Mount Ararat glaciers shrink from 15 to 5 square kilometers in 120 years

Professor Faruk Kaya of Ağrı İbrahim Çeçen University has issued a warning regarding the rapid retreat of glaciers on Mount Ararat. Satellite data indicates that the summit cap glacier, which covered approximately 15 square kilometers in the early 1900s, has shrunk to about 5 square kilometers today. Additionally, glacier valleys that previously descended to 3,600 meters have retreated to elevations of nearly 4,900 meters.

This warning follows a recent catastrophic event on the Nepal-Tibet border, where a rock and ice mass detachment caused a flood resulting in over 1,000 deaths and thousands of missing persons. Kaya noted that Mount Ararat experienced a similar large-scale disaster in 1840 in the Ahura Valley, also known as ‘Hell Creek’.

Scientific debate continues regarding the 1840 event; some research suggests an earthquake or volcanic activity triggered rapid melting and a volcanic mudflow, while other theories propose a massive rock-ice mass traveled 21 kilometers down the valley. The historical disaster resulted in an estimated 1,300 to 1,700 fatalities.