Planpincieux 2024
During the summer of 2024, a multidisciplinary field campaign was conducted on the Planpincieux Glacier, in collaboration with the Fondazione Montagna Sicura. The main objective was to investigate the glacier’s anomalous acceleration during the warmer months—a process that presents a potential hazard to the Val Ferret valley below, as highlighted by Dematteis et al. (2017).
The instrumentation deployed during this campaign focused on understanding two key mechanical processes:
- Sliding at the glacier–bedrock interface, and its connection to the basal hydrological system.
- Ice deformation near the glacier bed, and its relationship with structural heterogeneities within the ice.
To explore these processes, a wide range of geophysical and geotechnical instruments were installed. Seismometers were deployed both on the glacier and along the nearby torrent to monitor seismic activity related to basal motion and meltwater flow. Four boreholes were drilled using a hot-water drilling system and logged using optical and sonic tools to characterize internal glacier structures. Additionally, inclinometers and piezometers were installed in the boreholes to monitor deformation and water pressure near the glacier base.
