Tyrol
After a landslide: a million cubic meters of rock broke off
The Flughorn in Tyrol – a mountain is shrinking. photo
© —/Land Tirol/dpa
Tyrol’s state geologist says the landslide was triggered by the melting permafrost as part of global warming. Can a landslide like this happen anywhere else?
After the demolition of an Alpine peak in Tyrol, geologists measured the massive extent of the landslide. As the Austrian state announced on Friday, one million cubic meters of rock fell off the southern summit of the Flughorn near Galtür on Sunday. That corresponds to about 120,000 truckloads, it said. “The new southern summit of the Flughorn is now 19 meters lower,” said Tyrol’s state geologist Thomas Figl.
According to Figl, the landslide was triggered in the course of global warming by the melting permafrost, which holds the rock inside like glue. According to experts, the risk of landslides is increasing due to climate change, but the problem with the thawing permafrost primarily affects locations above 2500 meters.
No one was injured during the natural phenomenon on the southern summit, which was 3399 meters high and is now 3380 meters high. After the landslide, hiking trails were closed in the area near the Swiss border. Based on the new measurement data, it is now being checked whether and how these routes can be relocated in the future.