The Matterhorn, an emblematic mountain in Switzerland, the time scales of a geomorphosite

Abstract

The Matterhorn, a famous mountain in the Swiss Alps is a well characterized geomorphosite, presenting both an important scientific interest and aesthetic, cultural and economic values in Switzerland. The main scientific issues concerning the Matterhorn are its place in the tectonic history of the Alps, the carving of a residual pyramid by glacial erosion and the effects of melting of high mountain permafrost on mountaineering. To answer those questions, two “tools” were used, the field work and the bibliographic investigations. The Matterhorn played, from its first ascent in 1865 until today, a very special role in the history of mountaineering, and its remarkable shape has become iconic in Switzerland. As a consequence, the Matterhorn can be analyzed through four time scales:(1) the deep time of tectonics during the Cenozoic era, which saw the thrusting and piling up of the “Pennine nappes,” due to the collision between African and European plates; (2) the Quaternary period of glacial erosion, which carved the Matterhorn into its distinctive pyramidal peak shape;(3) the Anthropocene time of the thawing of high mountain permafrost; and (4) the era of humans or mountaineering, which spans over than 150 years, from the first ascent in 1865 to the recent achievements of modern mountaineering.