This glacier- cache brings you up to approx. 7500 ft., what is a
difference of height from more than 5800 ft. to hike. The way up is
alpine. Good boots and alpine clothing are highly recommended. Also
a good map and a compass may help. In this area fog can come up
very easy, so be sure to have the skills and the equipment to do
this cache.
The Hallstatt glacier is one of the last
and most impressive ice landscapes of the Dachstein Mountains in
Upper Austria. Although it is part of the UNESCO culture & nature heritage
zone. Unfortunately this sensitive Part of nature is, like all the
glaciers in the world, threatened of dying out. The melting glacier
tongues go back nearly 45 ft./year, what would mean, that up to the
end of this century most of the ice will be gone.
Also the mass tourism is going to
disturb this heritage of the past. Alpine and cross-country skiing
must be accessible the whole year in our society. So this is just
one example of our own fault, nature is dying part by part. Dirt
grime and dump is covering our glacier, so it’s a hard work to keep
them clean in this area. Sometimes the relicts of industrial
disease are melting out of their icy graves after
decades.
Geological background of the Dachstein massif at
all:
The geology of this area is
dominated by the so-called Dachstein-Kalk ("Dachstein limestone"),
dating from Triassic times. In common with other karstic areas, the
Dachstein is permeated by a rich cave system, including some of the
largest caves in Austria, such as the Mammuthhöhle and the
Hirlatzhöhle. Another significant tourist destination is the
Eisriesenhöhle. The Dachstein is famous for its fossils, including
megalodonts; the Linzer Weg leads over many such fossils, which are
referred to as Kuhtritte ("cattle footprints").
When conditions are right for precipitation,
calcite forms mineral coatings that cement the existing rock grains
together or it can fill fractures. Karst topography and caves
develop in carbonate rocks due to their solubility in dilute acidic
groundwater. Cooling groundwater or mixing of different
groundwaters will also create conditions suitable for cave
formation.
Further
information:
ScienceDirect
Specific glaceological
background of the Hallstatt glacier:
This glacier is the
largest of the massif's nine glaciers. It is very unusual to find a
glacier in this size at this area. Normally the glacier (with
its smaller neighbours) is located much to far from the main massif
of the central alps and the altitude is not as high as in the other
glacier regions.
The Hallstatt glacier is
the most and best explored glacier of the eastern alps. The answer
to the question, why this glaciological phenomenon is located here,
has several reasons:
-
The limestone, where the
glacier is sited, is very flat. Melting water disappears
slow.
-
The glacier is surrounded
by mountains on three sides. The "opening" is NE, the weather-side.
The low temperature can be hold until the beginning summer. The NW
to SE heading mountain ranges of the Gjaidstein- massif and the
Gosaukamm have a function as a "wind & weather channel". The
summit of the highest point (Hoher Dachstein with approx. nearly
9000 ft.) is the barrier to the south, that also breaks the warm
south wind, called "Föhn".
-
In fact of the often
upcoming fog at the plateau the sun can be reflected before it is
able to melt the ice.
-
The glacier is feeded by
the so called "Karwinkeln", high lying (approx. 7500 ft.) limestone
angles. These have even in summer very few sunshine and have a
function like an ice shelter.
-
Since 2007 the glacier is
used as "climatic indicator". As this part of nature reacts very
sensible to any kind of climatic change, scientists are able to use
the permanently measured information as indicator for natural
disasters.
This cache will lead you to the point
where the nature’s defense is going to break permanently: the
lowest point of the medium glacier’s tongue. It will show you what
kind of price we are going to pay for our comfort and ignorance.
Once at this point you will see how small we are and how impressive
the rest of this giant is watching you from above.
To log this
cache:
ü
Go to the cache
coordinates and make a photo of you and the glacier in the
background. Post it with your log.
ü
Place your GPS on the
lowest from this point reachable part of the glacier (as shown on
the
picture) and start measuring the distance to the reference
point “Simony hut” at:
N: 47°
30.008´ E: 13°
37.396´.
Post this distance with your log (at
Jul.14th 2008: measured 4331 ft.). So everyone
can see the progressive melting.
ü
Find out how the black
grime/covering is coming up on the ice of the glacier. Contact me
via my profile and write two reasons of natural, two reasons of
local (human) and two reasons of atmospheric
deposition.
These conditions are
unavoidable for solving this earth cache. Anyhow it is not
necessary to wait for a log-permission, if the rules of
earthcache.com will be observed. I will contact you, if the the
answers of the last questions or the photos are
incorrect.
Happy caching &
good luck, coogarblueeye.