Dusty secrets of the Alps: Where do the brown spots come from?

Dusty secrets of the Alps: Where do the brown spots come from?

Neukirchen, Österreich - In the past few days, extreme storm winds in the high mountains have provided spectacular natural phenomena. As the expert Valentin explains to the ORF, these are not rock falls, but rather massive dust carriages that were favored by the continuing drought. These impressive pictures were taken when an aircraft crew flew over the Alpine main ridge at a lofty height and saw the brown spots in the snow from East Tyrol to Salzburg. A strong telephoto lens made the recordings possible, which impressively staged the fascinating interaction between nature and weather. According to Valentin, this local dust does not come from the upcoming Sahara dust, which is blown into the Alps by southwestern currents via North Africa.

The melted glaciers in the foreland are the cause of the dust swirls, where washed out rocks and large moraine are uncovered. Moränen are rock collections that have been transported and grinded by glaciers over centuries. These fine dust particles are very exposed to the wind and, like Sahara sand, can be blown over long distances. In this way, large amounts of fine sand can also be deposited during the last ice ages and melted.

skiing pleasure on the Hintertux Glacier

bergfex .

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OrtNeukirchen, Österreich
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