MOUNT ZUGSPITZE EXPERIENCING ROCKFALL DUE TO PERMAFROST THAW

BERLIN, SEPTEMBER 23 /SRNA/ – Rocks have continued to fall from Mount Zugspitze as a result of thawing permafrost, leading to increasingly frequent rockfalls.

Several cubic metres of rock have broken away since Tuesday, when the rockfall was first observed, creating a large cloud of dust.

Franz Derfler, deputy head of operations at the Grainau Mountain Rescue Service, noted that although rockfalls are no longer an unusual occurrence, the scale of the latest rockfall was unusual for the 2,962-metre-high peak located on the German-Austrian border.

Derfler said it was difficult to estimate exactly how much rock had broken away, noting that the area was inaccessible.

"Staff of the Zugspitzbahn cable car, which runs almost all the way to the summit, are currently monitoring the situation from a distance," Derfler said, adding that neither buildings nor trails had been affected by the rockfall.

According to experts, the rocks on Zugspitze, Germany’s highest mountain, are held together by permafrost, which is thawing due to climate change and rising temperatures.