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Last updated: March 17, 2001	Unless otherwise specified; text, tables, photographs, maps and other graphics © 1999-2001 Gunnar Ljungstrand
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The glaciers of Sarek

Sarek is the largest high mountain area in Sweden. It lies between Stora and Lilla Lule älv in Norrbottens län (Lapland). To the west the area borders to Padjelanta and to the east to the high plateau of Ultevis. The highest peak is Sarektjåkkå (2089 m), the 2nd highest mountain in Sweden, and there are 7 additional peaks higher than 2000 m, some 35 1900-meter peaks, and about 55 1800-meter peaks.

Of the 14 high mountain massifs in Sarek 13 contain 122-141 glaciers (the fourteenth, Tarrekaise, has no glaciers). The former number is true if you treat glacier complexes as one glacier, and the latter if you treat the ice streams within the complexes as separate glaciers. The total glacier area is 165.31 km², which is 55.7 % of the total glacier area of Sweden.

Sarek contains 11 glacier complexes, 25 (43) valley glaciers, 64 (67) cirque glaciers, and 22 (31) ice caps (the numbers within parenthesis with the glacier complexes split). The area of the glacier complexes varies between 1.95 and 17.38 km², the valley glaciers between 0.64 and 11.17, the cirque glaciers between 0.05 and 1.27, and the ice caps finally between 0.12 and 7.44 km ².

Contents

The glaciers of Sarek, arranged after massif

Table over the glaciers of Sarek larger than 1 km² (glacier complexes treated as one unit)

Table over the glaciers of Sarek larger than 1 km² (glacier complexes divided into ice streams)

Icefalls in Sarek

Wind channels in Sarek

(For the interested, information concerning classification, naming, and measurements.)

The glaciers of Sarek, arranged after massif

The Akka massif	The Kisuris massif	The Ruotes massif
The Sarektjåkkå massif	The Skana massif	The Lanjek massif
The Ålkatj massif	The Äpar massif	The Skårki massif
The Luotto massif	The Tsatsa massif	The Pårte massif
	The Piellorieppe massif

The glaciers of Sarek larger than 1 km²

(Glacier complexes treated as one unit)

The glaciers of Sarek larger than 1 km²

(Glacier complexes divided into ice streams)

Icefalls in Sarek

The glaciers in Sarek are on average slightly less steep than in Kebnekaise. This results in them usually being less heavily crevassed as well. There are four prominent icefalls, however (plus a few border cases); in Suottasjekna, Såltajekna, Alep Pastajekna, and Svenonius glaciär.

The icefall in Suottasjekna	The icefall in Såltajekna
The icefall in Alep Pastajekna	The icefall in Svenonius glaciär

Wind channels in Sarek

A wind channel is a rounded groove in the ice, often several tens of metres deep and many hundreds of metres long, which sometimes is found on a glacier next to a mountain side. They are created by vortices in the air, caused by strong winds. These "scoop out" the ice in two ways: they stop much snow from accumulating there in winter, and more ice than usual melts there during summer, because of the warm wind vortices. In Sarek there are at least 7 wind channels:

	Top of document	The glaciers of Sulitelma	The glaciers of Sweden	The glaciers of the Arjeplog mountains	Site map	Email the author	Copyleft information	Detta dokument på svenska
Last updated: March 17, 2001	Unless otherwise specified; text, tables, photographs, maps and other graphics © 1999-2001 Gunnar Ljungstrand
	Images with size information (xx kB) leads to the corresponding image in 4 x better resolution.