Southernmost glacial mass in Europe

Last updated

The southernmost persistent glacial masses in Europe are mainly small glaciers, glacierets, and perennial firn fields and patches, located in the highest mountains of the three big southern European peninsulas - the Balkan, the Apennine, and the Iberian, the southernmost ranges of the Alps and the glaciers on the european northwestern slopes of the Greater Caucasus mountains in Russia. There are summer lasting snow patches in Sierra Nevada (Corral de la Veleta glacier at 37°03′24″ disappeared completely for a first time in 1913), in Mount Olympus (40°05′08″) (Kazania cirque), in Mount Korab (41°47′28″), in Rila Mountain (the cirque of the Seven Rila Lakes, Musala and Malyovitsa (42°10′25″) ridges), in Picos de Europa (43°11′51″) in the Cantabrian Mountains, in Mount Maglić (43°16′52″) and others. However, none of them have both persistency and indications of dynamic motion. In southern direction, some 4000 km away, are the glaciers in Africa in Rwenzori Mountains (00°23′09″N), Mount Kenya (00°09′03″S) and Mount Kilimanjaro (03°04′33″S).

List by latitude: [1] [2] [3]

Snezhnika glacieret in July 2012 Snezhnika Glacieret July 2012.jpg
Snezhnika glacieret in July 2012
The Banski Suhodol Glacier in July 2012 Banski Suhodol Glacieret July 2012.jpg
The Banski Suhodol Glacier in July 2012
"Il Calderone" as seen in July 2007 GhiacciaioDelCalderone.jpg
"Il Calderone” as seen in July 2007
North face of Aneto with the glacier Aneto 01.jpg
North face of Aneto with the glacier
Kolka Glacier in 2001 Kolka Glacier 2001.jpg
Kolka Glacier in 2001

1. Mount Bazardüzü northeast slope glaciers (41°13′28″), Greater Caucasus, Russia/Azerbaijan

2. Snezhnika glacieret (41°46′09″), Pirin massif, Bulgaria [4]

3. Banski Suhodol Glacier (41°46′54″), Pirin mountain, Bulgaria

4. Mertur cirque glacier (42°23’55”), Hekurave range, Accursed Mountains, Albania

5. Maja Jezercë glaciers and glacierets (42°26’27”), Accursed Mountains, Albania

6. Calderone glacier (42°28′10”) Gran Sasso massif, Apennine Mountains, Italy

7. Kolata glacieret (42°29′00”), Kolata massif, Accursed Mountains, Albania/Montenegro

8. Aneto glacier (42°37′32”), Aneto-Maladeta, Pyrenees, Spain

9. Posets glacier (42°39′10”), Pyrenees, Spain

10. Monte Perdido glacier (42°40′38”), Pyrenees, Spain

11. Mount Jimara Glacier (42°43′15″), the european northwestern slopes of Mount Jimara, Khokh Range, Greater Caucasus, Russia

12. Kolka Glacier (42°44′23″), the european northwestern slopes of Mount Kazbek, Khokh Range, Greater Caucasus, Russia

13. Picos del infierno glacierets (42°46′49”), Pyrenees, Spain

14. Debeli Namet glacier (43°06′50”), Durmitor, Montenegro

15. Monte Clapier glacier (44°06′44″), Maritime Alps, Italy

16. Monte Argentera glaciers (44°10′40″), Maritime Alps, Italy

17. Triglav Glacier (46°22′41.999″N 13°50′12.001″E), Julian Alps, Slovenia

18. Skuta Glacier (46°21′50″N 14°33′11″E), Savinja Alps, Slovenia 

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aneto</span> The highest mountain in the Pyrenees

Aneto is the highest mountain in the Pyrenees and in Aragon, and Spain's third-highest mountain, reaching a height of 3,404 metres. It stands in the Spanish province of Huesca, the northernmost of the three Aragonese provinces, 6 kilometres south of the France–Spain border. It forms the southernmost part of the Maladeta massif.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arête</span> Narrow ridge of rock which separates two valleys

An arête is a narrow ridge of rock that separates two valleys. It is typically formed when two glaciers erode parallel U-shaped valleys. Arêtes can also form when two glacial cirques erode headwards towards one another, although frequently this results in a saddle-shaped pass, called a col. The edge is then sharpened by freeze-thaw weathering, and the slope on either side of the arête steepened through mass wasting events and the erosion of exposed, unstable rock. The word arête is actually French for "edge" or "ridge"; similar features in the Alps are often described with the German equivalent term Grat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pyramidal peak</span> Angular, sharply pointed mountainous peak

