Aletsch Glacier
| Aletsch Glacier | |
|---|---|
| (Grosser) Aletschgletscher | |
Aletsch Glacier in June 2011 | |
| Type | Valley glacier |
| Location | Valais, Switzerland |
| Coordinates | 46°26′32″N 8°4′38″E / 46.44222°N 8.07722°E |
| Area | 81.7 km2 (31.5 square miles) (2011) |
| Length | 22.6 km (14.0 miles) (2014) |
| Thickness | 940 m (Konkordiaplatz) |
| Highest elevation | 4160 m |
| Lowest elevation | 1650 m |
| Terminus | Massa |
| Status | Retreating |
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The Aletsch Glacier (German: Aletschgletscher, German pronunciation: [ˈalɛtʃˌɡlɛtʃɐ]) or Great Aletsch Glacier (Grosser Aletschgletscher) is the largest glacier in the Alps. It has a length of about 23 km (14 mi) (2014), a volume of 15.4 km3 (3.7 cu mi) (2011), and covers about 81.7 km2 (31.5 square miles) (2011) in the eastern Bernese Alps in the Swiss canton of Valais. The Aletsch Glacier is composed of four smaller glaciers converging at Konkordiaplatz, where its thickness was measured to reach a maximum of 905 metres (2,969 ft). It then continues towards the Rhône valley before giving birth to the Massa. The Aletsch Glacier is – like most glaciers in the world today – a retreating glacier. As of 2016, since 1980 it lost 1.3 kilometres (0.81 mi) of its length, since 1870 3.2 kilometres (2.0 mi), and lost also more than 300 metres (980 ft) of its thickness.
The whole area, including other glaciers is part of the Jungfrau-Aletsch Protected Area, which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001.