Another Pangaea?

The Bernese Alps is a mountain range that crosses through western Switzerland, towards the regions of Bern and Vaud adjacently.  The formation of the Bernese Alps is due to the convergent collision of the Eurasian and African plate boundaries. Plate tectonics have allowed these Alps to form a unique shape with peaks reaching at 14,026 feet. The three major rock types that structure these mountain ranges are limestone, marble and granite, while other rocks types are present in certain areas. Due to its high altitude, the Bernese Alps is a victim of natural weathering; where abrasion, frost wedging and rock decay all play a role in giving these mountain ranges their unique shape. As the climate changes from cold winters to cool summers, the glaciers and ice melt down to feed four major river sources, which play a major role in supplying Switzerland with water.

Predicting the future is nearly impossible, however if one is to use past trends and natural patterns that occur in nature and combine the to forecast in the future then that might be possible. 10,000 years is a long time where many things can change, these include geographic formations, tectonic movements, temperature and landforms. What one could expect to happen to the Bernese Alps during this time frame is a change in altitude height, and this is due to the convergent tectonic movements that create folded mountains. This collision and pressure will force the mountain to fold (move) upwards raising the peaks even higher than 14,000 feet. The landscape and shape of the Bernese Alps will also be expected to change due to abrasion, glacier erosion and frost wedges.  The force and pressure done by abrasion can sand down the shape of the mountain causing what is called glacier striations. The current pointy shape of the mountain should become smoother as these glaciers move along them through the process of abrasion.

When forecasting 100,000 years further to the future from now, we can assume that more changes will occur to this mountain region. The first problem that might cause a dramatic change is climate change. Studies have shown that in every 100,000 years, the amount of incoming solar radiation (insolation) has increased. If these patterns are consistent this can cause problems such as glacier melting, which in essence change the geographic form on these predominantly snowy mountain ranges. Other changes to consider is the constant force of plate tectonics, with the increase pressure between the Eurasian and African plate boundaries we can expect that some parts of the mountain ranges will become foothills where glaciers will no longer be formed.

Many changes will occur 100,000,000 years from now. Changes like continental drift will impact the location of these mountain ranges as well as their formation. Some geologists suggest that Europe is drifting away from North America at a rate of 1 inch per year. This movement can also increase the tension between the Eurasian and African plat boundaries creating new mountain ranges.    

References:

http://bestplacesonearth.net/beautiful-planet/bernese-alps/

http://web.arc.losrios.edu/~borougt/GlaciationDiagrams.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/100,000-year_problem 

http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/10af.html 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continental_drift

The westerlies meets the Alps!

Temperatures vary from place to place, depending on many geographical factors that contribute in these changes. Due to the high elevation of the Bernese Alps and its physical position between the mid-latitude belts, temperatures are predominantly cold during winters and cool during the summers. The temperatures range from an average of 5 degrees Fahrenheit, to as high as 16 degrees. Air masses play a major factor in the temperatures seen around this region. The Maritime Arctic (mA) is the main air mass that passes through Western Europe, reaching its way towards the Swiss Alps. These cold air masses originate from the Arctic region as well as the northern Norwegian island of Spitsbergen.

Winds can also contribute to temperature changes due to their nature of transporting air molecules and masses. During the winter season at the Bernese Alps, winds can reach speeds of around 40 mph. These winds are usually blown from the west through the prevailing westerlies. These winds blow from a high pressure and they tend to be stronger during winters, which explain the high wind speeds found in the Bernese Alps.

The formation of clouds is partly dependent on winds moving from different high and low pressures. Cloud As it reaches a high elevation, it reaches the dew point where the water condenses. This will then result to warmer are descending from the mountaintop.

s are usually the main source of precipitation. Precipitation has four main common types, snow and rain are the two main types seen through the Bernese Alp range. The yearly average precipitation found in the alp region is around 2000mm, which is a mixture of rain and snow. Orographic cloud formations are commonly found in mountain rages such as the Bernese Alps, and it is the process of air which cooling as it moves upwards.

References

http://meteorologytraining.tpub.com/14312/css/14312_104.htm

http://www.currentresults.com/Weather/Switzerland/temperature-july.php

http://www.meteosuisse.admin.ch/web/en/climate/swiss_climate/swiss_climate_overview.html

http://clasfaculty.ucdenver.edu/callen/1202/Climate/GenCirculation/GenCirculation.html

http://cache4.asset-cache.net/gc/AB13082-switzerland-swiss-alps-mountains-reflected-in-gettyimages.jpg?v=1&c=IWSAsset&k=2&d=ysgg8IpaYWbQzhHJ13e5ylsofF0EK85f%2FnMIWN03eZk%3D

http://clasfaculty.ucdenver.edu/callen/1202/Climate/Moisture/preciptypes.jpg

Standing strong despite weathering!

