Over 5,000 cubic metre of ice collapse from Mont Blanc glacier
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A tourist takes a picture of the Planpinceux glacier on the Mont Blanc, threatening the village of Planpinceux, which was evacuated as a precaution for fears of an imminent landslide of the glacier, in Valle d’Aosta, northwest Italy.
This week there was a collapse of over 5,000 cubic meters. Italian authorities on 24 September have warned of a potential collapse of the Planpincieux Glacier, and preventatively ordered the closure of the roads in the Val Ferret and evacuated mountain huts on the Italian side of the Mont Blanc.
This glacier, along with others across the Mont Blanc massif, has been losing ice as air temperatures have steadily risen over Europe.
A view of the road to Val Ferret closed by mayor’s order over fears of an imminent landslide of the Planpinceux glacier, of Mont Blanc, in Valle d’Aosta, Italy.
Following the extremely warm summer of 2019, the glacier’s front was moving as much as 50 centimetres per day by late September.
However, scientists cannot predict with certainty when the collapse will occur. As a precaution, Italian officials have closed a road leading to Val Ferret, a valley near the town of Courmayeur. The area is a popular hiking and tourist destination.
A handout photo made available by NASA Earth Observatory of a false-color satellite image showing a portion of the Mont Blanc massif, including the Planpincieux Glacier (top-R), in the Alps, between Italy (bottom) and France (top), 25 August 2019 (issued 02 October 2019). EPA-EFE/NASA EARTH OBSERVATORY HANDOUT
