The sky may not be falling, but some mountains are.
An insider reported that the effects of human-caused overheating of our planet are threatening to make molehills out of mountains.
what happened
On June 11, 2023, the summit of Mt Fluchthorn, which is among the highest mountain groups in Switzerland, collapsed without warning, sending 3.5 million cubic feet of rock tumbling into the valley below.
Thankfully, no people were hurt, but the ordeal left Mt Fluchthorn 60 feet shorter. the reason for the collapse was a loss of mountain permafrost. This permanent layer of snow and dirt exists on many high mountains in the far north.
Jasper Knight, a geoscientist at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa, told Insider: “Permafrost is important because water frozen in the ground holds the surface of the earth together and prevents it from moving. But when that ice melts, the liquid water can flow away. The surface of the earth becomes less stable and can move, often very quickly.”
Mt Fluchthorn had a lot of permafrost. “Global warming is causing the permafrost to melt, which is the trigger for these mass movement events to occur,” Knight said.
“This mountain peak has been frozen probably for thousands of years,” Jan-Christoph Otto, a geologist at the University of Salzburg, told LiveScience, adding: “The failure of the mountain peak at Fluchthorn is most likely the result of extreme temperatures last summer or autumn.”
Why is this collapse a concern?
The loss of permafrost is an effect of the overheating of our planet, and as the Earth continues to warm, it will only get worse.
LiveScience reported that, according to the Swiss Meteorological Service, temperatures in the Alps are warming by about 0.5 degrees per decade — almost twice the global average.
Warming temperatures don’t even affect the permafrost. The surface layer of ice and snow can also melt, leading to massive floods and mudslides.
Leading scientists report that 670 million people live in high mountain areas around the world, and such events can spell disaster and even death for them.
In addition to the risk to life, mass movements can increase the risk of damaged farmland, blocked thruways, and contaminated water.
What can be done to help?
Indigenous communities have traditional knowledge systems to help manage extreme mountainside weather conditions. One strategy they use is agricultural terraces, which work to prevent soil erosion and landslides, as Insider reported. But it is not enough.
If we slow the rate at which our planet is overheating, we can prevent further mountain degradation from occurring.
We can do this by moving away from single-use plastics, switching from gas-powered cars to electric vehicles, and using clean energy sources whenever possible.
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