13 July '11: Mer de Glace Debris Flow

Debris Flow above Mer de Glace Glacer, below Les Drus peak, near Chamonix, France, shot from about 500 yards away. Significantly condensed; debris flow continued for over 45 minutes.

[@gwsmith76]

It's amazing that someday millions of years in the future this entire mountain range will have erroded to nothing but sand and dust. Mother nature is truly powerful and relentless. Geology is the study of time and pressure.

[@graemecraig07]

I love watching geology at high speed. Very nice capture, thanks.

[@YusakuJon3]

Amazing footage of an event which probably happened every year for thousands of years since these mountains rose above the plains. I can imagine the people living there always have to have an eye on the skies in preparation for the event.

[@buzz385]

Fabulous video, Bruce. Thank you.

[@jamesrivis620]

Thanks for filming this event.

[@lashAR87]

Great video! Quite steady camera and high resolution compared to most other debris flow and avalanche videos.

[@ThorKipperberg]

this is called a Jökulhaup, wich is a subglacial or supraglacial outburst flood and is very common at large glaciers,and volcanic mountains covered in ice and snow. Usually this happens when the ice builds up large dams that finaly give in either due to preassure, or heat from weather(rain/sun) or volcanic activity beneath.

[@canyonboatman]

Hey thanks for recording the the events! A rare opportunity. I have had the luxury of seeing that sort of thing at work in the Grand Canyon but not from a glacial source. Nice.

[@barouchchum2560]

Such a nicely narrated video. Seen it many times and always thought you were maybe 20 something. Great voice for your age ole man.....I'm 65

[@Tibam]

Nice video, spectacular example! Thanks a lot for this video

[@dogspitzen6027]

Thanks, Bruce. I'll be soaking that in for a long time.

[@Zyworski]

Thank you for sharing Bruce

[@marilynland5412]

I was wondering what it looked like to see how the debris flows start. Thanks!

[@TheBasstemperature]

nice thx, from France rares pictures of thant we call in french a "surge glacière" (ice outburst) you have chance to been at good time on the good place

[@RealPeterGunn]

What a great video. Hey Bruce, I hope you still monitor traffic on this video. Thanks!

[@ModelingSteelinHO]

Amazing sound capture !

[@sequoyah59]

Great pictures and description.

[@wadecartwright4277]

Thanks for the great video

[@I_leave_mean_comments]

Really amazing footage.

[@Lesloi6227]

Wow thats incredible and also quite incredible footage. good camera work. Must have been bloody scarey.

[@ronaaserude8225]

that was great Bruce, excellent commentary!

[@toniesedrick691]

Excellent video.😊

[@ColdWarVet607]

Spectacular filming. Wow! The most powerful force on Earth is Mother Nature.

[@geoffreylee5199]

This was once the bottom of the Tethys Ocean, Sea, Strait, ... millions of eons ago.

[@scottlee9373]

An eon is considered to be 'about' a billion years. No offense.

[@StereoSpace]

That is one enormous debris cone.

[@pedrovision6987]

Just wanted to take a moment right at the very start to say "thanks for recording in vertical mode...deep sigh...we all LOVE THE BIG BLACK BARS ON EITHER SIDE OF THE VIDEO"...

[@wvdirtboy]

Pretty amazing!

[@Radionut]

Wow that was spectacular

[@scottlee9373]

Great shots and description! The 222 dislikes are those disappointed because no persons died.

[@donaldlewis9734]

Thanks..good work.

[@Highland_Moo]

Beautiful dog!

[@dcvariousvids8082]

Truly impressive!

[@timmayer8723]

Humans have no control, nature rules. Humbling video. Thanks

[@StereoSpace]

Is that a talus slope at the top or is that a glacial terminal moraine that is the source of the debris flow? What is the source of the water, ice melt?

[@jjxtwo1]

Spectacular!

[@Beemer917]

Great video. People need to see how things work so they know when to run. Seems like every time I see a tsunami video there’s a bunch of jackoffs waiting by the shore to see it!

[@frankwitte1022]

Looks a lot as if a rather massive 'water pocket' must have burst somewhere below the Drus … that's really the stuff of nightmares when walking underneath those glaciers.

[@steenzeebergiversendyrmose1517]

Last time I was at at Montenvers station was in start-mid July 1998 . A short flight of stairs led directly down to the enormous glacier which led directly into a carved cave of the most beatiful ice art. Now not ony this man built ice cave is gone. The entire several hundred meters thick glacier is gone, or i.e. it must have retreated about 3-4-5 kilometers as I see it. This is frightening what has happened during just the last 20 years. I was at Chamonix for summer holidays more times durinng the time period 1987-1998 and the glacier did not retreat that much by that time, if any retreatment at all by that time.

[@dhx001]

Is the source of water ice melting combinated with a rain?

[@Aloha4200]

Thank you

[@kentrush8250]

excellent narrative

[@gingercox6468]

It appears this has been happening for a long time.

[@hebneh]

Odd how the surface of the glacier is so covered with rocks and gravel that you don't even realize it's ice underneath. From events like these, someday (in the FAR future), the Alps will no longer exist.

[@paulpaulsen7777]

Someday in the far future, earth will no longer exist

[@Lesloi6227]

Im still trying to work out whats happened above. So the glacier is halfway down this mountain and thats what you were visiting? Then it rained above and a load of debris came rushing down the slopes?

[@faithrada]

Gravity wins.... every time.

[@arnahaud]

Now I know what mineral water is.

