Heim Glacier Elevation / Altitude: 5,150 meters
Back in the day, Heim Glacier was a very popular spot for glacier climbing before it diminished and eventually dissapeared before the year 1996. The Northern ice fields has shrank in size and most of its glaciers have dissapeared and half of the Furtwängler Glacier has receded.
Perhaps the best view of the Heim Glacier should be from the Karanga Valley along the southern circuit of Mount Kilimanjaro where you will have a good view of the Heim glacier on your left and Kersten Glacier on your right forming the Southern ice field. Heim Glacier is also visible from Barranco Camp (3950 m) on your right, while,on the left, Balletto Glacier and Diamond Glacier (Reinhold Messner’s route) are also visible surrounded by giant lobelias and scenecios.
The ice near the crater rim is no longer linked to further glaciers and smaller ice masses that are still present on the slopes. These include the Little Penck remnant on the west side, the Heim and Great Barranco Glaciers on the southwest edge.
Your greatest and closest view of Kibo’s glaciers is the prize. The diamond glacier ‘drips’ over the rock to the left, situated on top of the steep cliff of the western breach, with gigantic icicle tendrils stretching down to the Balletto Glacier on the shelf below. The Heim, Kerstien, and Decken glaciers sag over their uneven granite substrate to the right.
Hans Meyer made the first in-depth observations of Kilimanjaro’s glaciers in the late 1880s, and since then, several studies have recorded the catastrophic decline, but surprisingly few have provided precise maps of the glaciers. Early analyses that were made relied mostly on terrestrial photogrammetry and ground-based observations (e.g. Meyer, 1891, 1900; Jaeger, 1909; Klute, 1914, 1920, 1921; Downie et al., 1956; Humphries, 1959). Recently, the preferred tool for describing the continuous retreat has been remote sensing techniques combining both aerial photography and satellite data.
Snow on Kilimanjaro on Kibo, snow is transitory, meaning it either melts and vanishes or changes into glacier ice in a short amount of time (i.e., minutes to months).
In this context, the term “snow” only refers to solid precipitation, or to that which has accumulated as snow cover on the surfaces of either glaciers or craters. While Kilimanjaro’s glaciers are a constant and long-lasting feature, snow cover is not, and ancient writings suggest that snow has always come and gone with great frequency.
Global warming and the shrinking Kilimanjaro glaciers
Over the past few decades, the Kilimanjaro Glacier has been steadily thinning. Recent research indicates that just in the last few years, the snowy summit of Africa’s tallest peak has significantly decreased. Approximately 85% of the snowfall since 1912 has since disappeared. Regular climbers of Mount Kilimanjaro will remark how much less snow there is currently. There may be a variety of causes for this. But it is undeniable that Mount Kilimanjaro’s glaciers may completely vanish by 2030.
African Glaciers Melting.
Concerning findings from the UN warn that the effects of climate change are causing the last surviving glaciers in East Africa to rapidly retreat across the continent. Millions of people will be impacted by flooding and excessive heat as a result of this.
How Many Glaciers in Africa?
Africa has how many glaciers? Only three countries in Africa have glaciers, and they are in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. These glaciers are only found on the tallest mountains in the aforementioned nations, such as Mount Kenya, Mount Kilimanjaro, and the Rwenzori Mountains.
Observe them before they vanish.
What countries in Africa have glaciers?
Glaciers are found in 4 nations in Africa. On the boundary between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo lie the Rwenzori Mountains. Margherita Peak, Mount Stanley’s highest point, rises 5,109 meters.
In the middle of Kenya stands Mount Kenya. It is the second-tallest peak in Africa with a height of 5,199m.
The highest peak in Africa, Mount Kilimanjaro, is located in northern Tanzania and measures 5,855 meters.
Additional information
| Routes | All Routes |
|---|---|
| Vegetation | Arctic Zone |