A pyramidal peak, sometimes called a glacial horn in extreme cases, is an angular, sharply pointed mountain peak which results from the cirque erosion due to multiple glaciers diverging from a central point. Pyramidal peaks are often examples of nunataks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rila</span> Mountain range in Bulgaria

Rila is the highest mountain range of Bulgaria, the Balkan Peninsula and Southeast Europe. It is situated in southwestern Bulgaria and forms part of the Rila–Rhodope Massif. The highest summit is Musala at an elevation of 2,925 m which makes Rila the sixth highest mountain range in Europe after the Caucasus, the Alps, Sierra Nevada, the Pyrenees and Mount Etna, and the highest one between the Alps and the Caucasus. It spans a territory of 2,629 km2 with an average elevation of 1487 m. The mountain is believed to have been named after the river of the same name, which comes from the Old Bulgarian verb "рыти" meaning "to grub".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pirin</span> Mountain range in southwestern Bulgaria

The Pirin Mountains are a mountain range in southwestern Bulgaria, with the highest peak, Vihren, at an altitude of 2,914 m (9,560 ft).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pirin National Park</span> National park in Bulgaria

Pirin National Park, originally named Vihren National Park, encompasses the larger part of the Pirin Mountains in southwestern Bulgaria, spanning an area of 403.56 square kilometers (155.82 sq mi).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cirque</span> An amphitheatre-like valley formed by glacial erosion

A cirque is an amphitheatre-like valley formed by glacial erosion. Alternative names for this landform are corrie and cwm. A cirque may also be a similarly shaped landform arising from fluvial erosion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geography of Europe</span>

Europe is traditionally defined as one of seven continents. Physiographically, it is the northwestern peninsula of the larger landmass known as Eurasia ; Asia occupies the centre and east of this continuous landmass. Europe's eastern frontier is usually delineated by the Ural Mountains in Russia, which is the largest country by land area in the continent. The southeast boundary with Asia is not universally defined, but the modern definition is generally the Ural River or, less commonly, the Emba River. The boundary continues to the Caspian Sea, the crest of the Caucasus Mountains, and on to the Black Sea. The Bosporus, the Sea of Marmara, and the Dardanelles conclude the Asian boundary. The Mediterranean Sea to the south separates Europe from Africa. The western boundary is the Atlantic Ocean. Iceland is usually included in Europe because it is over twice as close to mainland Europe as mainland North America. There is ongoing debate on where the geographical centre of Europe falls.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vihren</span> Highest point of Pirin Mountains in Bulgaria

Vihren is the highest peak of Bulgaria's Pirin Mountains. Reaching 2,914 metres (9,560 ft), it is Bulgaria's second and the Balkans' third highest, after Musala and Mount Olympus. Although due to the karst topography Vihren is deprived of lakes and streams, a number of Pirin's lakes are located around the peak, as is Europe's southernmost glacial mass, the Snezhnika glacieret. Until 1942 Vihren was known as Eltepe ; it was also called Buren (stormy) and Malnienosets (lightning-bringer). The UNESCO World Heritage Site Pirin National Park was originally known as the Vihren National Park. Vihren is included in the 100 Tourist Sites of Bulgaria under No. 2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jezercë</span> Mountain in Albania

Jezercë is the highest peak in the Dinaric Alps, the fourth highest in Albania and the sixth highest in the Balkans, standing at 2,694 m (8,839 ft) above sea level. It is the 28th most prominent mountain peak in Europe, and is regarded as one of the toughest and most dangerous climbs in the Albanian Alps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Accursed Mountains</span> Mountain range on the western Balkan peninsula

The Accursed Mountains, also known as the Albanian Alps, is a mountain range in coastal Southeast Europe adjected to the Adriatic Sea. It is the southernmost subrange of the 1,000-kilometre-long (621 mi) Dinaric Alps range (Dinarides), extending from northern Albania to southern Kosovo and northeastern Montenegro. Maja Jezercë, standing at 2,694 m (8,839 ft), is the highest point of the Accursed Mountains and of all Dinaric Alps, and the fifth highest peak in Albania. The range includes the mountain Zla Kolata, which, at 2,534 m (8,314 ft), is the tallest mountain in Montenegro. The range also includes the mountain Gjeravica, which, at 2,656 m (8,714 ft), is the second tallest mountain in Kosovo. One of the southernmost glacial masses in Europe was discovered in the Albanian part of the range in 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kutelo</span> Sunmit in Bulgaria

