Serac
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A serac (originally from Swiss French sérac, a type of ricotta-like whey cheese) is a block or column of ice formed by intersecting crevasses on a glacier. Often house-sized or larger, they are dangerous to mountaineers since they may topple with little warning. Even when stabilized by persistent cold weather, they can be an impediment to glacier travel.
Seracs are found within an icefall, often in large numbers, or on ice faces on the lower edge of a hanging glacier.[1] Examples of the latter in the Alps are found on the north-east face of Piz Roseg, the north face of the Dent d'Hérens and the north face of Lyskamm. They are a well-known obstacle on many of the world's highest mountains, in particular Kanchenjunga. The collapse of large seracs were responsible for at least 8 of the 11 deaths of the August 2008 K2 climbing accident on the world's second highest mountain, K2.[2]
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Seracs on the Franz Josef Glacier in New Zealand
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Seracs in firn at 10,000 feet (3,050 meters) on the Winthrop Glacier of Mount Rainier in Washington, USA
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Serac on Bans glacier, massif des Écrins, France
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Serac in the Mont-Blanc massif, France
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Serac in the Mont-Blanc massif, France
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Serac in Écrins massif, France
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Seracs in Piloto Glacier in Cordillera Darwin, Tierra del Fuego
[edit] References
- ^ Post, Austin and Edward R. Lachapelle (Revised edition (May 2000)). Glacier Ice. University of Washington Press.
- ^ Perlez, Jane (August 5, 2008). "More Are Feared Dead Near K2’s Harsh Summit". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/05/world/asia/05K2.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss. Retrieved November 20, 2010.
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