Konkordiaplatz
Encyclopedia
Snow
Snow is a form of precipitation within the Earth's atmosphere in the form of crystalline water ice, consisting of a multitude of snowflakes that fall from clouds. Since snow is composed of small ice particles, it is a granular material. It has an open and therefore soft structure, unless packed by...
and ice
Ice
Ice is water frozen into the solid state. Usually ice is the phase known as ice Ih, which is the most abundant of the varying solid phases on the Earth's surface. It can appear transparent or opaque bluish-white color, depending on the presence of impurities or air inclusions...
lying just to the south of the Jungfrau
Jungfrau
The Jungfrau is one of the main summits in the Bernese Alps, situated between the cantons of Valais and Bern in Switzerland...
in the Bernese Alps
Bernese Alps
The Bernese Alps are a group of mountain ranges in the western part of the Alps, in Switzerland. Although the name suggests that they are located in the Bernese Oberland region of the canton of Bern, portions of the Bernese Alps are in the adjacent cantons of Valais, Lucerne, Obwalden, Fribourg and...
in the Swiss canton of Valais
Valais
The Valais is one of the 26 cantons of Switzerland in the southwestern part of the country, around the valley of the Rhône from its headwaters to Lake Geneva, separating the Pennine Alps from the Bernese Alps. The canton is one of the drier parts of Switzerland in its central Rhône valley...
. Its notable feature is that it is the junction of four large glacier
Glacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
s coming down from the Aletschfirn, the Jungfraufirn, the Ewigschneefäld and the Grüneggfirn. The main Aletsch Glacier
Aletsch Glacier
The Aletsch Glacier or Great Aletsch Glacier is the largest glacier in the Alps. It has a length of about and covers more than in the eastern Bernese Alps in the Swiss canton of Valais...
originates from Konkordiaplatz. The Konkordiaplatz Charter was signed by the municipalities located in the Jungfrau-Aletsch Protected Area
Jungfrau-Aletsch Protected Area
The Jungfrau-Aletsch protected area is located in south-western Switzerland between the cantons of Berne and Valais. It is a mountainous region in the easternmost side of the Bernese Alps, containing the northern wall of Jungfrau and Eiger, and the largest glaciated area in western Eurasia,...
UNESCO World Heritage site, vowing to retain the aesthetic beauty of the region.
Naming
Concordia is the latinLatin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
word for harmony, literally "with (one) heart". It was the name of the Roman goddess of agreement, understanding, and marital harmony. A British mountaineer, John Frederick
Hardy, gave to the convergence of the several glaciers, the name Place de la Concorde of Nature.
The name Concordia was then given to other places where two or more glaciers meet or large glaciated areas, such as Concordia in the Karakoram
Karakoram
The Karakoram, or Karakorum , is a large mountain range spanning the borders between Pakistan, India and China, located in the regions of Gilgit-Baltistan , Ladakh , and Xinjiang region,...
or Concordia Station
Concordia Station
Concordia Research Station, which opened in 2005, is a research facility that was built 3,233 m above sea level at a location called Dome C on the Antarctic Plateau, Antarctica...
in Antarctica.
Geography
Konkordiaplatz is located at an altitude between 2,700 and 2,800 metres, the place is approximatively 2 km large. According to measurement made by the ETHZ the thickness of snow and ice is more than 900 metres. It is surrounded by the DreieckhornDreieckhorn
Dreieckhorn is a mountain in the Bernese Alps in Switzerland.-External links:*...
(south), the Fiescher Gabelhorn
Fiescher Gabelhorn
The Fiescher Gabelhorn is a mountain in the Bernese Alps in Switzerland.-External links:*...
(east), the Grünhorn
Grünhorn
The Grünhorn is a mountain in the Bernese Alps range of the Swiss Alps. It is located on the ridge between the two largest glaciers of the Alps: the Aletsch Glacier to the west and the Fiescher Glacier to the east...
(north-east) and the Kranzberg (subpeak of the Jungfrau
Jungfrau
The Jungfrau is one of the main summits in the Bernese Alps, situated between the cantons of Valais and Bern in Switzerland...
) and Trugberg
Trugberg
The Trugberg is a mountain in the Bernese Alps in Switzerland. It is located above the Konkordiaplatz where the névé of the Jungfraufirn on the west side and the Ewigschneefeld on the east side converge to form the Aletsch Glacier. The Trugberg lies south of the Mönch.In 1841 a group of explorers...
(north).
At Konkordia the glacier has a speed of about 200 metres per year or 50 centimetres per day.
The area is completely uninhabited but the Konkordia Hut
Konkordia Hut
The Konkordia Hut is a mountain hut located in the Bernese Alps in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. It is owned by the Swiss Alpine Club....
lies above the glacier, on the western slope of Gross Wannenhorn
Gross Wannenhorn
The Gross Wannenhorn is a mountain in the Bernese Alps. It is located in the canton of Valais near the village of Fiesch. The mountain separates the Aletsch Glacier from the Fiescher Glacier....
.