How old is glacier ice?
- The age of the oldest glacier ice in Antarctica may approach 1,000,000 years old
- The age of the oldest glacier ice in Greenland is more than 100,000 years old
- The age of the oldest Alaskan glacier ice ever recovered (from a basin between Mt. Bona and Mt. Churchill) is about 30,000 years old.
Glacier flow moves newly formed ice through the entire length of a typical Alaskan valley glacier in 100 years or less. Based on flow rates, it takes less than 400 years for ice to transit the entire 140 + mile length of Bering Glacier, Alaska’s largest and longest glacier.
Learn more: USGS Water Science School - Glaciers: Things to Know
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