The surface of South Cascade Glacier, Washington is mostly exposed ice at the end of summer melt season.
Where on Earth are temperate glaciers located?
A temperate glacier (as opposed to a polar glacier) is a glacier that’s essentially at the melting point, so liquid water coexists with glacier ice. A small change in temperature can have a major impact on temperate glacier melting, area, and volume. Temperate glaciers exist on the continents of North America, South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia; on both islands of New Zealand; and on the island of Irian Jaya. Additionally, some of the glaciers of the Antarctic Peninsula and some of Greenland’s southern outlet glaciers are temperate.
Learn more: USGS Water Science School - Glaciers: Things to Know
Related
Which mountain in the conterminous U.S. has the most glaciers?
Mount Rainier, Washington, at 14,410 feet (4,393 meters), the highest peak in the Cascade Range, is a dormant volcano whose glacier ice cover exceeds that of any other mountain in the conterminous United States. Mount Rainier has approximately 26 glaciers. It contains more than five times the glacier area of all the other Cascade volcanoes combined. Mount Baker (Washington) at 10,778 feet (3,285...
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...
Are today's glaciers leftovers from the Pleistocene ice age?
Yes and no. It depends on which glaciers you are considering. Parts of the Antarctic Continent have had continuous glacier cover for perhaps as long as 20 million years. Other areas, such as valley glaciers of the Antarctic Peninsula and glaciers of the Transantarctic Mountains may date from the early Pleistocene. For Greenland, ice cores and related data suggest that all of southern Greenland and...
How many glaciers currently exist in Alaska?
Based on the most recent comprehensive survey in 2011, there were about 27,000 glaciers in Alaska. However, the number of glaciers is a misleading statistic. Scientists are more interested in total glacial land coverage as a measure. The number of glaciers is less important since large ones can split up into several as they retreat. The amount of area glaciers occupy in Alaska is trending downward...
Where are glaciers found in continental North America?
Glaciers exist in both the United States and Canada. Most U.S. glaciers are in Alaska; others can be found in Washington, Oregon, California, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and Nevada (Wheeler Peak Glacier in Great Basin National Park). Utah’s Timpanogos Glacier is now a rock glacier (in which the ice is hidden by rocks), and Idaho’s Otto Glacier has melted away. Canada has glaciers in Alberta...
What is a glacier?
A glacier is a large, perennial accumulation of crystalline ice, snow, rock, sediment, and often liquid water that originates on land and moves down slope under the influence of its own weight and gravity. Typically, glaciers exist and may even form in areas where: mean annual temperatures are close to the freezing point winter precipitation produces significant accumulations of snow temperatures...
Is there a size criterion for a glacier?
While there is no global standard for what size a body of ice must be to be considered a glacier, USGS scientists in Glacier National Park use the commonly accepted guideline of 0.1 square kilometers (about 25 acres) as the minimum size of a glacier. Below this size, ice is generally stagnant and does not have enough mass to move. Learn more: Status of Glaciers in Glacier National Park
South Cascade Glacier, Washington
The surface of South Cascade Glacier, Washington is mostly exposed ice at the end of summer melt season.
Margerie Glacier, Glacier National Park and Preserve
An aerial view of Margerie Glacier. Glaciers are important for many species found in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. NPS.
An aerial view of Margerie Glacier. Glaciers are important for many species found in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. NPS.
Aerial view of Wolverine Glacier icefall
An aerial view of the upper cracks in the Wolverine Glacier icefall as sunset approaches.
An aerial view of the upper cracks in the Wolverine Glacier icefall as sunset approaches.
Glacier mass balance measurements on Taku Glacier, Alaska
Students Stacey Edmonsond (left) and Audrey Erickson (right) of the Juneau Icefield Research Program, measuring glacier mass balance at the flow divide of Taku and Mendenhall glaciers during the summer of 2019
Students Stacey Edmonsond (left) and Audrey Erickson (right) of the Juneau Icefield Research Program, measuring glacier mass balance at the flow divide of Taku and Mendenhall glaciers during the summer of 2019
USGS Public Lecture: Warm Ice—Dynamics of Rapidly Changing Glaciers
- Glacier Numerology – The how big, how long, how thick, how much, how often, of glacier science.
- Glacier Photography – While a picture may be worth a thousand words, a collection of images may tell a complete forensic story.
- Glacier Numerology – The how big, how long, how thick, how much, how often, of glacier science.
