The Engadin rock glaciers were the only geological phenomenon in the country to be included in a recently created “Top 100” list, as the Swiss Geomorphological Society announced on Monday. The list identifies geological and earth scientific areas of particular importance for understanding planet earth and its history.
Unlike ice glaciers, rock glaciers are mainly composed of rock material with the spaces between them filled with ice. They show particularly well the flow of permafrost ice and make the frozen ground on the earth’s surface visible all year round.
The Geomorphological Society wrote that rock glaciers in the Graubünden high valley are unique for documenting and investigating mountain permafrost. They are particularly common in the Engadin due to climatic conditions, high altitude and a pronounced tendency to rock erosion.
Engadine rock glaciers have been studied for almost a century. They form the longest continuous series of data on permafrost in the Alps, with the first systematic measurements in 1987, according to the Geomorphological Society.
The International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) was founded in Paris in March 1961. According to its own statements, it represents more than a million geoscientists, making it one of the largest scientific organizations in the world.
(SDA)