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

 Glacier list | Statistics
 
Type:  Cirque glacier
Country:  Austria
Region:  Carinthia
Massif/Ice Cap:  Ankogel mountains
Municipality:  Malta
Municipality code:  
Location:  The glacier is situated at the east face of Hochalmspitze (3360 m) which is the highest summit of the Ankogel mountains.
 
Latitude (°, cent):  47.02 N
Longitude (°, cent):  13.35 E
Surface (km2):  3.2
Lenght (km):  2.6
Width (km):  2
Min. altitude (m):  2510
Max. altitude (m):  3340
Orientation (°)  75
Slope (°)  18

EVENT:  Date  12/10/1932 -  Date quality:   
Type:  Glacier flood and ice avalanches
Description  Underneath the tongue of Hochalmkees there is situtated the Preimllake. The tongue reached down over a rocky step into the lake up to 1932. Then it started to melt back over this step and became instabil. In 1932 a big part of the tongue broke down into the lake which emptied emmediately.
Effects:  The floodwave broke through the moraine of 1850 and had a volume of about 300.000 m³. The area of the lake disminished from 3,7 hectare down to 1,8 hectare. The moraine of 1920 was mostly dragged away and mixed up with the water masses. The flood reactivated some old dry waterruns. One wooden bridge was destroyed as well an pasture land, alpine tracks and wood.
Deaths(#)  3
Injuried (#)  0
Note  The rising water level was even noticed in the town of Villach 70 kilometers away. About 16.000 tons of fine material has been transported, debris was mostly deposited in the Malta valley.

DAMAGES    

Type:   Description:

BIBLIOGRAPHY 

FRESACHER, W, 1934 - Der Eisabbruch vom Hochalmkees Der Bergsteiger, 4.(XII). Jg., 1933/34. Heft 8, S. 501-504.
FRESACHER, W, 167 - Fels- und Gletscherabbrüche im Maltatal Die Kärntner Landsmannschaft. Heft 2/1967, S.10-11.
FRESACHER, W, 1980 - Fels- und Gletscherabbrüche im Maltatal Heimatkundliche Beiträge zur Geschichte Kärntens, 1980, Klagenfurt, S.223-224.
KLAMPFERER, F, 1990 - Malta. Von der Vergangenheit in die Gegenwart Verlag Johannes Heyn, Klagenfurt, S.72-74.
KORDON, F, 1944 - Zwei Naturereignisse im Hochalmgebiet Mitt. d. D. u. Ö. Alpenvereins 1933, S. 23-24.
KORDON, F, 1934 - Gletschereisabsturz und Seeausbruch im Hochalmspitzgebiet Carinthia II, 123./124.Jg.(43./44.Jg.), S. 82-84.