Sea of ice
The Mer of Ice is a Glacier located on the northern face of the Massif of Mont Blanc (the Alps), formed of the junction of three smaller glaciers ( glacier of Tacul , glacier of Leschaux , glacier of Talèfre ). It is on the whole fourteen kilometers long and its thickness is of approximately two hundred meters, its surface is of approximately forty square kilometers.
Geography
The Sea of Ice is the most important glacier of France, the second of the Alps, after the Glacier of Aletsch. In length, it however is preceded, in addition to the glacier of Aletsch, by the Glacier of Fiesch located in Switzerland.
Its top culminates around 2.140 meters, on the level of the junction between the glacier of Tacul and the glacier of Leschaux (the glacier of Talèfre joined that of not very front Leschaux). Its final language is at an altitude of 1.400 meters.
The Sea of Ice presents a tourist attraction some: the tourists can reach it easily thanks to the Railroad of Montenvers. The site of Montenvers, located a little upstream of the final language of the glacier, offers an excellent point of view on the Sea of Ice.
Montenvers is also known for its famous cave of ice , dug each year in the side of the glacier. It comprises several parts, which are decorated sculptures of ice.
The torrent discharge system of the Sea of Ice, called Arveyron, is one of the principal tributaries of the Arve.
History
The glacier of Wood
To, the glacier went down until in the valley, on the level of the village of Wood. For this reason, it named glacier of Wood , name which remains still sometimes nowadays. Let us note however that the glacier of Wood indicated especially the part of the glacier which was épanchait in the valley. In 1741, two British travellers, William Windham and Richard Pocock go to Montenvers, and baptize name of Mer of Ice the “high” part of the glacier.
At that time, the Arveyron left the glacier of Wood on the level of an imposing natural cave, located in its final language. It was called the cave of Arveyron .
Today, the “low” part of the glacier completely disappeared. The final language is beyond large called rocks rounded rocks of Mottets : it is thus invisible valley. On the other hand, the rocks of Mottets , above which the glacier was épanchait formerly, are them quite visible since Chamonix.
Mountain pastures of the Bad Step
At the same time, the thickness of the glacier was also much more important. That made it possible to rather easily cross it on the level it Montenvers, to reach other bank (right), now made much more difficult of access. One even made there pass from the herds, which thus joined mountain pastures located below the Green Aiguille and Drus, via a passage escarpé on Right Bank, called Mauvais Step or Maupas .
Hydroelectricity
EDF uses at certain seasons subglacial water for the generation of hydroelectricity. Tunnels dug under the final language collect water, and convey it in the valley via pressure pipes. A power station located at Wood Turbine then this water to produce electricity, before releasing them in the bed of the Arveyron.
Bonds and references
References
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