Mer de Glace | |
---|---|
Sea of Ice | |
Location | Northern slopes of the Mont Blanc massif |
Coordinates | 45°54′58″N 6°56′14″E / 45.91611°N 6.93722°E |
Length | 7.5 km (4.7 mi); 12 km (7.5 mi) total length |
The Mer de Glace (French pronunciation: [mɛʁ də ɡlas], lit. 'Sea of Ice') is a valley glacier located on the northern slopes of the Mont Blanc massif, in the French Alps. It is 7.5 km long and 200 metres (660 ft) deep but, when all its tributary glaciers are taken into account, it can be regarded as the longest and largest glacier in France, and the second longest in the Alps after the Aletsch Glacier.[1][2]: 5, 20
I can no otherwise convey to you an image of this body of ice, broken into irregular ridges and deep chasms than by comparing it to waves instantaneously frozen in the midst of a violent storm.
— William Coxe 1777
Nussbaumer
was invoked but never defined (see the help page).