Kutelo is a summit in the Pirin mountain range, southwestern Bulgaria. With a height of 2,908 m it is the second highest peak in Pirin after Vihren (2,914 m), and the third one in Bulgaria, behind Musala (2,925 m) in Rila and Vihren. Kutelo is a double peak with a small saddle between the two parts, the lower being only one meter below the higher one, at 2,907 m. Seen from the town of Bansko it appears higher than Vihren.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calderone glacier</span> Glacier located in the Apennine Mountains in Abruzzo, Italy

The Calderone glacier is a glacier located in the Apennine Mountains in Abruzzo, Italy. Found in the Gran Sasso d'Italia mountain group, it lies just beneath the Corno Grande, the highest peak in the Apennines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Banski Suhodol Glacier</span> Glacier in Bulgaria

The Banski Suhodol Glacier is a small glacier (glacieret) in the Pirin Mountains of Bulgaria. It lies below the Kutelo peak in the upper Banski Suhodol Valley.

<i>Erebia cassioides</i> Species of butterfly

Erebia cassioides, the common brassy ringlet, is a member of the subfamily Satyrinae of family Nymphalidae.

Three-thousanders are mountains with a height of between 3,000 metres (9,800 ft), but less than 4,000 metres (13,000 ft) above sea level. Similar terms are commonly used for mountains of other height brackets e. g. four-thousanders or eight-thousanders. In Britain, the term may refer to mountains above 3,000 feet (910 m).

<i>Geum montanum</i> Species of flowering plant

Geum montanum, the Alpine avens, is a species of flowering plant of the genus Geum in the Rosaceae family, native to the mountains of central and southern Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maja e Thatë</span> Mountain in Albania

Maja e Thatë is a 2,406-metre-high (7,894 ft) mountain peak of the Albanian Alps in Albania. It is located within Valbonë Valley National Park, roughly 2 km (1 mi) northwest of Valbonë and rises more than 1,500 m (4,921 ft) above the village. The mountain's southern and western lower slopes are relatively rich in beech and pine forests, while the higher slopes consist of very steep dolomite and limestone rock walls, suitable for mountaineering and rock climbing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snezhnika</span> Glacier in Bulgaria

Snezhnika is a glacieret in the Pirin Mountains of Bulgaria, a remnant of the former Vihren Glacier. The glacieret lies at an elevation between 2,425 m (7,956 ft) and 2,480 m (8,140 ft) in the deep Golemiya Kazan cirque at the steep northern foot of Vihren, Pirin's highest summit. Due to the relatively easy access and its location along a popular hiking trail, Snezhnika is Bulgaria's most famous glacieret. Snezhnika has an average area of 0.01 km2 (0.0039 sq mi) and in 2006 it had a volume of 30,000 m3 (1,100,000 cu ft).

The most isolated major summits of Europe by topographic isolation are located in the European continent and its tectonic and geographic boundaries. This includes major mountain peaks of fold and fault-block mountains, and also volcanoes, located not only in the European Mainland, but also those located on lands and islands on the limits of Europe, like the North Atlantic Ocean islands of the Azores and Iceland, the Arctic Ocean islands of Jan Mayen, Svalbard archipelago and Novaya Zemlya archipelago, the Mediterranean island of Sicily, the Ural Mountains, and Mount Elbrus. The last mentioned is HP of the transboundary Caucasus Mountains and Greater Caucasus region, but as a geologically separate stratovolcano, it is entirely laying in Europe, 20 km (12 mi) north of the main ridge of the Greater Caucasus, considered as the one that is forming the limits of Europe. The definition excludes island clearly lying on the African Plate and outside the geographic limits of Europe, like the Canaries and Madeira. The active volcano of Mount Etna is somehow on, or just outside the boundaries of the Eurasian Plate, resting on the subduction boundary where the African tectonic plate is being pushed under the Eurasian plate, but geographically is part of Europe, and is also included in the Top 10 lists.

References

  1. Grunewald, K; Scheithauer, J (2010), "Europe's southernmost glaciers: response and adaptation to climate change" (PDF), Journal of Glaciology, 56 (195): 129–142, Bibcode:2010JGlac..56..129G, doi: 10.3189/002214310791190947
  2. http://geoinfo.amu.edu.pl/sgp/LA/LA11/LA11_05.pdf [ bare URL PDF ]
  3. http://geoproblems.eu/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/2013_12/7_gachev.pdf [ bare URL PDF ]
  4. "(the pirin mountains, bulgaria) in the last ten years" (PDF). igipz.pan.pl. Retrieved 5 February 2014.