Mer de Glace

The Mer de Glace is a glacier located on the north face of Mont Blanc (Alps), formed by the junction of three smaller glaciers (glacier Tacul, Leschaux glacier, glacier Talèfre). It measures a total of 7 km long and its thickness is about two hundred feet, its surface is about 40 km ².

The Mer de Glace is the second largest glacier in the Alps, after the Aletsch Glacier. In length, it is still ahead, in addition to the Aletsch glacier, the glacier Fiesch located in Switzerland.

Its summit is about 2140 meters, at the junction between the glacier and the glacier Tacul Leschaux (Glacier Talèfre joined that of Leschaux shortly before). His tongue terminal is at an altitude of 1400 meters.

The Mer de Glace has some tourist attraction: tourists can easily access it through to the railway Montenvers. The Montenvers site, located just upstream of the terminal tongue of the glacier, offers an excellent view of the Mer de Glace.

The Montenvers is also known for its famous ice cave, dug each year in the side of the glacier since 1946. It has several parts, which are decorated with ice sculptures.

The outlet stream of the Mer de Glace, Arveyron called, is a major tributary of the Arve.