Click play to listen to the text below:
Start of the Time Travel
The site “Las Palas” along the hiking trail between the Segneshut (Segneshütte) and the Segnes Pass.
Destination of the Time Travel
“Las Palas” 200 years ago. Here, in 1812, geologist Hans Conrad Escher von der Linth painted this image of the Tschingelhörner and the Martin’s Hole.
Left Image: Arnold Escher (1807–1872) with a geologist’s hammer. He was the son of Hans Conrad Escher and the first professor of geology at ETH in Zurich, as well as one of the founding fathers of Swiss Alpine geology.
Right Image: Roderick Impey Murchison (1792–1871), a Scottish geologist and paleontologist (fossil specialist), was a leading expert in English geology.
In 1848, the two crossed the Segnes Pass together, seeking an explanation for the extraordinary line visible in the rock faces of the Tschingelhörner. They also aimed to answer why older rocks lay atop younger ones in this region.
Why Are Mountains Folded?
Between 1830 and 1960, the “Earth Shrinkage Theory” had many followers. It proposed that the Earth continuously cooled and shrank. The rigid outer crust adjusted to this contraction by forming folds, resulting in mountain ranges—just as wrinkles form on the skin of an apple as it dries and shrinks.
From today’s perspective, this theory is incorrect. Equally incorrect is the claim that the Alps are a “folded mountain range.”
Expedition and Adventure
We follow in the footsteps of Arnold Escher and Roderick Impey as we cross the Segnes Pass to Elm. To immerse ourselves in their journey, we wear clothing similar to that of geologists 150 years ago and equip ourselves with the same research tools they used.
The painting “The Geologist” by Carl Spitzweg, created in 1860, provides an impression of how these early scientists ventured into the field.
By the way, the route from Flims to Segnes Pass to Elm is part of the Sardona World Heritage Trail. Take the journey! Along the trail, you’ll encounter countless geological phenomena that puzzled scientists 200 years ago.
Visit the Tschinglen Alp and the visitor center in Elm to learn how researchers have long struggled to understand the immense mechanisms shaping our mountains and the Alps.
Would You Like a Souvenir From This Time Travel?
Take a photo of the painting created by Hans Conrad Escher. Then, hike to “Las Palas” and capture the same scene with the same framing.