• Austria: They denounce the destruction of a glacier to expand a ski slope
  • UN report: Sea level will rise even faster than expected

The Planpincieux glacier, at the foot of the Montblanc, is melting at such a high speed that experts fear it can collapse at any time and reach the valley near the famous town of Courmayeur, in the Italian region of Valle d'Aosta. Local authorities have cut roads and evacuated shelters that could be affected and have installed a radar system to keep the evolution of the glacier under observation.

Experts of the Sicura Mountain Fondazione, in charge of studying the Planpincieux glacier since 2013, have warned that it is melting at a speed of about 35 centimeters on average every day with peaks of up to 50 and 60 centimeters. Specifically, it is about 250,000 cubic meters of glacier ice that are at risk of detachment due to the high temperatures recorded in recent months.

However, these same specialists recognize that it is impossible to predict when exactly the ice mass could collapse . A phenomenon that could occur slowly or abruptly at any time. Specialists hope that the snow forecast in the area in the coming weeks can serve to delay the shedding. So far, local authorities have installed an electronic system, similar to that used in the supervision of some faults, capable of having any glacial movement under control.

The mayor of Courmayeur, Stefano Miserocchi, has ordered the closure of roads and the evacuation of some areas at risk as a prevention measure. Miserocchi said that phenomena like this "show once again how the mountain goes through a period of great changes due to climatic factors and, therefore, is particularly vulnerable."

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte also referred to the Italian glacier during his speech at the UN General Assembly in New York this week. "The news that a Montblanc glacier runs the risk of collapsing is an alarm that cannot leave us indifferent . It must shake and mobilize us all," he said.

The Montblanc massif is the highest mountain range in Western Europe, with eleven peaks that exceed 4,000 meters in France and Italy and attract thousands of tourists every year. The mayor of Courmayeur said that the famous tourist town is not in danger, because at this time it is practically uninhabited.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

Know more

  • Science and Health
  • science

ScienceThis is how Spanish sensors are made that prepare the arrival of humans on Mars

ESPACIOIndia loses contact with the ship that tonight has tried to land

EspacioIndia will try to land on the south pole tonight with a 'low cost' ship