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GLACIER "FRENEY"
Risk type: glacier flood and ice avalanches

Glacier list | Statistics
 

Type:  Cirque glacier
Country:  Italy
Region:  Aosta Valley
Massif/Ice Cap:  Monte Bianco
Municipality:  Courmayeur
Municipality code:  
Location:  
 
Latitude (°, cent):  45.82 N
Longitude (°, cent):  6.9 E
Surface (km2):  1.421
Lenght (km):  3.15
Width (km):  
Min. altitude (m):  2335
Max. altitude (m):  4120
Orientation (°)  135
Slope (°)  26

EVENT:  Date  20/4/1984 -  Date quality:   

Type:  Glacier flood (contain both lakes and water pocket)
Description  Emptying of internal water pocket. Bridge and road damaged.
Effects:  Bridge and road damaged.
Deaths(#)  0
Injuried (#)  0
Note  

DAMAGES    

Type:  Roads Description:

BIBLIOGRAPHY 

, - Dal Molin (personal communication)

EVENT:  Date  /11/1970 -  Date quality:   

Type:  Ice avalanches
Description  A great ice-collapse occurred at the beginning of November 1970 (probably the day 1st). The avalanche filled the gullies of the face under the snout, and spread on the debris-cone below, till reaching the stream coming from left snout of Miage glacier.
Effects:  
Deaths(#)  0
Injuried (#)  0
Note  This collapse was similar to the 1956's one.

DAMAGES    

Type:  None Description:

BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Lesca C., 1971 - Relazione sulla Campagna Glaciologica 1971 Bollettino del Comitato Glaciologico Italiano Serie II, n.19, p. 96

EVENT:  Date  25/6/1959 -  Date quality:   

Type:  Ice avalanches
Description  In the night between 24th and 25th June an enormous crevasse formed about 200 meters above the snout, in the glacier tongue: a huge ice mass moved downward, stopping in 20 meters, but a small part of it detached and fell, reaching the path between Freney huts and the Miage morain. The ice-avalanche covered a path of about 1300 m (in horizontal projection), and a differcence of altitude of about 730 m, reaching also Miage stream. Some ice-blocks were 3-5 m large, and ice cone had a maximum thickness of less than 20 m.
Effects:  
Deaths(#)  0
Injuried (#)  0
Note  Probably, heavy rains occurred in the previous days, followed by night-frost with solidification of water in crevasses (and increasing of volume), had a part in the detachement. The water flowing on the bedrock probably favoured the sliding of ice too.

DAMAGES    

Type:  None Description:

BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Capello C. F., 1959 - Relazioni delle campagne glaciologiche 1956-1957 Bollettino del Comitato Glaciologico Italiano. Serie seconda. N.8 (1, 1957-1958), p.185
Capello C. F., 1959 - Frane-Valanghe di ghiaccio nel Gruppo di Monte Bianco Bollettino Comitato Glaciologico Italiano. Serie seconda. N.8 (1, 1957-1958), p.125-138

EVENT:  Date  8/8/1933 -  Date quality:   

Type:  Ice avalanches
Description  In the morning, several seracs fell from the snout of glacier. A part of the ice-avalanche stopped on the slope between the second and the first gradine, while the other part fell besides the first gradine, covering for 1/3 the debris-cone on the which the path for Gamba alpine hut winds.
Effects:  
Deaths(#)  0
Injuried (#)  0
Note  

DAMAGES    

Type:  None Description:

BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Capello C. F., 1934 - Relazione sulla Campagna Glaciologica 1933. Bollettino del Comitato Glaciologico Italiano. Serie I. N.14, p. 224