The melting of the glacier in the Alps caused the border between Italy and Switzerland to change

Author:
Oleg Panfilovych
Date:

The melting of the glacier in the Alps has slightly shifted the border between Switzerland and Italy.

The Guardian writes about it.

Part of the border between the countries runs along a drainage divide — the point at which meltwater flows from either side of the mountain to one or the other country. The melting of the Theodule Glacier has caused the watershed to "slide" to the Rifugio Guide del Cervino, a mountain refuge for hikers near the 3 480-meter Testa Grigia peak.

The shelter was built on a rocky outcrop in 1984 and was located entirely on the territory of Italy. But now two-thirds of the lodge, including most of the beds and the restaurant, is technically in southern Switzerland. The problem came to the fore because the area, which depends on tourism, is located at the top of one of the worldʼs largest ski resorts, and a cable car station is under construction nearby.

In 2021, Italy and Switzerland agreed to settle the problem of this house. The details of the agreement will become known after the agreement is ratified by the Swiss side.

The Theodule Glacier lost almost a quarter of its mass between 1973 and 2010. This exposed rock beneath the ice, changing the drainage divide and forcing the two countries to redraw a 100-meter stretch of their border.