximately 4.3 years to emerge at the base, which is lower and away horizontally. The speed of ice flow and the precipitous elevation drop create a bergschrund (ice berg shoulder), characterized at the top by massive transverse blocks that calve off the upper glacier, creating gaping crevasse A crevasse is a deep crack that forms in a glacier or ice sheet. Crevasses form as a result of the movement and resulting stress associated with the shear stress generated when two semi-rigid pieces above a plastic substrate have different rate ... ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Icefall
An icefall is a portion of certain glaciers characterized by relatively rapid flow and chaotic crevassed surface, caused in part by gravity. The term ''icefall'' is formed by analogy with the word ''waterfall'', which is a similar phenomenon of the liquid phase but at a more spectacular speed. When ice movement of a glacier is faster than elsewhere, because the glacier bed steepens or narrows, and the flow cannot be accommodated by plastic deformation, the ice fractures, forming crevasses. Where two fractures meet, seracs (or ice towers) can be formed. When the movement of the ice slows down, the crevasses can coalesce, resulting in the surface of the glacier becoming smoother. Ice flow Perhaps the most conspicuous consequence of glacier flow, icefalls occur where the glacier bed steepens or narrows. Most glacier ice flows at speeds of a few hundred metres per year or less. However, the flow of ice in an icefall may be measured in kilometres per year. Such rapid flow cannot be ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alps
The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. The Alpine arch extends from Nice on the western Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean to Trieste on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Vienna at the beginning of the Pannonian Basin. The mountains were formed over tens of millions of years as the African and Eurasian tectonic plates collided. Extreme shortening caused by the event resulted in marine sedimentary rocks rising by thrust fault, thrusting and Fold (geology), folding into high mountain peaks such as Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn. Mont Blanc spans the French–Italian border, and at is the highest mountain in the Alps. The Alpine region area contains 82 peaks higher than List of Alpine four-thousanders, . The altitude and size of the range affect the climate in Europe; in the mountain ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lenin Peak Disaster
The Lenin Peak disaster occurred on 13 July 1990 when 43 climbers were killed during an avalanche on the 7,134-meter-high mountain peak in northeast Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan (then part of the USSR). The deadly avalanche was triggered by a moment magnitude scale 6.4 earthquake which struck at a depth of 216.8 km beneath the Hindu Kush mountains in neighbouring Afghanistan. The incident is believed to be the deadliest mountaineering disaster in history. Background The ongoing continental collision between the Indian Plate and Eurasian Plate results in tectonic uplift, forming the Himalaya, Hindu Kush, and Pamir Mountains. The two plates collide along a convergent plate boundary which includes the Main Himalayan Thrust. Broad crustal deformation caused by the Indian Plate ploughing into Eurasia causes uplift within the interior of Asia. This action created the Tibetan Plateau. Shallow earthquakes occur on faults that accommodate the tectonic stresses caused by the collision. S ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Marmolada Glacier
The Marmolada Glacier () is located on the mountain Marmolada in the province of Belluno, Italy. Geography Marmolada Glacier is the only one in the Dolomites section of the Alps. During World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ..., the front line between Austrian and Italian forces ran over Marmolada, and Austrian soldiers built quarters in glacier tunnels, forming an "ice city" of considerable size. A World War I museum, ''Museo della Grande Guerra in Marmolada'', is located in the valley below the glacier. Incidents On 3 July 2022, a serac collapse killed 11 mountaineers. References Glaciers of Italy Geography of Trentino Glaciers of the Alps Marmolada {{Italy-glacier-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bottleneck (K2)
The Bottleneck is a location along the South-East Spur (also known as Abruzzi Spur), the most-used route to the summit of K2, the second-highest mountain in the world, in the Karakoram, on the border of Pakistan and China. The Bottleneck is a narrow couloir, which is overhung by seracs from the ice field east of the summit. The couloir is located only below the summit, and climbers have to traverse about exposed to the seracs to pass it. Due to the height of , and the steepness of 50 to 60 degrees, this stretch is the most dangerous part of the route. According to AdventureStats, 13 out of the last 14 fatalities on K2 have occurred at or near the Bottleneck. Despite all the dangers, the Bottleneck is still technically the easiest and fastest route to the summit. Most climbers choose to use it to minimize time required to spend above (the "death zone"). The standard route, the Abruzzi Spur (SE), as well as the Cesen route (SSE Ridge, which joins SE Ridge), and the American var ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 distinguishing features, such as crevasses and seracs, as it slowly flows and deforms under stresses induced by its weight. As it moves, it abrades rock and debris from its substrate to create landforms such as cirques, moraines, or fjords. Although a glacier may flow into a body of water, it forms only on land“Glacier, N., Pronunciation.” Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford UP, June 2024, https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/7553486115. Accessed 25 Jan. 2025. and is distinct from the much thinner sea ice and lake ice that form on the surface of bodies of water. On Earth, 99% of glacial ice is contained within vast ice sheets (also known as "continental glaciers") in the polar regions, but glaciers may be found in mountain ranges on ever ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Piz Roseg
Piz Roseg (pronounced as ''peetse rawzech'') is a mountain of the Bernina Range, overlooking the Val Roseg in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. There are two summits on its main ridge: :*the south-east and higher summit (3,935 m) :*the north-west summit, known as the ''Schneekuppe'' (3,917 m). There is also a prominent top on the east-north-east ridge, called the ''Roseg Pitschen'' (3,867 m) (Italian border). History The first ascent of the mountain to the ''Schneekuppe'' was by F. T. Bircham with guides Peter Jenny and Alexander Fleury on 31 August 1863. The highest point of the mountain was reached two years later by A. W. Moore and Horace Walker with guide Jakob Anderegg on 28 June 1865. The first guideless ascent was made on 7 August 1882 by Charles Pilkington, his brother Lawrence and Eustace Hulton. Piz Roseg is separated from the neighbouring Piz Scerscen by the ''Porta da Roseg'' (3,518 m), also called the ''Güssfeldtsattel''. The Swiss side of this col – a s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Crevasse
A crevasse is a deep crack that forms in a glacier or ice sheet. Crevasses form as a result of the movement and resulting stress associated with the shear stress generated when two semi-rigid pieces above a plastic substrate have different rates of movement. The resulting intensity of the shear stress causes a breakage along the faces. Description Crevasses often have vertical or near-vertical walls, which can then melt and create seracs, arches, and other ice formations. These walls sometimes expose layers that represent the glacier's stratigraphy. Crevasse size often depends upon the amount of liquid water present in the glacier. A crevasse may be as deep as and as wide as The presence of water in a crevasse can significantly increase its penetration. Water-filled crevasses may reach the bottom of glaciers or ice sheets and provide a direct hydrologic connection between the surface, where significant summer melting occurs, and the bed of the glacier, where additional wa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
