Asleep during Geography lessons or not, most of us
remember something about glaciers. And who hasn't
wondered about those truncated spurs and that lateral
moraine when on a transfer to a ski resort???
But most people tend to forget that glaciers are always
moving and that while they fill at the top and melt
at the bottom, the contents are always gradually delivered
to the world.
The speed that a glacier moves depends on its steepness.
The Bossons glacier in Chamonix for example moves
forward at a rate of 150m per year, compared to just
70m for the longer, but gentler Vallee Blanche.
In the past this
has meant that ladders and ropes used by the early
climbers and even the bodies of some of the more unfortunate
appear at the foot of a glacier. However, the Marmolada
glacier near the classy resort of Cortina is trumping
them all at present by delivering a whole city.
The city in question is the eight mile labyrinth of
tunnels and trenches carved in ice and rock by the
elite Austrian mountain troops, the Kaiserjager, during
the First World War.
This incredible feat of engineering is slowly melting
as it becomes visible, but other remnants of the era
are now the targets of souvenir hunters. Items include
sardine tins, weapons, used rounds and boots - all
over 80 years old.
Phoebe Bowler, a visitor
to Natives currently working in the Dolomites, confirms
the stories: 'The local press are very excited about
it - it's front page news. They've also closed the
lifts in summer for the first time as the glacier
has receded about 2 metres this year.'
The head of the
local war museum, Mario Fornaro, despairs of the plunderers:
'Even though it's illegal, people are increasingly
keeping the stuff they find.' The last laugh
could be on them though. Fornaro again: 'A priest
disappeared on the glacier in the 1900s and his body
hasn't been found yet.'
