Over 3000 years ago there was a gigantic mountain fall on the Zugspitze.
Climate change was to blame.
And today?
Is something similar threatening?
Grainau - The news from the Himalayas at the beginning of January was terrifying: A huge mass of glacier scree had crashed there and buried many people in the valley, 34 dead have been recovered so far.
Zugspitze: Is a scenario like the one in the Himalayas looming?
According to experts, the reason for the sudden fall of mountain and glacier parts is also climate change.
The glacier in question has been melting for decades, and the whole area has started to move.
A scenario that you also have to keep an eye on in the Alps.
Last summer, for example, an area not far from Mont Blanc was evacuated because a glacier threatened to collapse.
While the threat turned out to be less acute, researchers are keeping an eye on the situation.
Especially since on the Zugspitze, Germany's highest mountain, something similar happened thousands of years ago.
About 3000 years ago: The Zugspitze exploded
In 1730 BC, Grainau at the foot of the Zugspitze * and not far from the Eibsee is a trading center for the Celts.
The area is populated and there is brisk trade between the north and south.
This year a natural disaster * of gigantic proportions has occurred here: parts of the Zugspitze are breaking off and falling into the valley.
There is still a large gash in the mountain below the Zugspitz summit station.
200 million cubic meters of material fell down at that time.
The stones and rocks are still lying around and in the Eibsee as if by a giant hand.
How did that come about?
By climate change.
"Like 150 Hiroshima bombs": Parts of the Zugspitze are catapulted through the air
Over 3000 years ago it was around two degrees warmer in the area than it is today.
The ice of the glaciers on the Zugspitze melted, as did the permafrost inside the mountain.
The surface water penetrating into the interior of the mountain created massive pressure that finally looked for a valve - and found it.
The Zugspitze literally exploded.
In the
ZDF
documentary series
Terra X,
geologist Bernhard Wagner from the State Office for the Environment (LfU) makes a frightening comparison: There was a buzz like "two mega-tons of TNT", the Zugspitze was with the violence of "150 Hiroshima bombs" almost blown in the air.
After that, the Zugspitze was no longer 3000 meters
As a result, the Zugspitze, which was then probably over 3000 meters high, lost some of its height; today it is 2960 meters.
According to Wagner, the stone avalanche rolled ten kilometers.
And today?
Is something like this conceivable again in times of renewed climate change?
According to Roland Eichhorn, also a geologist at the LfU and an expert in the
ZDF
documentary, the
permafrost inside the mountain is
constant at -1 degrees Celsius.
He holds the mountain together like glue - still.
Researcher: "The Zugspitze is safe." But ...
Because: The Schneeferner, that's the name of the glacier on the Zugspitze, melts continuously - and very quickly.
It protects the permafrost inside the Zugspitze from warming.
If this layer is no longer there, the melting continues inside.
The stability of the mountain decreases, pressure arises - and another mountain fall could occur.
The Terra-X presenter estimates that several thousand people in the valley would be affected.
Plus all the tourists who come to the Zugspitze every day.
Roland Eichhorn reassures: "The Zugspitze is safe." But: "You have to expect rock falls and rockfalls in the future." This development began long ago.
“That can no longer be prevented.”
* Merkur.de is part of the Ippen-Digital network.
