Lauterbrunnen is just a sleepy Swiss village, situated in a flat and fertile valley in the Bernese Alps. The difference between this place and anywhere else is that the valley it gives its name to and lies at the bottom of is one of the most stunning physical landforms on the face of the Earth.
The Lauterbrunnen Valley is situated at an altitude 795m. The tip of it, the Jungfrau mountain is one of the tallest peaks in the Alps at 4,158m. For altitude to change that dramatically over a distance of a few miles means a dramatic landform must have been created. A giant glacier has cut through this valley, creating a U-shaped valley with a sheer drop of 2,000m. The glacier did this by erosion. Mainly through abrasion and attrition. Using the rocks to slice through this landscape. Glacial ice has also helped erode the valley by expanded and putting pressure on the landscape, making it crumble, as has freeze-thaw weathering.
There are any other landforms that add to the spectacular nature of this landscape. The one that stands out are The Staubbach Falls. These drop 300 metres into the Lütschine river, which flows through the valley. This drops from a hanging valley, a v-shaped valley or a smaller u-shaped valley from a smaller glacier that meets the larger u-shaped valley. The river flowing through it then experiences a sheer drop into the valley producing an unconventional waterfall.
A stunning a inspiring place to visit for anyone. This hopefully gives you an insight into how stunning landscapes have been formed since the Ice Age by glaciation.
