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