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100 m (328 ft)
Agassiz found that the Unteraar Glacier moved how much per year?
the middle
The movement of the Unteraar Glacier moved more rapidly in what part?
The Inn valley
What is an example of a valley carved by glaciers during the ice ages?
Eroded rocks from the most recent ice age
What lays at the bottom of the Inn Valley
erosion from earlier ice ages
The top of the Inn Valley consists of what?
piles of rock picked up during the movement of the glacier
What are Moraines?
at edges, center and the terminus of glaciers.
Where have moraines accumulated?
spread in a fan-like shape
How do Piedmont glaciers appear?
The stress of the movement
What causes the ice to break and crack loudly?
unpredictable and dangerous crevasses
What does the cracking of the ice create?
a piece of glacier will detach or break
What causes flooding, property damage, and loss of life?
an avalanche
What killed about 2500 people in the 17th century?
120 homes
How many homes in a village near Zermatt were destroyed by an avalanche in the 19th century?
High levels of precipitation
What cause the glaciers to descend to permafrost levels in some areas?
to 1,342 km2 (518 sq mi)
From 1876 to 1973, how much did the glaciers that covered the Alps shrink?
decreased river run-off levels.
What resulted from the loss of the area the glaciers over the Alps?
Forty percent
How much of the glaciation in Austria disappeared?
30%
How much of the glaciation disappeared in Switzerland?
The Alps
What provides Europe with drinking water, irrigation, and hydroelectric power?
11 percent of the surface area
How much of Europe does the Alps cover?
90 percent
How much water does the Alps provide to lowland Europe?
80 percent
How much water does Milan depend on from the Alpine runoff?
500
Water from the rivers is used in over how many hydroelectric power plants?
Switzerland
The Rhine, the Rhone, the Inn, the Ticino and the Po rivers flow from what Country?
the Alps
Where do the major tributaries that flow through the Danube originate from?
The Rhone
Which river is second to the Nile as a freshwater source to the Mediterranean?
glacial meltwater
What does The Rhone begin as?
a 30 square kilometre area in Switzerland
Where does the Rhine originate?
Germany
Where is the medieval St. Bartholomew Chapel located?
south side
What side of the Konigssee was St. Bartholomew's chapel built?
lakes
What do the rivers form?
Scientists
Who have been studying the impact of climate change and water use?
snowmaking in the ski resorts
Water is diverted from rivers for what purpose?
unknown
What are the effects of diverting the water from rivers?
The Alps
What are a classic example of what happens when a temperate area at lower altitude gives way to higher-elevation terrain?
Alpine
Elevations around the world that have a cold climate similar to that of the polar region have been called what?
A rise from sea level into the upper regions of the atmosphere
What causes the temperature to decrease?
The height of the Alps
What is sufficient to divide the weather patterns in Europe into a wet north and dry south?
the 18th century
Since when has the severe weather in the Alps been studied?
the weather patterns
Particularly what part of the weather has been studied?
Numerous weather stations
What was placed in the mountains early in the 20th century?
Italy
Where is the Aosta valley located?
Switzerland
Where is the Valais located?
The areas that are not arid and receive high precipitation
What areas experience periodic flooding from rapid snowmelt and runoff?
2,600 mm (100 in) per year to 3,600 mm (140 in) per year
What are the ranges of mean precipitation in the Alps?
high altitudes
Where do the higher levels of precipitation occur?
At altitudes between 1,000 and 3,000 m
At what altitude does snowfall begin in November?
five climatic zones
How many zones are the Alps split into?
colline zone
What is the lowest zone of the Alps called?
between 500 and 1,000 m
Where does the lowest zone of the Alps exist?
from 800 to 1,700 m
Where does the montane zone extend from?
from 1,600 to 2,400 m
Where does the sub-Alpine zone extend from?
Various models of climate change
What has been projected into the 22nd century for the Alps?
increased temperatures
What will have an effect on snowfall, snowpack, glaciation, and river runoff?
climate change
What have the various models been of?
Thirteen thousand
How many species of plants have been identified in the Alpine regions?
by habitat and soil type
How are Alpine plants grouped?
chief deciduous trees
Oak, beech, ash, and sycamore maple make up what group of trees?
a band of short pine trees
What is often above the forestry?
acidic soil
What type of soil does Alpenrose prefer?
alpine
What is the area above the treeline defined as?
because of regional fluctuations in tree lines.
Why does the alpine area fluctuate greatly?
Alpine plants such the Alpine gentian
What grows in abundance in areas such as the meadows above the Lauterbrunnental?
the Illyrian king Gentius
What are Gentians named after?
40 species
How many species of the early-spring blooming flower grow in the Alps?
isolated cushions
What do the plants tend to form at higher altitudes?
above 4,000 m
Ranunculus glacialis have been recorded to have been found how far in the alps?
the King of the Alps
What is Eritrichium nanum commonly known as?
Edelweiss
What is the best known of the alpine plants?
extreme and stressful climatic conditions
What gives way to the growth of plant species with secondary metabolites important for medicinal purposes?
medicinal
Origanum Vulgare has what useful properties?
the Alps
Where are Urtica dioica found?
Human interference
What has nearly exterminated the trees in many areas?
forests of deciduous trees
What are rarely found after the extreme deforestation between the 17th and 19th centuries?
The vegetation
What has changed since the second half of the 20th century?
the underlying tundra
The practice of building ski runs by mechanical means has destroyed what?
30,000 species
How many species of wildlife habitat the Alps?
made adaptations
What have the wildlife done to survive the harsh conditions of the Alps?
directly above or below the snow line
Some species of wildlife can only survive in what specific environment?
alpine ibex
What is the largest mammal to live in the highest altitudes?
as high as 3,000 m (9,843 ft)
How high have the Alpine Ibex been sighted?
in caves
Where do the ibex live?
chamois
What animal that live in the Alps are classified as antelopes?
1792
What year was the last brown bear recorded to have been killed?
underground
Where do many rodents live?
almost exclusively above the tree line as high as 2,700 m (8,858 ft)
Where do Marmots live?
beneath the alpine pastures
Where do marmots build their colonies?
the alpine chough
What is the most common bird found in the Alps?
they cannot bear the cold temperatures
Why do reptiles only live up to the snow line?
they hibernate underground
What do reptiles due since they cannot bear the cold temperatures?
by giving birth to fully developed young rather than laying eggs
How have the Alpine salamanders adapted to living above the snow line?
Brown trout
What can be found in the streams up to the snow line?
120 million years
How long have some species of moths believed to have evolved from the same habitat?
Blue moths
What can be commonly seen drinking from the snow melt?
1,800 m (5,906 ft)
The swallowtail Parnassius family of butterfly habitat ranges up to how much?
Rosalia alpina
What species of beetles are were collected for their colors before being protected?
having been indigenous to the area
Some species of moths and insects show evidence of what?
the Alpine orogeny
How long ago does the evidence show moths and insects to have been indigenous?
Valais, Switzerland
Where is Emosson located?
the 1970s
When were dinosaur tracks found in Emosson?