In total, around nine billion tons of earth and stone are pressing the ice down towards the valley, and a large part of the stones risk of going with the ice over the village.
The Birch glacier in the mountains above Lötschental is moving slowly, every day it comes around three meters closer to the valley located south of Interlaken, and for every meter, the risk increases that parts will break off and fall down towards the village of Blatten, reports the Swiss news agency SDA. So far, geologists have not seen a feared acceleration of the ice's movements.
Only "small" parts have broken off and slid down, taking with them large amounts of mud and 3.5 cubic meters of stone. Just these pieces correspond to 1,400 Olympic-sized swimming pools, but so far, the village and the only road in and out have managed to hold out.
The 300 inhabitants were evacuated last week, and it is unclear when or if they can return. The authorities have asked them for patience.
That much more ice, stone, and earth will fall is clear, but when and how it will is uncertain. A new larger crack has been observed, and the ice will not stay where it is now. Experts hope for several smaller landslides instead of one large one, which could be catastrophic.
The glacier is sliding down the valley due to its decreasing surface area. Analyses reveal that it has lost large volumes since July last year, in some places with a depth of 101 meters.
