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Google Earth Task

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Environmental Science

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Sinclair Community College

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Homework

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puevfflq909

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Homework #1 – Glaciers in the Swiss Alps (10 points)

European scientists in the 19

century realized that many parts of Europe were covered

by glaciers in the past, and therefore climate must have been much colder. What caused the Ice

Ages was a key scientific question in the mid- to late 19

century. Ignace Venetz, an engineer in

charge of the railroads in Switzerland, monitored the front of active glaciers in the Swiss Alps

and based on finding similar deposits all over the Alps argued for a past ice age in 1821. Other

scientists such as Jean de Charpentier, Jens Esmark, and Louis Agassiz all recognized the

previous extent of glaciers based on geomorphic landforms and convinced naturalists by the mid-

1800s of a former Ice Age in Europe.

In this exercise you will take a close look at some of the same glaciers that Ignace Venetz

and Louis Agassiz studied to see if you can identify past changes in the extent of the glaciers.

You will identify glacial features in and around the Rhone Glacier and the Stein Glacier,

reconstruct the maximum extent of these glaciers during the Little Ice Age (~16

-18

century in

Europe), and document how much these glaciers have receded over the last ~150 years.

Although these early geologists were documenting the extent of the glaciers during the Last

Glacial Maximum (~22,000 years ago), we can use the rapid retreat of the glaciers since the

Industrial Revolution using similar methods.

For this exercise make sure you have Google Earth Pro downloaded on to your computer.

The web-based Google Earth program does not have all of the same features. To convert your

units to metric, go under ‘tools’ and ‘options’ and select ‘meters, kilometers’ under 3d view.

Rhone Glacier

Using Google Earth, go to the Rhone Glacier (46.605912°N, 8.387430°E) in the Swiss

Alps. Take a close look at the Rhone Glacier using Google Earth. For the following questions,

please use metric units.

1. Go to the terminus of the Rhone glacier. What is the elevation for the terminus of the

glacier today? (1 point)

2790 m

2. Go to an eye altitude of ~4 km (lower right of your screen) with the terminus of the Rhone

Glacier in the center of the image. Now save the image by going to file, save, save image,

and then hit ‘save image’ at the top of the screen. Then insert that image below. On the

image, identify the location of the lateral and terminal moraines. By comparing the height

of the lateral moraines and the adjacent modern glacier, what was the difference in the

height of the glacier when these moraines formed? Please mark on your image where you

determined the elevations. (1 points)

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Lateral moraines height is 297 m while the terminal moraines height is 304 m. so there is a

different of 7 m between the two moraines.

The elevation was determined from the terminus of the rhone glacier in swiss alps.

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Homework #1 – Glaciers in the Swiss Alps (10 points) European scientists in the 19th century realized that many parts of Europe were covered by glaciers in the past, and therefore climate must have been much colder. What caused the Ice Ages was a key scientific question in the mid- to late 19th century. Ignace Venetz, an engineer in charge of the railroads in Switzerland, monitored the front of active glaciers in the Swiss Alps and based on finding similar deposits all over the Alps argued for a past ice age in 1821. Other scientists such as Jean de Charpentier, Jens Esmark, and Louis Agassiz all recognized the previous extent of glaciers based on geomorphic landforms and convinced naturalists by the mid1800s of a former Ice Age in Europe. In this exercise you will take a close look at some of the same glaciers that Ignace Venetz and Louis Agassiz studied to see if you can identify past changes in the extent of the glaciers. You will identify glacial features in and around the Rhone Glacier and the Stein Glacier, reconstruct the maximum extent of these glaciers during the Little Ice Age (~16th-18th century in Europe), and document how much these glaciers have receded over the last ~150 years. Although these early geologists were documenting the extent of the glaciers during the Last Glacial Maximum (~22,000 years ago), we can use the rapid retreat of the glaciers since the Industrial Revolution using similar methods. For this exercise make sure you have Google Earth Pro dow ...
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