Mont Blanc group
| Mont Blanc group | |
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 The Mont-Blanc group from the west, behind the Valais Alps |
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| Highest peak | Mont Blanc ( 4810 m ) |
| location | France / Italy / Switzerland |
| part of | Graian Alps , Western Alps |
| Coordinates , ( CH ) | 45 ° 50 ' N , 6 ° 52' O ( 555 356 / 75815 ) |
| rock | mainly granite |
| surface | 645 km² |
The Mont Blanc Group is a mountain group in the western Alps in the triangle between France , Italy and Switzerland . With Mont Blanc ( 4810 m ) it has the highest mountain in the entire Alps .
topography
The Mont-Blanc group is located in the western Alps in the French department Haute-Savoie , the Italian region of Aosta Valley and the Swiss canton of Valais . There is no binding agreement for the delimitation of the mountain groups in the Western Alps, but the Mont Blanc group is often assigned to the Graian Alps , alternatively it is also referred to as part of the Savoy Alps .
In the west the massif is bounded by the Val Montjoie , in the northwest by the valley of the Arve . Here lies Chamonix, one of the most important valley locations in the mountain range. To the north, the border runs over the Col des Montets pass to the Valais town of Martigny , to the northeast and east through the Swiss Val Ferret and the Val Ferret in Italy. To the south of Courmayeur , the Mont-Blanc group is bounded by the Val Veny . In total it covers about 645 km².
Although the massif has the highest Alpine peak, only relatively few peaks of the small and compact group exceed the four-thousand-meter limit . The relative height difference to the valleys in this group is the highest in the Alps.
geology
The south-west-north-east trending Mont-Blanc group is mostly called the Mont-Blanc massif in a geological context . The Mont Blanc massif is part of the Helveticum , the northernmost of the four large geological complexes in the Alps. The massif is mainly made up of Variscan crystalline basement rock ("old crystalline") and includes a small part of its Mesozoic cover layers.
In the final phase of the Variscan orogeny are late Carboniferous in that part of the earth's crust, which is now represented by the Mont Blanc massif, crystalline rocks lifted and until the following Perm into eroded Service. Various sediments were deposited on this crystalline base, which sank from the Permian to the Triassic at the turn of the century and formed the basement of the so-called Helvetic Shelf on the southern edge of “Ur-Europe”. During the Mesozoic and during the early Paleogene, various sediments were deposited. In the Oligocene , the formation of the Alps also affected today's Mont Blanc region, whereby not only the sediment layers, but also the Variscan base, consisting of granite and gneiss , were included in the folding processes . Today the Variscan crystalline builds up the major part of the Mont Blanc massif including Mont Blanc, while the younger sedimentary rocks emerge at its edges.
During the Quaternary , the geological development of the massif was mainly determined by the activity of the glaciers of the Pleistocene glaciers .
Since the crystalline rocks are very resistant to erosion, they form the high altitudes of the Mont Blanc massif. The most common rock here is biotite granite . Orthogneiss, mica schist , amphibolite and marbles can also be found on the north-western flank of the massif . In valleys, for example in the Arve Valley or around Courmayeur, the more erosive, weak to unmetamorphic sedimentary rocks of the Mesozoic Era can be found . To the northwest of the Arve valley lies the “sister massif” of the Mont-Blanc massif, the Aiguilles-Rouges massif , which consists mainly of metamorphic rocks and hardly any granite.
Due to the ongoing uplift of the Alps, the mountains of the group are still growing by about 2 mm per year.
climate
Due to its exposed location at the western end of the Alpine arc, the Mont-Blanc group is strongly exposed to the frequent westerly currents, against which the significantly lower upstream Savoy Pre-Alps hardly provide any protection. In addition to strong winds (especially on the northwest side), this also leads to frequent violent sudden falls . In the case of foehn locations , however, strong winds can also occur from the south side. The particular exposure of the mountains can mean that the higher peaks of the massif are already shrouded in foehn clouds in which snowstorms occur, while the weather is still warm and sunny all around. These characteristic clouds are referred to here as L'âne ("The Donkey") because of their shape . The Valais and the Aosta Valley are characterized by a Mediterranean climate.
