Zinal: Natural history and human presence

Zinal: Natural history and human presence

Located at an altitude of 1,675 m, Zinal is one of the highest villages of Val d’Anniviers, a lateral valley in the south-central part of Valais.

Val d'Anniviers was dug in a stack of tectonic thrust sheets of the Alps. These so called “nappes” correspond to rock units, ranging from a few hundred meters to a few kilometres thickness, which were detached from their substrate during the Alpine folding. The units then piled up and often folded together. Three ancient geographical regions, namely, the northern margin of the African continent, the Alpine Sea and the southern margin of Europe, meet there and are superimposed on a vertical stack of tectonic units.

During the last 2 Mio years of Earth history, the period called Pleistocene, four major glaciations, several minor variations of the glaciers, and an equal number of interglacial periods occurred. In conjunction with freezing/unfreezing, fluvial- and gravitation-driven processes, these glaciations are responsible for the erosion of the valley and the modelling of the alpine landscape.

 The oldest houses of the traditional village of Zinal were probably built during the 18th century; however, older huts and barns may have existed before. Tourism and activities linked to mountain climbing and exploration of the surrounding high mountains began gradually, during the summer seasons, around 1850. This development increased at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, with the construction of several hotels. Zinal became a site for winter sports in 1961, with the construction of cable cars and other devices.

Depending on the season and the climate, the idyllic landscape is threatened by avalanches on the steep slopes on both sides of the valley, and by mudflows in the areas of melting permafrost, far above the village. In addition, the current climate changes make us realise that human presence here is only possible at the cost of permanent monitoring and safety measures.