"Krone" glacier series

Melting glaciers set entire mountains in motion

They have named the mighty boulder in the Obersulzbachtal "Obelix".

(Bild: Hölzl Roland)

The disappearance of the ice giants causes huge amounts of rock to move. In the Tauern valleys, the large amount of debris makes a lot of work for torrent and avalanche control.

Where the Venediger Glacier ended 80 years ago, a raging mountain stream now rages. Cows and sheep now graze next to it and eat the fresh, lush grass. Instead of the eternal ice, there is now at least a short summer in the Obersulzbachtal valley.

The transition to the high mountains is subject to constant change. The seemingly eternal ice is currently retreating to Salzburg's highest peaks. This has a major impact on the valleys below. In the Obersulzbachtal valley, debris from the Sattelkar has covered the entire valley since 2003.

Torrent manager Gebhard Neumayr shows the "Krone" where the large amount of sediment came from in the Obersulzbachtal, which has greatly changed the habitat in the valley.

(Bild: Hölzl Roland)

The torrent and avalanche control authority built a new torrent barrier at the entrance to the valley.

(Bild: Hölzl Roland)

Gebhard Neumayr, Head of Torrent and Avalanche Control Pinzgau

(Bild: Hölzl Roland)

The retreat of the glaciers - like here below the Grosser Geiger - exposes a lot of rock, which is easier to get into the valley.

(Bild: Matthias Nagl)

"It's a huge cirque, around 17 hectares in size," says Gebhard Neumayr, Head of Torrent and Avalanche Control in Pinzgau. "The permafrost has held it together with the ice underneath. We don't yet know exactly why it has come loose here and not elsewhere," explains Neumayr.

Torrent and avalanche control

• The torrent and avalanche control authorities are under the control of the Ministry of Agriculture. The institution has 7 sections and 21 regional construction management offices throughout Austria.
• The Pinzgau regional construction management, based in Zell am See, is the largest in Austria and has around 70 employees. It is headed by Gebhard Neumayr.
• In Salzburg, there are also the Pongau, Flachgau and Tennengau regional construction management offices and the one for Lungau.
• The area of responsibility is very large. In addition to the long-term effects of melting glaciers, there are short-term operations due to storms in summer. In winter, the danger of avalanches dominates the work.

Since 2005, almost one million cubic meters of sediment have come down into the valley from just below the summits, according to long-term monitoring by the research company Georesearch. 330,000 cubic meters have been transported away by the Obersulzbach.

"Obelix" towers over the Obersulzbach valley
The rest covered the valley floor meters high. A mighty boulder has been lying on top for two years. They have named it "Obelix" in the Obersulzbachtal valley. Nobody knows how long it will remain enthroned here, maybe a few months, maybe ten years or longer. Perhaps it will move further down with the rest of the rock, perhaps it will be buried from above.

The Obersulzbach valley near Neukirchen am Großvenediger under Salzburg's highest peak is one of the largest and most beautiful valleys in the Hohe Tauern. However, similar events occur in most of the Tauern valleys. The torrent and avalanche barriers are in constant use to protect the settlements.