The reservoirs result in large amounts of precipitation, especially on the north side, which leads to a high degree of glaciation . About a third of the entire massif is covered in ice. Particularly large glaciers such as the Mer de Glace and, with the Glacier des Bossons, one of the deepest glaciers in the Alps, are also located here. Due to the great steepness and the high flow speed (up to 50 cm per day) of the glaciers, many crevasses and séracs are formed .
The ice height in this area reached up to 1000 meters above the valley floor of Chamonix during the Ice Ages, only a few peaks protruded from the ice as nunataks . The last big ice advances were observed in the course of the Little Ice Age in the 16th and 17th centuries and were associated with great destruction.
Like almost all alpine glaciers, the glaciers of the Mont Blanc group are also affected by extensive shrinkage as part of global warming ; For example, the Trient Glacier on the northern slope was shortened by almost 1400 meters between 1900 and 2017. The Bosson Glacier last reached the valley in 1818, 1854 and 1892. Due to the retreat of the glacier, the glacier tongues can now decline by 7 to 14 meters per year.
Flora and fauna
In the mild climate of the Aosta Valley, the tree line is around 2300 m , continuous vegetation in the form of alpine mats can be found up to 3400 m , for example the glacier buttercup grows up into the glacier region . Wine is grown here in the valleys, and there are even cacti and palm trees. The north-west side is characterized by a cooler climate, here the tree line is often below 2000 meters. Alpine farming is only possible in a small part of the area.
From the animal world, the reintroduced ibex and bearded vulture deserve special mention.
Development history
The first ascent of Mont Blanc by Jacques Balmat and Michel-Gabriel Paccard in 1786 was a high point of early alpinism . In the period that followed, it remained almost the only destination for mountaineers. In the 19th century, Michel Croz and Edward Whymper made particular contributions to the development of the other mountains of the massif. Albert Mummery later opened up many of the previously unclimbed mountains. In the 20th century, mountaineering and skiing became popular sports and thus an important economic factor.
Development
The Mont-Blanc massif is accessed by roads through the Chamonix valley and the Aosta valley, on the Italian side even through a motorway ( A5 ). The Mont Blanc tunnel connects the cities of Chamonix and Courmayeur.
The most famous cable car of the Mont Blanc group is the Télépherique de l'Aiguille du Midi , which leads from Chamonix to the 3842 m high Aiguille du Midi and is one of the highest cable cars in the Alps. From there, the Vallée Blanche small gondola lift leads to Pointe Helbronner ( 3462 m ), which in turn can be reached by cable car from Courmayeur. Thus, the entire massif can be crossed with the help of cable cars. Several other cable cars open up the area mainly from the French side. Furthermore, cog railways lead to the viewpoints of Montenvers and Nid d'Aigle .
The Mont Blanc Laboratory, protected from cosmic rays, is located in a tunnel under the mountains .
Huts
The area is accessible with many managed alpine shelters of the alpine associations Club Alpin Français , Club Alpino Italiano and Swiss Alpine Club . Well-known huts are:
- Refuge du Goûter ( 3817 m )
- Refuge des Cosmiques ( 3613 m )
- Cabane du Trient ( 3170 m )
- Refuge de Tete Rousse ( 3167 m )
- Refuge des Grands Mulets ( 3051 m )
- Refuge d'Argentière ( 2771 m )
- Refuge des Conscrits ( 2602 m )
In addition, there are several bivouac boxes and unmanaged huts, the highest of which is Refuge Vallot at an altitude of 4362 m .
