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
