Massive rockfall on Fluchthorn, Silvretta in Austria
- Tuesday 13th June 2023
Reports have emerged that the entire southern summit of the Fluchthorn, Silvretta in Austria has collapsed causing a huge rockfall.
Posting the news on-line in the Alpine Climbing Facebook Group, admin Ron Klaassen re-posted an eye-witness video showing the massive rockfall which resulted when what is thought to be the entire southern summit of the 3300m high Fluchthorn mountain collapsed in Silvretta, Austria.
The rockfall debris engulfed the Fluchthorn Glacier below the southern summit and extended over 2kms down to near the Jamtal mountain hut. The belief is that permafrost degradation is the likely cause of the collapse.
As Climber reported, the summer heatwave in the European Alpes last year caused not only a major glacial collapse as well as considerable snow and ice melt but several massive rock collapses throughout the summer. Experts believed that rising temperatures and seasonal variations in the weather not only caused very poor summer conditions generally on the glaciers but exacerbated the ongoing impact on permafrost degradation which is responsible for triggering rockfalls as well. It remains to be seen whether similar poor conditions will occur again this year but the collapse of the southern summit of the Fluchthorn suggests that this might well be the case.