Vom Gletscher zum See

At the culmination of the Würm glacial period, 20,000 years ago, extensive areas of the Salzkammergut region were covered by thick ice-masses of the Traun glacier. Coming from the Dachstein massif the ice slowly flowed northwards. The Wolfgangsee branch glacier flowed from Bad Ischl to St. Gilgen and farther to Fuschl and Hof. The Thalgau branch flowed across Scharfling pass to Mondsee and Thalgau, where it joined the Salzach glacier. The Alpine pastures mainly were covered by ice, only the summits projected.

Flowing slowly the glacier scoured out the 200 m deep basin of Wolfgangsee lake. Rock fragments were dragged along the base of the glacier. Tough rocks as limestone, comgolmerate and quartzite were rounded and scratched. Such drifts are frequent components of moraines. Little resistant rocks as marl and shale were ground to silt and clay, which form the loamy matter of moraines.

18,000 years ago a rise in temperature caused the rapid disintegration of the ice-stream. The basin of Wolfgangsee lake remained filled with an isolated ice-block for a while. Brooks deposited gravel and sand on the ice-edge forming terraces. When the ice-block melted, the basin was filled with water and so today's Wolfgangsee lake was formed.

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2. Which altitude had the surface of the glacier in the region of St. Gilgen?

3. Which five lakes (in addition to Wolfgangsee lake) were formed through the Traun glacier?

4. In the picture above you see that the middle of the Wolfgangsee lake is very narrow. How was it formed?

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