[@bd9712]

Great video. 👍 The scale just isn't done justice in these situations. That water flow of standing next to the WHOLE way would actually be incredibly large Appreciate how you got what you did here 👍

[@scottstewart5784]

it took a loooong time, but what went up, came down

[@More-Space-In-Ear]

Awesome nature

[@-yeme-]

0:30 nice doggy climb the steps

[@dirtfarmer7472]

I’m glad that I live in Oklahoma, hot, humid & windy

[@52memor]

Has anyone thought "Thar may be gold in dem dare hills." any chance of panning for it ??? :-)

[@aichaelmanouni3334]

Bravo. Réussie la vidéo.

[@marisolsolis522]

No entiendo lo que dice pero lo que veo es emocionante

[@rolandmdill]

7:03 isn't it the Aiguille Verte?

[@Uni1Lab]

Roland M. Dill : No it's the Drus. Aiguille Verte is just behind the Drus but you can't see it because it's in the clouds.

[@fredsilvers1427]

Julian Bashir?

[@gabefimbres]

Wow i cant wait till people start filming these with drones so they can get up close

[@tracynation239]

A premium video. ♡ T.E.N.

[@lizwilson5814]

Wow.!!!!

[@natadane9610]

rivlet :D i love it hehehehe

[@Flightstar]

You should have brought a kyack

[@matycee]

should have brought a tripod.

[@dwightmagnuson4298]

And a tripod!

[@MonthlyFailsOutreaching]

Hello! Is it possible to contact you regarding this video? (i.e. via email) I would love to discuss getting permission to use the video in an educational production if possible. Greetings!

[@brucereeves5829]

Yes, if you are still interested. Reply with an email and I will send you mine.

[@MonthlyFails]

@@brucereeves5829 Hey Bruce! Sorry for the late reply, missed your comment. Our email is provided on our channels about section! :)

[@More-Space-In-Ear]

This will happen more and more as we have harder rainfall, mudslides, rockfalls, dam breaks....2020..

[@aaavip444]

سبحان الله

[@amilcarvalenca3381]

Great,mercy

[@plumberman4u]

Great video. Shame kept going in and out of focus.

[@brucereeves5829]

I shot this with an old Panasonic LUMIX camera and was being prodded to move along, and I was probably shaking a little!

[@NNJAx]

Puppy!!

[@shri.shri.shri.]

👍

[@huberthoudroy5661]

Very interesting. Le même lieu (entre les Drus et la Mer de Glace) peut connaître des laves torrentielles glacées : "Poche d'eau Mer de Glace" (titre mal choisi) kzbin.info/www/bejne/gaXbk2hvfsaAhK8

[@Lwah0812]

Unfortunate videography, it’s zoomed in too much which makes it more unsteady and you lose the majority of the action. I know the temptation to zoom is huge but I’ve learned that I miss too much to make it worth it.

[@MrTG44]

Great video except for the WIND IN THE MIKE noise. Very distracting and makes it where can't hear anyone speaking.

[@YoBruce59]

MrTG44 I recorded both the audio and video with a Panasonic pocket camera!

[@YoBruce59]

Still camera, mainly.

[@MrTG44]

Very good video, just that wind noise is very distracting. Keep up the great videos. Thanks

[@frankanddanasnyder3272]

Mud flow....

[@cathy9715]

Il y a plus de glace c est une catastrophe

[@dannywlm63]

I think it is time to surrender

[@sittingindetroit9204]

In Alaska they would put a sluice box under that baby

[@tripsix263]

really hate photos of events that are meant to be seen IN ACTION!

[@eroildo.3374]

NO HA MADRE NATURALEZA. SI LEE. LA. SANTAS ESCRITURAS. VERÁS. QUE AQUÍ NADA ES ESTERNO SOLO DIOS EL CRADOR DE LA NATURALESA. EL ESPÍRITU. SANTO DE DIOS A EL. SE LE ATRIBUYE TODO LO CRADO EL PINTO LA USA MAYOR. EL PINTO LAS GALAXIAS. CON SU. PODER. PINTO Y LE DIO. FURMA A LAS MONTAÑAS. NO HAY. MADRE. NATURALEZA SOLO UN DIOS. TODO. PODEROSO. EL PADRE. EL HIJO Y EL ESPÍRITU SANTO. LA TRINIDAD. D E ESE. DIOS TRINO. MANIFESTADA. EL TODA SU.CRACION..DEL DIOS. TODO. PODEROSO. AMÉN.

[@OVTraveller]

this is what is called erosion and this is what has levelled mountains for millions of years. Sorry people, it is simply a normal natural process, albeit beautifully photographed.

[@DebsWombat]

Otto Vandevelde ‘Normal’ or not, it’s quite remarkable for those of us that have never seen it.

[@sethandrewberger]

Great visuals. Narration is a real turn off. Sometimes silence is best. This is one of those times.

[@ThatOpalGuy]

Auto focus fail

[@geoffreylee5199]

Useless vertical images.

[@wayno4425]

Something out of nothing.

[@bradlywiebe3673]

worst device i've ever seen for auto focus.

[@ytubepuppy]

Yet YOU aren't dazzling us with rock-solid, crystal clear scenes, are you? YOU offer nothing but whine.

[@barasilf]

@@ytubepuppy That's right, because I don't have a device with a decent enough auto-focus.

[@royyazzie6028]

Too much out of focused

[@AgungAgung-zg1or]

Aaswsoersxcgttlchyyvbyhk

[@sallystinebaugh8893]

And y’all are worried about global warming,climate change bs, leave the Glaciers the fk alone, stop giving tours… this is all about money ….

[@ti62ti]

Zu blöd zum Filmen da bekommt mann Kopfschmerzen.

[@brucereeves5829]

It turns out it may have been an ice dam breaking. I suppose we'll never know!