Switzerland during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) 1:500,000

The map of “Switzerland during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), 1:500,000” shows the maximum extent of glaciation in Switzerland at the height of the last Ice Age about 24,000 years ago. It presents the latest results of research on the Ice Age in the form of a clear, high-quality map.

What did Switzerland look like during the last Ice Age? Where were the glaciers? Which areas were not covered by ice? Answers to these questions can now be found on a map which illustrates the most recent findings about the extent of glaciers during this Ice Age.

One of the newest discoveries made by researchers in paleoglaciology is the existence of vast ice domes in the central Alps, reaching heights of 2,900 to 3,100 m (e.g. the ice dome over the Upper Engadin).

The Last Glacial Maximum was an extreme event in paleoclimatology – at the cold end of the scale. The build-up and retreat of glaciers are indications of significant climate-related environmental changes during the relatively recent history of the Earth. Reconstructing the extent of the glaciers allows conclusions to be drawn about atmospheric circulation at the height of the last Ice Age. The map also makes an important contribution to the debate about climate-related environmental changes in the Earth's very recent past.

The Swiss Commission for Quaternary Research SKQ and Prof. Christian Schlüchter of the Institute for Geological Sciences at the University of Bern gathered the cartographic data and coordinated the scientific work. swisstopo is responsible for editing, cartography, printing and finance, the latter jointly with the Institute for Geological Sciences at the University of Bern, the SKQ, the Swiss Foundation for Alpine Research and the Academy of Sciences sc|nat.

• University of Bern, Institute of Geological Sciences
• Schweizerische Kommission für Quartärforschung
• Swiss Foundation of Alpine Research
• Swiss Academy of Sciences sc|nat
• swisstopo