Weather & Radar
Home / Editor's Pick /

Video inside a glacier: Natural ice cave in Switzerland

13:00
3 March 2024

Video inside a glacier
Natural ice cave in Switzerland

A spectacular glacier cave has formed near Saas-Fee in Switzerland. Such caves are rarely preserved for long.

A glacier cave has formed in the centre of the Saas-Fee ski resort, due to the very warm summers of recent years. Impressive photos from inside show the undulating structures and the bluish shimmer of the ice.

The cave is located in the lower part of the Chessjen glacier near the rocky chin.

Meltwater eats its way through the ice

On warm days, the meltwater has literally eaten its way through the glacier, eroding it. After the melting period, an almost 100 metre long grotto was left behind. The ice walls were polished by the particles in the meltwater.

Ice caves often form at the bottom of the glacier gate, where a lot of meltwater leaves the glacier.Ice caves often form at the bottom of the glacier gate, where a lot of meltwater leaves the glacier.

Glacier caves usually only last a short time, often just one winter. However, they are formed just as quickly. As the caves usually form in the lower part of the glacier, at the glacier gate, they are at the mercy of the high summer temperatures.

During this time, the glacier tongue changes considerably. Ice melts, whole blocks of ice can break off and the ice deforms due to its own weight.

In recent hot summers, up to 10 metres of ice thickness has been lost in the tongue area of various Alpine glaciers.

Many Alpine ski resorts devoid of snowread more
Weather & Radar editorial team
More on the topic
Man sits with telescope looking up at the Milky Way.
Tuesday 6 May 2025

May astronomy outlook

Meteor shower and the Flower Moon
Wednesday 30 April 2025

26.5°C in Surrey

New UK temperature date record
Thursday 1 May 2025

Beating a 1990 record

Hottest start to May on record
All weather news
This might also interest you
Thursday 1 May 2025

Breakfast brief

Heat still rising in UK, storms possible
Sunday 4 May 2025

Your weather - Your shots

Coastal views on a warming spring week
Wednesday 30 April 2025

Breakfast brief

Heat rises again with plenty of sunshine
All articles
Weather & Radar

www.weatherandradar.ie

facebooktwitteryouTubeContact uslinkList
Privacy Policy | Legal info