Switzerland--Remodeled

Karst landscape refers to the dissolution of one or more layers of soluble bedrock. Switzerland contains 7,900 square kilometers of karst landscape, which makes up 19% of Switzerland’s surface. This karst area is where the majority of the 7,500 currently known Swiss caves are found.

Picture provided by: www.iaeste.ch

The above picture was taken inside the Hölloch cave system, which is located in canton Schwyz, Switzerland. When translated into English, Hölloch means Hell’s Hole. This is a karst cave and is nearly 200km long.

The picture below was taken in Glattalp, which is located in central Switzerland. Glattalp is one of the few karst landscapes located in Switzerland.

Picture provided by: travelguide.all-about-switzerland.info

Switzerland has a diverse glacial landscape. One erosional form that Switzerland is famous for is the Matterhorn. The Matterhorn is a Horns landform that was formed from erosion on all of its sides. Erosion did not happen evenly, as seen below. 

Photo by: Alanna Weber

Switzerland is home to many parabola, or "U" shaped valleys. They form as glacial ice carves through  "V" shaped valleys. 

Photo by: Alanna Weber. This valley seen above is in the town of 

Reichenbach, located near Interlaken. It is in the Kander Valley. 

Glaciers are a common landform in Switzerland. A famous glacier is the Aletsch glacier, which measures at 45 square miles of ice. The glacial ice always moves down, as seen below. 

  Information from: http://bit.ly/hsAK4R

Photo by: http://bit.ly/j48kKw

The Aletsch Glacier is the largest and longest glacier in the Alps. 

It is located in the Bernese Oberland. 

 Rivers carry all sizes of clasts in their bedload from the weathering Alps. Sediments such as glacial flour from the summer melting of the Aletsch glacier will travel in a suspended load and be deposited in the Swiss plateau when it reaches base level.

 

Photo by: http://www.rafting.co.uk/images/clip_image001_022.jpg
The Lutschine River, located in the Bernese Oberland, carries snowmelt that will supply the Swiss people with drinking water, visible here are the large clasts in its bedload.

Switzerland from Above

Photo by Alanna Weber

This photo shows valley fog in a Swiss valley near the Austrian border. A village rests at the bottom of this valley.

Valley fog, formed from cold air from higher altitude, is popular in many parts of Switzerland. Valleys and peaks are a perfect combination for valley fog to form.

Photos by Alanna Weber

L: A view of Spiez, Thun, the Thuner See, and the Brienser See from the peak of Niesen, a popular and famous mountain in Switzerland.

R: Oeschinensee, Kandersteg BE

  

Switzerland's many lakes provide for a variety of clouds, since clouds can form anywhere there is water. Rainfall is common in the Alps, and it freezes at high altitude. Once it becomes liquid, it turns into runoff and provides fresh drinking water to its citizens.

http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/weather/index.html?cid=77664

Air pressure refers to the weight of the Earth’s atmosphere pressing down on everything at the surface. In Switzerland there were many documented studies over six decades that showed an increase in illness during January, February and March. People complained about joint and muscle pain when the air pressure increased.

Photo by Nio landscape photography inc.

The image above shows a mountain called Mont Blanc Massif in the Swiss Alps

(Nowhere is the Swiss weather more apt to change than in the Alps. A mountain chain often forms the separation between different kinds of weather. The Alps is the border between the cooler Northern European climate and the warmer Southern European climate. Here’s the first snowfall of autumn. )

Alpine snow is a result of the adiabatic process. This is caused by warm, moist air rising in elevation and cooling and releasing latent heat and condensation in the form of snow. The air temperature must drop below the dew point for this to occur.

Photo by Bestcountryreports.com

(The photo above shows the average annual temperatures in Switzerland. We can see that the temperature is much lower in the Alps than it is in the surrounding areas.This temperature change is due to the difference in altitude.)

In Switzerland, the Alps are considered tundra climates (ET), meaning there are long, cold winters and brief, warm summers. The Swiss plateau sits at a lower altitude and produces different temperatures. The plateau is considered a marine west coast climate (Cfb) which produces cooler summers and warmer winters than the Alps.

Switzerland is Under Attack!

