Geophysical signature of a World War I tunnel-like anomaly in the Forni Glacier (Punta Linke, Italian Alps)
Global warming and the associated glacier retreat recently revealed the entrance to an ice–rock tunnel, at an altitude of ~3600 m a.s.l., in the uppermost portion of the Forni Glacier in the Central Italian Alps. The tunnel served as an entrance to an Austro-Hungarian cableway station excavated in t...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Cambridge University Press
2019-10-01
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| Series: | Journal of Glaciology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0022143019000595/type/journal_article |
| _version_ | 1811155829567520768 |
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| author | R. G. Francese A. Bondesan M. Giorgi S. Picotti J. Carcione M. C. Salvatore F. Nicolis C. Baroni |
| author_facet | R. G. Francese A. Bondesan M. Giorgi S. Picotti J. Carcione M. C. Salvatore F. Nicolis C. Baroni |
| author_sort | R. G. Francese |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Global warming and the associated glacier retreat recently revealed the entrance to an ice–rock tunnel, at an altitude of ~3600 m a.s.l., in the uppermost portion of the Forni Glacier in the Central Italian Alps. The tunnel served as an entrance to an Austro-Hungarian cableway station excavated in the rocks during the Great War just behind the frontline. A comprehensive geophysical survey, based on seismic and ground-penetrating radar profiling, was then undertaken to map other possible World War I (WWI) remains still embedded in the ice. The ice–rock interface was reconstructed over the entire saddle and in the uppermost portion of the glacier. A prominent linear reflector was surprisingly similar to the common response of buried pipes. The reflector orientation, almost longitudinal to the slope, does not seem to be compatible with a glacial conduit or with other natural features. Numerical simulations of a series of possible targets constrained interpretation to a partly water-filled rounded shape cavity. The presence of a preserved WWI tunnel connecting Mount Vioz and Punta Linke could be considered a realistic hypothesis. The Forni glacier could be still considered polythermal and comprised of cold ice without basal sliding in its top portion. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T04:41:14Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e18f38450327409ca1be6808cb2250bb |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0022-1430 1727-5652 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T04:41:14Z |
| publishDate | 2019-10-01 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Glaciology |
| spelling | doaj.art-e18f38450327409ca1be6808cb2250bb2023-03-09T12:40:49ZengCambridge University PressJournal of Glaciology0022-14301727-56522019-10-016579881210.1017/jog.2019.59Geophysical signature of a World War I tunnel-like anomaly in the Forni Glacier (Punta Linke, Italian Alps)R. G. Francese0A. Bondesan1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8721-652XM. Giorgi2S. Picotti3J. Carcione4M. C. Salvatore5https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1590-7284F. Nicolis6C. Baroni7Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parma, Italy National Institute of Oceanography and Experimental Geophysics – OGS, Trieste, ItalyDepartment of Historical and Geographic Sciences and the Ancient World, University of Padova, Padova, Italy Research Fellow in the Department of Military Geography, Faculty of Military Science, University of Stellenbosch, Stellenbosch, South AfricaNational Institute of Oceanography and Experimental Geophysics – OGS, Trieste, ItalyNational Institute of Oceanography and Experimental Geophysics – OGS, Trieste, ItalyNational Institute of Oceanography and Experimental Geophysics – OGS, Trieste, ItalyDepartment of Earth Sciences, University of Pisa, Pisa, ItalyArchaeological Heritage Office, Autonomous Province of Trento, Trento, ItalyDepartment of Earth Sciences, University of Pisa, Pisa, ItalyGlobal warming and the associated glacier retreat recently revealed the entrance to an ice–rock tunnel, at an altitude of ~3600 m a.s.l., in the uppermost portion of the Forni Glacier in the Central Italian Alps. The tunnel served as an entrance to an Austro-Hungarian cableway station excavated in the rocks during the Great War just behind the frontline. A comprehensive geophysical survey, based on seismic and ground-penetrating radar profiling, was then undertaken to map other possible World War I (WWI) remains still embedded in the ice. The ice–rock interface was reconstructed over the entire saddle and in the uppermost portion of the glacier. A prominent linear reflector was surprisingly similar to the common response of buried pipes. The reflector orientation, almost longitudinal to the slope, does not seem to be compatible with a glacial conduit or with other natural features. Numerical simulations of a series of possible targets constrained interpretation to a partly water-filled rounded shape cavity. The presence of a preserved WWI tunnel connecting Mount Vioz and Punta Linke could be considered a realistic hypothesis. The Forni glacier could be still considered polythermal and comprised of cold ice without basal sliding in its top portion.https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0022143019000595/type/journal_articleGlacier decayGPRItalian Alpsmilitary geosciencesnumerical modelingseismicwhite warWorld War I |
| spellingShingle | R. G. Francese A. Bondesan M. Giorgi S. Picotti J. Carcione M. C. Salvatore F. Nicolis C. Baroni Geophysical signature of a World War I tunnel-like anomaly in the Forni Glacier (Punta Linke, Italian Alps) Journal of Glaciology Glacier decay GPR Italian Alps military geosciences numerical modeling seismic white war World War I |
| title | Geophysical signature of a World War I tunnel-like anomaly in the Forni Glacier (Punta Linke, Italian Alps) |
| title_full | Geophysical signature of a World War I tunnel-like anomaly in the Forni Glacier (Punta Linke, Italian Alps) |
| title_fullStr | Geophysical signature of a World War I tunnel-like anomaly in the Forni Glacier (Punta Linke, Italian Alps) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Geophysical signature of a World War I tunnel-like anomaly in the Forni Glacier (Punta Linke, Italian Alps) |
| title_short | Geophysical signature of a World War I tunnel-like anomaly in the Forni Glacier (Punta Linke, Italian Alps) |
| title_sort | geophysical signature of a world war i tunnel like anomaly in the forni glacier punta linke italian alps |
| topic | Glacier decay GPR Italian Alps military geosciences numerical modeling seismic white war World War I |
| url | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0022143019000595/type/journal_article |
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