Fibre-optic cable reveals hidden crevasses within the ice

Researchers from ETH Zurich are laying a fibre-optic cable on the Gorner Glacier in Valais to investigate its internal structure. Their findings have uncovered more damage within the ice than initially anticipated. 

Researchers have shown for the first time that a fibre-optic cable laid on the glacier’s surface can detect hidden cracks with high precision. About 8 percent of the ice in the crevasse field investigated comprises ice- and air-filled fractures and crevasses, with 92 percent remaining intact. A single fibre-optic cable provides hundreds of measurement points simultaneously and can be laid across crevasse fields more quickly and safely than conventional measuring equipment.

The full article has been written by Peter Rüegg for ETH Zurich magazine and can be found here.

ETH researcher Thomas Hudson camped overnight beside the Gorner Glacier, with Monte Rosa and the Dufourspitze (4,634 m) visible in the background. (Image: Thomas Hudson / ETH Zurich)

Impressive mountain scenery at the Gorner Glacier. The tent housing the measuring device can be seen at the bottom right of the image. (Image: Thomas Hudson / ETH Zurich)