Trail of Another Time

Will the Plaine Morte glacier give way to a lake? In how many years? In a poetic spirit, we call it the “Maybe Lake.” It would be the first lake in history to be named before its appearance.

Why this odd idea? The Plaine Morte glacier is unique in the Alps for its plateau shape and surface area, close to that of Zurich airport. But it is melting, and fast. Given its current known configuration, the high Plaine Morte valley, today hidden under millions of cubic meters of ice, could one day host a new mountain lake. Maybe.