# G: Stratification of Snow and Formation of Glacier-Ice explained — Scrambles Amongst the Alps in the Years 1860–69 > Chapter companion for Scrambles Amongst the Alps in the Years 1860–69 by Edward Whymper. ## What happens In this chapter, Whymper details his 1866 expedition to the Col de Valpelline, where he supervised the digging of a 22-foot pit in the Stock Glacier to study the transition of snow into glacier-ice. He describes the harsh weather, the physical labor, and his observations of horizontal ice strata and the onset of vertical glacification. The chapter concludes with reflections on the significance of these findings for understanding glacier structure and the veined structure. ## Themes in this chapter ### Scientific Observation Whymper meticulously records the density, color, and stratification of snow and ice, and discusses the implications for glacier formation. ### Danger and Mortality The expedition faced severe weather, hurricane-force winds, and the risk of snow-blindness, highlighting the physical dangers of high-altitude scientific work. ### Exploration and Discovery The chapter documents the first systematic excavation of a glacier to study its internal structure, yielding new insights into ice stratification. ## Character check-ins ### Edward Whymper Author and expedition leader; supervised the excavation, took measurements, and suffered snow-blindness. ### Franz Biener Guide who accompanied Whymper to the Col and reported on the workers' progress. ### Principal J. D. Forbes Urged Whymper to investigate the veined structure of glaciers; his influence motivated the expedition. ## Key lines > two strokes of the pick went through their glacier, which was only another thick stratum of ice. The glacier was so thin that just two pick strikes penetrated it, revealing another thick layer of ice beneath. _Whymper emphasizes the unexpected thinness of the glacier at that point._ > The entire mass was pervaded with horizontal strata of pure ice. In the 22 feet that we penetrated there were 75 such layers, varying from one-tenth of an inch in thickness to 6¼ inches, which amounted in the aggregate to 25⅝ inches of solid ice. The snow mass contained 75 horizontal layers of pure ice, totaling about 25.6 inches in thickness, within the 22-foot depth. _Key quantitative observation about the prevalence of ice strata._ > Most unwillingly I left the excavation just at the time when it promised to yield more valuable information than it had done previously; and since then I have never been able to resume the work. Whymper regretted having to abandon the pit when it was about to reveal even more important data, and he never returned to continue the study. _Expresses frustration at the interruption of his research._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/scrambles_amongst_the_alps_in_the_years_1860_69_se/chapters/g-stratification-of-snow-and-formation-of-glacier-ice - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/scrambles_amongst_the_alps_in_the_years_1860_69_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/scrambles_amongst_the_alps_in_the_years_1860_69_se/chapters