(photo by World of Stock, Swiss Alps)
(This photo shows three types of weathering happening simultaneously. They are listed below. The nutrient -rich debris benefits the people by enriching the soil they grow crops in.)

The Marble, Limestone and Granite that comprise the Alps is slowly weathering. Exposed joints in the rock are subject to frost weathering and root wedging. The surface of the rock is slowly being consumed by lichens and various mosses. Erosion takes these sediments to the Swiss plateau.

http://www.picturesofplaces.com/images/small/380.jpg
(mass wasting occurring in Switzerland from snow slides)

Switzerland's most famous area of mass wasting are the Sedrun landslides in Eastern Switzerland. This was due to some instability and bending in the rock layers triggering the mass wasting. If any further disruption was to occur, it would ruin some of the infrastructures including Oberlap national road and regional railway line.

(Muller Marketing Und Druck AG)
(Seen here is an example of a flash flood in Saanen, Bern, Switzerland) 

Switzerland's weather is very extreme, depending on the season. Constant heat and cold cause many streams, lakes and waterfalls to melt. This run-off can cause heavy flash floods, such as the flash flood here in Saanen.

Photo by Alanna Weber

(Clean glacial water provides a source of drinking water for its citizens )

Known for its heavy rainfall, Switzerland is home to many tributaries. Shown here are first and second order tributaries. This runoff most likely came from a melted glacier.

(Bodenserien-Karte der Schweiz; AuthorPallman H. von; Gessner, H)
(The above picture shows the soil mapping of Switzerland. The Alps, Swiss plateau, and the Jura Valleys each contain a different variety of soils to make up their beautiful landscapes)

Switzerland contains three of the twelve soil orders. These three orders are Mollisols, Alfisols, and Spodosols. When broken down further, we find the Swiss plateau contains podzolic soils, loess, and alluvium. The Jura Valleys are built upon Redzinas, and heavier glacial clays. Meanwhile, the Alps contain Lithosol and Podzolized soils.

The Birth of Switzerland

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Alps_from_space.png

The Swiss Alps are one of the most distinct and recognizable feature forms in Switzerland. Their birth began as the super continent Pangaea broke into smaller tectonic plates; then the battle of plate tectonics began. The African Plate moved north and collided into the European Plate and through the process of convergence and subduction, created folds in the European Plate in the shape of mountains.

http://www.claseshistoria.com/bilingue/1eso/relief/relief-lithosphere-drift.html


This process made the majority of the Swiss Alps we see today. Subduction also created friction between the plates, which led to magma from the Earth's mantle to rise to the surface in the form of metamorphic rock. These rocks have changed form due to extreme heat and pressure.

http://geology.about.com/od/rocks/ig/metrockindex/rocpicblueschist.htm

The Alps provide the Swiss people with clean drinking water in the form of snow melt, and economically benefit them with skiing and tourism.

http://www.life.com/image/78787215

As one of the three landscapes in Switzerland, the Swiss Plateau is located in between the Jura Mountains and the Alps. This plateau covers about 30% of the country's surface, and is home to two-thirds of Switzerland's population. The plateau is the most important region of Switzerland in regards to the economy, transportation, and agriculture.

Photo by: Alanna Weber

The Swiss Plateau is made up of three major layers. The base level, the crystalline basement, is covered by unfolded strata of Mesozoic sediments. The second layer is made up of Molasse. The molasse was formed because of the rapid erosion of the Alps. The uppermost layer consists of gravel and glacial sediments.

Introduction

This blog is a joint effort by team members Josh Petrick, Alanna Weber, Yelena Livits and Tiffany Cook.

We chose Switzerland as our place to study since team member Alanna Weber lived there for six months and our team all has Switzerland on their “bucket list” as a place to visit!

Photo: Oeschinensee, Kandersteg, Canton: BE

Switzerland, although small in size compared to its neighbors, has a rich cultural heritage and a storied history. What brings us to Switzerland is its heavily featured landscape and constantly changing climate. 

While Switzerland attracts countless visitors to its borders to see its many cultural offerings, we are excited as a team to spend this semester in virtual Switzerland as amateur geographers!