Single peaks of the Mont Blanc massif
- Mont Blanc / Monte Bianco (4,810 m)
- Mont Maudit (4,465 m)
- Dôme du Goûter (4,304 m)
- Mont Blanc du Tacul (4,248 m)
- Grandes Jorasses (4,208 m)
- Aiguille Verte (4,122 m)
- Aiguille Blanche de Peuterey (4,112 m)
- Aiguille de Bionnassay (4,052 m)
- Dôme de Rochefort (4,015 m)
- Dent du Géant / Dente del Gigante (4,013 m)
- Les Droites (4,000 m)
- Aiguille de Trélatête (3,930 m)
- Aiguille d'Argentière (3,901 m)
- Aiguille du Midi (approx. 3,850 m)
- Grand Capucin (3,838 m)
- Mont Dolent (3,823 m)
- Aiguilles des Glaciers (3,817 m)
- Aiguille Noire de Peuterey (3,773 m)
- Aiguille du Dru (3,754 m)
- Aiguille de l'A Neuve (3,753 m)
- Dômes de Miage (3,673 m)
- Aiguille de Blaitière (3,522 m)
Others
Two serious aviation accidents occurred in the Mont Blanc massif in the middle of the 20th century : On November 3, 1950, on Air India flight 245, a Lockheed L-749 Constellation , which was named "Malabar Princess", collided with the Montblanc Pre-summit Rochers de la Tournette . All 48 passengers died. Over 15 years later, on January 24, 1966, another Air India Boeing 707 crashed into the mountain range on Flight 101 just below the summit. All 106 passengers on board, including the Indian nuclear physicist Homi Jehangir Bhabha , as well as the 11 crew members were killed. Even decades after these accidents, finds are still being made at Glacier des Bossons that originate from these two accidents (see there for details).
In addition, the aircraft accident of 1950 in particular has repeatedly received media attention:
- The novel "The Mountain of Temptation" by Henri Troyat , which in turn became the basis for the US film " The Mountain of Temptation " from 1956 with Spencer Tracy and Robert Wagner , is based on the events of this crash.
- In the 2001 film “ The fabulous world of Amélie ”, the title character Amelie reads a newspaper report about mountain climbers who accidentally discover a mailbag on Mont Blanc and discover that it came from the “Malabar Princess” accident over 40 years ago . This headline moves her to make the lonely concierge of her house happy with a forged love letter from her missing husband, which was allegedly in this mailbag and could only be delivered to her after more than four decades.
- The French feature film “Malabar Princess” from 2004 is about a boy whose mother disappeared in the French Alps while searching for the plane wreck of the “Malabar Princess” and who five years later goes in search of her.
literature
- Hartmut Eberlein: Alpine Club Guide Mont Blanc Group . 7th edition. Bergverlag Rudolf Rother , Munich 1991, ISBN 3-7633-2412-7 .
- Jürgen F. von Raumer, François Bussy: Mont Blanc and Aiguilles Rouges - Geology of their polymetamorphic Basement (External Massifs, Western Alps, France-Switzerland) . In: Mémoirs de Géologie (Lausanne) . No. 42 , 2004, p. 1–210 ( online , including color geological maps that can be downloaded separately).
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Alpine Club Guide, pp. 15–16
- ↑ a b Gaston Rébuffat : Montblanc . BLV, Munich 1975, ISBN 3-405-11485-3 , p. 9-12 .
- ↑ a b c Alpine Club Guide, S- 16-19
- ^ François Damilano: Mont Blanc - 5 Routes to the Summit . JMEditions, Chamonix 2004, ISBN 2-9521881-0-6 , pp. 14-17 .
- ↑ How quickly the Swiss glaciers are melting. January 31, 2019, accessed on January 31, 2019 (Swiss Standard German).
- ↑ Thomas Rettstatt: Mont Blanc . Ed .: Compass Maps . Rum 2005, ISBN 3-85491-774-0 , p. 6-8 .
- ↑ Alpine Club Guide, pp. 19–21
- ↑ Alpine Club Guide, pp. 49–51
- ↑ Alpine Club Guide, pp. 52–70
- ↑ Malabar Princess (2004). IMDb.com , accessed August 7, 2014 .
- ↑ Malabar Princess. Tout savoir sur Malabar Princess. Warner Bros. France, archived from the original on August 8, 2014 ; accessed on February 16, 2016 (French).