Two glaciers collapse in western Tibet

Abstract

A 3 km long glacier collapsed in the morning of 17 July 2016 (Fig. 1). The avalanche killed nine herders living in their summer pasture at Aru Village, Dongru Community, Ritu County, Ali District, Xizang Autonomous Region, the most remote region on the western Tibetan Plateau. The Aru Glacier (34.03°N; 82.25°E), ranges in elevation from 5250 to 6150 m a.s.l. (CN5Z412C011) and is one of a glacier group that covers 27 km2 (in 2015). The collapsed ice rushed down within 4-5 min (according to eyewitnesses) over the narrow tongue and swept across the gentlysloping alluvial fan, reaching the 105 km2 inland Aruco Lake (Fig. 1).