Gurgler ice lake

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The Gurgler See in the Atlas Tyrolensis (1774)
The Gurgler Eissee in 1770
The Gurgler Eissee, color lithograph by Conrad Grefe , 1869

The Gurgler Eissee , also known as Gurgler See , Gurgler Lacke or Langthaler Eissee , was an ice reservoir in the rear Gurgler Valley in the Ötztal Alps in Tyrol that occurred frequently from the 18th to the early 20th century .

Formation of the ice lake

The Gurgler addition came in the Little Ice Age usually so far ahead that he cordoned off the opening out of the south into the valley Gurgler Langtal and the outflow from the addition Langtaler prevented. As a result, a lake of up to 1.2 km in length and a volume of up to 12 million m³ was dammed. When the water level was completely blocked, the lake level was around 2,425  m and reached back to the tongue of the Langtaler Ferners. The lake usually flowed slowly, unlike the catastrophic eruptions of the Rofener Ice Lake , there was usually only comparatively minor damage such as devastated fields or destroyed bridges. The reason for this is the different structure of the ice dam: While the dam of the Rofener Eissee consisted of loosely piled blocks of ice, the Gurgler Eissee was dammed by a compact body of ice.

timeline

Entrance to the Stone Table (1717)

The formation of the Gurgler Eisseee has only been reported since the 18th century. In 1716 the ice lake was formed with a length of around 1.2 km, a width of around 500 m, and a depth of around 190 m. On the night of June 29th to 30th, 1717, the lake emptied almost completely in 18 hours without causing any major damage. On June 2, 1718, July 16, 1718 and June 10, 1724, the Ötztal was again slowly emptied with little damage. In the following years the lake was there, but so insignificant that it was ignored. Most of the time, the lake around Johannis (June 24th) flowed safely.

Only in 1771 did the lake regain its extraordinary size. In the summer of 1772, Joseph Walcher from Vienna studied the ice lake next to the Rofener ice lake in detail. In his book News from the Icebergs in Tyrol , published in 1773, he described the phenomena and collected information about the earlier eruptions of the two lakes. In the Atlas Tyrolensis by Peter Anich and Blasius Hueber from 1774, the Eissee can be found as Gurgler See , which is dammed by the great Oezthaler Ferner (Gurgler Ferner). The outer part is covered with ice floes and almost reaches back to the Langtaler Ferner, from which three short streams flow into the lake.

In the years 1817, 1834, 1850 and 1867 an important lake was dammed again, which erupted with damage in 1834 and 1867. In 1850 it reached back to Langtaler Ferner, which calved into the lake . From the middle of the 19th century, there were no more eruptions due to the retreat of the glaciers . The ice lake last appeared in 1915.

Even if there were never outbreaks with massive destruction, the population in the 18th century lived in constant fear of them. To avert the danger, petitions were regularly held to the “stone table”, a rock on the edge of the glacier, and a mass was read there. A small chapel was later built there. Over time, the ice lake lost its horror, so at the end of the 19th century it was described as a magnificent natural spectacle and a worthwhile excursion destination, and was especially sought out by landscape painters.

Web links

Commons : Gurgler Eissee  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ G. Patzelt: Accompanying words to the map of Gurgler Ferners 1981. In: Zeitschrift für Gletscherkunde und Glazialgeologie, Volume 22, 1986, pp 163–170 ( digitized version )
  2. ↑ a b c d Hans Hanke: Quaternary geological investigations in the inner Ötztal. In: Yearbook of the Federal Geological Institute, Volume 85, 1935, pp. 191–223 ( PDF; 1.8 MB )
  3. ^ A b Joseph Walcher : News from the icebergs in Tyrol. Vienna 1773. ( digitized version )
  4. ↑ a b c E. Leys, O. Reinwarth: Effects of the glaciers and the glacier runoff on the torrent and avalanche danger and their consideration in the danger zone plans. In: Interpraevent, Volume 1, 1975, pp. 345–357 ( PDF; 3.3 MB )
  5. ↑ Michael Stotter: The glaciers of the Vernagtthales in Tyrol and their history. Innsbruck 1846 ( digitized version )
  6. ↑ Hans Kinzl : The representation of the glaciers in the Atlas Tyrolensis by Peter Anich and Blasius Hueber (1774) . In: R. v. Klebelsberg-Festschrift of the Geological Society in Vienna, Volume 48 of the communications of the Austrian Geological Society, 1955, pp. 89-104 ( PDF; 1.7 MB )
  7. ↑ Robert R. v. Srbik: collapses in the apron at some Ötztal glaciers. In: Zeitschrift für Gletscherkunde, Volume XXV, 1937, pp. 225–227 ( digitized version )
  8. ↑ Hans Haid : About glacier bans, petitions, sharp vows, children's processions to the far , etc. In: R. Lackner, R. Psenner, M. Walcher (eds.): Is it the Sindt river? Cultural strategies & reflections for the prevention and management of natural hazards. Alpine Space - Man & Environment, Vol. 4. Innsbruck University Press, Innsbruck 2008, ISBN 978-3-902571-32-8 , pp. 75-84. ( PDF; 299 kB )
  9. ↑ "The ice lake (Gurgler Lacke, 1 ⁄ 2 h. Long, 1 ⁄ 4 h. Wide), in which shimmering blocks of ice float around in the most wonderful shades of color (a real picture of the polar regions), flows annually in June or the beginning of July before that time it is most beautiful. ” - Rudolf Freisauff von Neudegg : The Salzkammergut, Salzburg and Tyrol: Practical Guide for Travelers. Grieben's Travel Library Volume 20, Berlin 1882, p. 166 ( online )
  10. ↑ Wolfgang Meixner, Gerhard Siegl: History on the subject of glaciers, glacier forefield and Obergurgl . In: Eva-Maria Koch, Brigitta Verschbamer (eds.): Glacial and periglacial habitats in the Obergurgl area. Alpine Research Center Obergurgl, Volume 1, Innsbruck University Press, Innsbruck 2010, ISBN 978-3-902719-50-8 , pp. 13-29 ( PDF; 827 kB )

Coordinates: 46 ° 49 ′ 20 ″  N , 10 ° 59 ′ 35 ″  E