The Rhône Glacier in 1705

In the eighteenth century, the Rhône Glacier still extended deep into the alluvial Gletsch valley. At the head of the glacier was a gigantic ice dome, caled a pecten, out of which flowed the Muttbach, a tributary of the Rhône

The Rhône Glacier in 1897

By the end of the nineteenth century, the pecten at the head of the Rhône Glacier has disappeared, but the glacier still extends to the floor of the Gletsch valley.

The Rhône Glacier in 1966

By the 1960s, the glacier no longer reaches the floor of the Gletch valley, but has retreated several hundred meters toward its source.

The Rhône Glacier today

Today, the Rhône Glacier is no longer visible from the valley floor.