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Marmolada glacier collapse , cause identified

The Marmolada glacier in the Dolomites collapsed on 3 July 2022. On that day, some 64,000 tonnes of water, ice and rock debris broke off, resulting in an avalanche that killed 11 mountaineers and injured seven others.

A few months later, an international team of researchers published a study done to try to identify what might have been the cause of the collapse. The study was coordinated by Aldino Bondesan of the University of Padua.

The result was made possible thanks to a detailed analysis of stereoscopic aerial images and footages taken by satellites.

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The collapse that occurred in July 2022
The Marmolada glacier , in the Dolomites, collapsed on July 3, 2022. On that day, about 64,000 tons of water, ice, and rocky debris broke loose, resulting in an avalanche that killed 11 mountaineers and injured 7 others.
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The study by an international team
Several months later, an international team of researchers has published a study done to try to identify what may have been the causes of the collapse. The study was coordinated by Aldino Bondesan, of the University of Padua.
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The method used
The outcome was also made possible by a detailed analysis of stereoscopic aerial images and taken by satellites. All images taken before the collapse event.
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The explanation about the causes of the collapse
Bondesan explained that: "The calving was largely caused by subsidence along a median crevasse, partly occupied by a huge volume of meltwater generated by the highly anomalous temperatures of late spring and early summer. At the time of the event, 10.7 degrees had been reached at altitude."
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Blame is one the abnormal temperatures
Bondesan adds: "The dense network of crevasses together with the morphology and properties of the basal rock surface predisposed this glacial sector to collapse. The triggering cause is to be found in the overlying pressure caused by excess melt water'. The collapse was therefore caused by abnormal temperatures.
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