Weathering is a natural process that breaks down rocks, soils and minerals within the Earth’s surface. When looking at the Bernese Alps, one can come to a conclusion that rock decay plays a major role in forming the shapes seen through the Alp range. There is no doubt that the formation of the Alps was due to tectonic movements, but the process of weathering cannot be ignored. Due to the severe cold winters and warm summers, signs of physical weathering such as frost wedging are apparent. This occurs when water freezes within rock fractures, forcing it to expand and create a crack form shape. The Bernese Alps sees temperatures varying single digits in the winter and an average 80F in the summers.   

Other signs of physical weathering include abrasion, which is the process of rocks grinding together causing mechanical weathering. Due to the Bernese Alps peaking at a high altitude of around 14000 ft, the presence of glaciers help the process of abrasion. Glaciers are a mixture of ice, rocks and minerals, and as gravity pulls it down, it grinds along side other rocks and minerals. The largest glaciers found within the Swiss Alps rage are found in Jungfrau-Aletsch protected area, which is suited in the Bernese Alps. Glaciers in some parts of the Bernese Alps cover as much as 45.9 square mile.

As the glaciers melt during the summer season, it flows down towards four major rivers that surround the Bernese Alps; rivers Aar, Saane, Rhone, and Reuss.  This brings us to the hydrology of how these rivers act as main water supply to these alp regions. The drainage patters in the Swiss region is classified as dendritic, where the water is spread through different branched streams. These streams circulate through our Switzerland and play a major role in distributing water supply.

References:

http://www.earthonlinemedia.com/ebooks/tpe_3e/mass_movement_weathering/physical_weathering.html

http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/10r.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_glaciers_in_Switzerland

http://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-physical-weathering.html

http://clasfaculty.ucdenver.edu/callen/1202/Battle/Destroy/Hydrology/drainage_patterns.jpg

Bernese Alps tectonic development

To understand the significance of why the Bernese Alps have a unique shape, one must understand the history behind the Alps formation. The Swiss Alps were formed when the African plate moved towards the plates located in Europe and Asia also known as the Eurasian Plates. This collision caused the mountains to form, which dates back to 100 million years ago. As large as the Alps might seem geologists still refer to the Swiss Alps as “young mountains”, in comparison with the developments of other mountains around the world.

This tectonic tension is still active, and it’s causing the Alps mountain range to increase in size and matter. Geologists say that the Alps are developing in height at a rate of 1mm per year. This is mainly due to the convergent movements of the Eurasian and African plates.

The Bernese Alps have one of the most distinct shapes amongst the Alps mountain line up. Its highest peak named Finsteraarhorn has a measured height of 14026 ft. This makes it 1000 ft shy from the highest peak in the Swiss Alps range. Rivers surround parts of these Alps from the south and north. Towards the north we find lake Thunersee, which stretches towards the capital Bern. On the on the other side lies Rhone River which flows towards France.  

The majority of these Alps are made up of three main rock types which are; limestone, marble and granite. 
The structure and physical geography of the Bernese Alps shows no harm to people due to the fact that it’s far away from populated areas. Although, with its rough structures and rock formation tourists and skiers must be advised. The rocks present in the Bernese Alps could be profitable and useful for people interested in the rock industry.




Reference:
http://www.myswissalps.com/aboutswitzerland/nature/geography
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geology_of_the_Alps
http://exploringthearth.com/2013/03/02/switzerland
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/62500/Bernese-Alps
http://www.earthonlinemedia.com/ebooks/tpe_3e/tectonics_landforms/tectonics_modern_theory.html

A little about me..

Hello and welcome to my blog!

My name is Abdulaziz Al-Thani and this is my third semester here at UCD. I am majoring in Business Human Resource Management and the reason why I chose this major was because my future goals in the businesses world and my fascination towards anthropology. I love the study of people and understanding how and why people react in certain ways is very important in creating a social and welcoming work environment.

A little about me, I come from a country in the Middle East called Qatar, and I have traveled a lot to Europe and lived in Switzerland for a short time when I was young. I have studied English at a very young age as well as French, Arabic being my first language. I finished my college diploma in the College of the North Atlantic and transferred to UCD beginning of this year.

The place I chose for my blog posts is the Bernese Alps located in a city called Grindelwald in Switzerland. I chose this area because of how beautifully shaped the mountains are and this will allow me to evaluate the geography behind why it's shaped like that and eventually use the knowledge gained throughout the course to predict the future of these Alps.