Rhône Glacier

E11136

The Rhône Glacier is a major Alpine glacier in the Swiss Alps that historically fed the Rhône River and has become a prominent example of glacial retreat due to climate change.


Statements (49)
Predicate Object
instanceOf Alpine glacier
glacier
area about 16 square kilometers (early 21st century)
climateChangeIndicator example of rapid glacial retreat
continent Europe
country Switzerland
countrySubdivision Valais, Switzerland
elevation about 2200–3600 metres above sea level
feeds Lake Geneva (historically via Rhône River headwaters)
glaciologicalMonitoring monitored by Swiss glaciological networks
hasBeenMappedSince 19th century
hasConservationMeasure summer protective blankets on ice
tourism management measures
hasManMadeStructure ice grotto tunnel
visitor facilities near Furka Pass road
hasNearbyRailway Furka railway line
hasNearbyRoad Furka Pass road
hasNearbySettlement Gletsch
hasPhotoSubject Furka Pass road viewpoints
hasProglacialLake Rhône Glacier proglacial lake
hasRetreatedSince mid-19th century
hasScientificStudyField climate science
glaciology
hydrology
historicalImportance major historical source of the Rhône River
isTouristAttraction true
languageOfLocalToponymy French
German
length about 10 kilometers (around 1850)
about 8 kilometers (early 21st century)
localName Glacier du Rhône (French)
Rhonegletscher (German)
locatedIn Swiss Alps
Urseren-Goms region
canton of Valais
mountainRange Lepontine Alps
near Furka Pass
Grimsel Pass
notableFor tourist access to interior ice cave
visible year-to-year retreat of glacier tongue
partOf Rhône River headwaters region
retreatCause climate change
global warming
riverBasin Rhône basin
sourceOf Rhône River
terminus proglacial lake
terminusType lake-terminating glacier
touristAttractionType glacier grotto
viewpoint

Referenced by (3)
Subject (surface form when different) Predicate
Rhône Glacier ("Rhonegletscher (German)")
Rhône Glacier ("Glacier du Rhône (French)")
localName
Rhône River
sourceLocation

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