Did the Tyrolean Iceman Die in an Icy Crevasse or an Ice-Free Zone?
To find out more about the environment during the time when the Tyrolean Iceman lived the researchers analyzed two ice cores from ice frozen to the bedrock of the Weißseespitze summit glacier in the Ötztal Alps. Those ice cores were taken at a 3,500 meter (11,482.9 ft.) altitude and just 12 km (7.5 miles) from where the Iceman was found at a 3,210 meter (10,531.5 ft.) altitude.
The ice core drilling operation at Weißseespitze summit glacier. A special lightweight electromechanical drill was used to recover two ice cores. (Credit: Norbert Span/