Lac des Faverges empties
A lake on the Plaine Morte Glacier drained through the ice in 24 hours and flooded the village of Lenk.
Date2018-07-27
Lake volume> 2 million m³
Drained in< 24 h
Peak reduced by> 90% (2019)
The Plaine Morte is a flat plateau glacier. Since 2011, an ice-dammed lake, the Lac des Faverges, has filled at its eastern edge every summer and drained in a matter of days, sending the water through the glacier towards the Simme and the village of Lenk.
In 2018 the lake grew to more than 2 million m³. On 27 July it drained within 24 hours. Parts of Lenk were flooded and evacuated, with substantial damage.
In spring 2019 an 800 m channel was cut into the glacier surface, together with a short tunnel, to drain the lake gradually towards the west. The peak discharge in 2019 was reduced by more than 90% compared with 2018.
Glaciers
Sources
Sources
- Ogier et al. (2021). Drainage of an ice-dammed lake through a supraglacial stream: hydraulics and thermodynamics. The Cryosphere 15. tc.copernicus.org/articles/15/5133/2021/tc-15-5133-2021.html