| Pasterze Glacier | |
|---|---|
Pasterze and Johannisberg in 2009 |
|
| Type | Mountain glacier |
| Location | Grossglockner, Austria |
| Area | 18.5 km² (7.2 sq mi) (2002) |
| Length | about 8.4 km (5.2 mi) (2002) |
| Thickness | about 120 m (400 ft) |
| Terminus | Talus |
| Status | Retreating |
The Pasterze, at approximately 8.4 kilometers (5.2 mi) in length, is the longest glacier in Austria and in the Eastern Alps reaching from the 3,453-metre (11,329 ft) Johannisberg to 2,100 metres (6,900 ft) above sea level. It lies within the Hohe Tauern mountain range in Carinthia, directly beneath Austria's highest mountain, the Grossglockner. The Pasterze can be reached via the Grossglockner High Alpine Road and a funicular railway.
The length of the glacier currently decreases about 10 m (33 ft) each year. Its volume diminished by half since the first measurements in 1851.