| |
|
This article is about the Alpine mountain. For other uses, see Mont Blanc (disambiguation)
Mont Blanc, in the Alps, is the highest mountain peak in Europe west of the Volga; its height of about 4,810 metres (15,780 feet) varies from year to year by a few metres (up to about ten feet).
Portions of Mont Blanc clearly lie in each of France and Italy, but its precise relationship to the border was a subject of doubt starting in the 17th century. With the availability of advanced surveying methods, it has become clear that its summit lies within France, with Italian terriotory ending at an elevation 200 meters lower. The two most famous cities near Mont Blanc are Chamonix, Haute-Savoie (France) and Courmayeur, Valle d'Aosta (Italy).
Begun in 1957 and completed in 1965, the 11.6 kilometer (7.25 mile) Mont Blanc Tunnel runs beneath the mountain between these two cities. It is one of the major trans-Alpine transport routes particularly for Italy, which relies on the tunnel for shipping as much as one-third of its freight to northern Europe.
The Mont Blanc massif is very popular for mountaineering, hiking, and skiing. The first time Mont Blanc was climbed was on August 8, 1786 by Jacques Balmat and Michel Paccard; the first woman to reach the summit, in 1808, was Marie Paradis.
The Mont Blanc Glaciers
Mont Blanc has traditionally been considered to be 4807 m high, but GPS-based measurements made in 2001 and 2003 show differences of a few metres from year to year, which are regarded as resulting from fluctuations, in response to variations in climatic conditions, in the thickness of the glacier that covers the peak to a depth of up to 23 m.
The mountain has a number of glaciers streaming slowly down its flanks; the Mer de Glace is the largest of these.
External Link