Panoramic View of Pian della Mussa in Italy

April 12, 2013

Pian della Mussa in Italy PANO 2B

PhotographerMarco Zante
Summary AuthorsMarco Zante; Jim Foster

Pian della Mussa in Italy 2BThe panorama above offers a striking view of the Pian della Mussa Plateau in northwestern Italy. The highest point of this glacial plateau is approximately 6,500 ft (1,980 m) in elevation -- it stretches a little over 1.25 mi (2 km) in length. A number of icefalls can be seen at center. A close up of the frozen falls is at left. They're essentially a cascade of icicles (180 ft or 55 m tall) and are unrelated to icefalls found on alpine glaciers. Warm sunny days in late February melted some of the snow higher up the plateau -- icicles formed as the meltwater froze.

Avalanche chutes are evident at the bottom center and right center. During my late morning photo session, I could hear the signature rumble of several small avalanches. Panorama taken on March 2, 2013.

Photo details: Left - Camera Model: Canon EOS 1100D; Lens: EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II; Focal Length: 55mm; Aperture: f/11.0; Exposure Time: 0.0031 s (1/320); ISO equiv: 100.  

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