On Top of the World
Several glacier tongues of the Bernia mountain chain in Switzerland merge into the Morteratsch glacier. The rocks of the central alpine crest often contain greenstones. These highly metamorphic rocks originate from the basaltic sea-floor of the Tethys ocean. They were uplifted to an elevation of 4000 m during the collision process of the European plate with the African plate. Such geologic processes are rare, hence they produce rare mineral compositions. Tourmaline and emerald belongs to the typical minerals associated with that type of metamorphic rock.
August 2004
Pentax K2, Pentax 24mm, f/2.0, 2min, Kodak Ektachrome E6, ISO 100, tripod