Thanks for the clarification, I would not have suspected it was indeed a glacier, rather than a perpetual snowfield. I hope it won't disappear completely.
This is a fascinating history of the glacier Scott. That is one magnificent mountain and it is sad to witness the disappearance of one of its salient features. I would guestimate that only a couple percent of Americans have ever been on a glacier; the rest are missing one of nature's greatest wonders.
Thanks for a fascinating article, an excellent example of 'citizen science'.
After some 50 years of examining rock glacier in various parts of the world I have only just come across this example -even though I have written about them in Colorado (Arapaho), Sierra Nevada and Alaska. Regardless of anthropogenioc CO2 emission etc, there is little doubt that small glaciers were down-wasting (ie losing ice mass or 'retreating') from the end of the Little Ice Age (say 1900, it varies in the world) The there has been a long discussion about the nature of rock glaciers. Some believe that it is a mix of debris and snow/ice that flows (creeps) under its self mass. However, there are those who believe (like myself) that glacier ice has, in some cases for small glaciers, been burried by weathered rock debris from the backwalls of cirques. Even <1m will be sufficient to cut the ablation to near zero. Under these circumstanaces creep rates are very low but the glacir more or less remains (so Emerald lake remains clear because there is very little melwater, with little silt, reaches it. Noel Potter's work (Galena peak, WY) clear shows very old ice proptected in this way - although some have tried to descredit this. But Timp shows the small glacier, with crevasses etc as well described, but the interesting point for me is finding out when (and for how long) the debris started to accumulate on the glacier surface. From the photos it looks as if a great deal had accummulated by the 1950s but it could well be that the wet springs mentioned brought down a lot of debris form the ever-widening cirque backwall by slush avalalnces and rockfla. I'd be very interested in hearing abou evidence for this debris input. You can see my rock glacier credentials by Google Scholar search: Brian Whalley. Or please contact me at b.whallery@sheffield.ac.uk Thanks
KroazDu - Feb 11, 2015 12:18 am - Voted 8/10
Clarification of glacier statusThanks for the clarification, I would not have suspected it was indeed a glacier, rather than a perpetual snowfield. I hope it won't disappear completely.
spiderman - Oct 5, 2016 4:37 pm - Hasn't voted
Great summaryThis is a fascinating history of the glacier Scott. That is one magnificent mountain and it is sad to witness the disappearance of one of its salient features. I would guestimate that only a couple percent of Americans have ever been on a glacier; the rest are missing one of nature's greatest wonders.
brianwhalley - May 1, 2022 2:27 am - Hasn't voted
Timp glacier/rock glacierThanks for a fascinating article, an excellent example of 'citizen science'.
After some 50 years of examining rock glacier in various parts of the world I have only just come across this example -even though I have written about them in Colorado (Arapaho), Sierra Nevada and Alaska. Regardless of anthropogenioc CO2 emission etc, there is little doubt that small glaciers were down-wasting (ie losing ice mass or 'retreating') from the end of the Little Ice Age (say 1900, it varies in the world) The there has been a long discussion about the nature of rock glaciers. Some believe that it is a mix of debris and snow/ice that flows (creeps) under its self mass. However, there are those who believe (like myself) that glacier ice has, in some cases for small glaciers, been burried by weathered rock debris from the backwalls of cirques. Even <1m will be sufficient to cut the ablation to near zero. Under these circumstanaces creep rates are very low but the glacir more or less remains (so Emerald lake remains clear because there is very little melwater, with little silt, reaches it. Noel Potter's work (Galena peak, WY) clear shows very old ice proptected in this way - although some have tried to descredit this. But Timp shows the small glacier, with crevasses etc as well described, but the interesting point for me is finding out when (and for how long) the debris started to accumulate on the glacier surface. From the photos it looks as if a great deal had accummulated by the 1950s but it could well be that the wet springs mentioned brought down a lot of debris form the ever-widening cirque backwall by slush avalalnces and rockfla. I'd be very interested in hearing abou evidence for this debris input. You can see my rock glacier credentials by Google Scholar search: Brian Whalley. Or please contact me at b.whallery@sheffield.ac.uk Thanks