The Forms of Water in Clouds and Rivers, Ice and Glaciers

by John Tyndall

238. The largest glacier in Switzerland is the Great Aletsch, to which further reference shall subsequently be made. Across it on August 14, 1860, a series of thirty-four stakes was planted by Mr. Hawkins and me. Measured on the 16th and reduced to their daily rate, the velocities were found to be as follows:—

MOTION OF GREAT ALETSCH GLACIER.

	East
Stake	1 2 3 4			5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
Inches	2 3 4 6			8	11	13	14	16	17	17	19
Stake	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23
Inches	19	18	18	17	19	19	19	19	17	17	15
Stake	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34
Inches	16	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	16	12	12
	West

239. The maximum motion here is nineteen inches a day. Probably the eastern side of the glacier is shallow, the retardation of the bed making the motion of the eastern stakes inconsiderable. The width of the glacier here is 9,030 links, or about a mile and a furlong. The theodolite was planted high among the rocks on the western flank of the mountain, about half a mile above the Märgelin See.

[§ 35.] Motion of Morteratsch Glacier.

240. Far to the east of the Oberland and in that interesting part of Switzerland known as the Ober Engadin, stands a noble group of mountains, less in height than those of the Oberland, but still of commanding elevation. The group derives its name from its most dominant peak, the Piz Bernina. To reach the place we travel by railway from Basel to Zürich, and from Zürich to Chur (French Coire), whence we pass by diligence over either the Albula pass or the Julier pass to the village of Pontresina. Here we are in the immediate neighbourhood of the Bernina mountains.

241. From Pontresina we may walk or drive along a good coach road over the Bernina pass into Italy. At about an hour above the village you would look from the road into the heart of the mountains, the line of vision passing through a valley, in which is couched a glacier of considerable size. Along its back you would trace a medial moraine, and you could hardly fail to notice how the moraine, from a mere narrow streak at first, widens gradually as it descends, until finally it quite covers the lower end of the glacier. Nor is this an effect of perspective; for were you to stand upon the mountain slopes which nourish the glacier, you would see thence also the widening of the streak of rubbish, though the perspective here would tend to narrow the moraine as it retreats downwards.

242. The ice-stream here referred to is the Morteratsch glacier, the end of which is a short hour's walk from the village of Pontresina. We have now to determine its rate of motion and to account for the widening of its medial moraine.