- Glacier Photography – While a picture may be worth a thousand words, a collection of images may tell a complete forensic story.
Grinnell Glacier Mather Overlook 2008 in color
Grinnell Glacier Mather Overlook 2008 in color.
Grinnell Glacier Mather Overlook 2008 in color.
Mapping the glacier's edge in Glacier National Park.
Mapping the glacier's edge in Glacier National Park.
Mapping the glacier's edge in Glacier National Park.
Looking out the mouth of Reynolds Glacier in Glacier National Park.
Looking out the mouth of Reynolds Glacier in Glacier National Park. Glacier National Park is iconic of the combined impacts of climate change and snow and ice loss – over 80 percent of the park’s glaciers have been lost since the mid-19th century.
Looking out the mouth of Reynolds Glacier in Glacier National Park. Glacier National Park is iconic of the combined impacts of climate change and snow and ice loss – over 80 percent of the park’s glaciers have been lost since the mid-19th century.
Glacial fed alpine stream in Glacier National Park.
Scientists sample for alpine insects in streams like this near Blackfoot Glacier in Glacier National Park. Alpine streams environments in the northern Rocky Mountains are especially vulnerable to climate change due to rapid warming resulting in loss of glaciers and snowpack.
Scientists sample for alpine insects in streams like this near Blackfoot Glacier in Glacier National Park. Alpine streams environments in the northern Rocky Mountains are especially vulnerable to climate change due to rapid warming resulting in loss of glaciers and snowpack.
Mount St. Helens and Mount Rainier, aerial view toward the north.
Mount St. Helens and Mount Rainier, aerial view toward the north.
Mount St. Helens and Mount Rainier, aerial view toward the north.
Upper slopes of Glacier Peak, WA.
Upper slopes of Glacier Peak, Washington.
Upper slopes of Glacier Peak, Washington.
Portage, Burns and Shakespeare glaciers in Southcentral Alaska
Portage Glacier (right), Burns Glacier (center), Shakespeare Glacier (left) in Southcentral Alaska from the air.
Portage Glacier (right), Burns Glacier (center), Shakespeare Glacier (left) in Southcentral Alaska from the air.
Retreating Glacier and Runoff from Glacial Melt
Retreating glacier south of Mt. Pendleton in Denali National Park, Alaska, with runoff from glacial melt seen in the foreground.
Retreating glacier south of Mt. Pendleton in Denali National Park, Alaska, with runoff from glacial melt seen in the foreground.
Related
Which mountain in the conterminous U.S. has the most glaciers?
Mount Rainier, Washington, at 14,410 feet (4,393 meters), the highest peak in the Cascade Range, is a dormant volcano whose glacier ice cover exceeds that of any other mountain in the conterminous United States. Mount Rainier has approximately 26 glaciers. It contains more than five times the glacier area of all the other Cascade volcanoes combined. Mount Baker (Washington) at 10,778 feet (3,285...
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...
Are today's glaciers leftovers from the Pleistocene ice age?
Yes and no. It depends on which glaciers you are considering. Parts of the Antarctic Continent have had continuous glacier cover for perhaps as long as 20 million years. Other areas, such as valley glaciers of the Antarctic Peninsula and glaciers of the Transantarctic Mountains may date from the early Pleistocene. For Greenland, ice cores and related data suggest that all of southern Greenland and...
How many glaciers currently exist in Alaska?
Based on the most recent comprehensive survey in 2011, there were about 27,000 glaciers in Alaska. However, the number of glaciers is a misleading statistic. Scientists are more interested in total glacial land coverage as a measure. The number of glaciers is less important since large ones can split up into several as they retreat. The amount of area glaciers occupy in Alaska is trending downward...
Where are glaciers found in continental North America?
Glaciers exist in both the United States and Canada. Most U.S. glaciers are in Alaska; others can be found in Washington, Oregon, California, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and Nevada (Wheeler Peak Glacier in Great Basin National Park). Utah’s Timpanogos Glacier is now a rock glacier (in which the ice is hidden by rocks), and Idaho’s Otto Glacier has melted away. Canada has glaciers in Alberta...
What is a glacier?
A glacier is a large, perennial accumulation of crystalline ice, snow, rock, sediment, and often liquid water that originates on land and moves down slope under the influence of its own weight and gravity. Typically, glaciers exist and may even form in areas where: mean annual temperatures are close to the freezing point winter precipitation produces significant accumulations of snow temperatures...
Is there a size criterion for a glacier?
While there is no global standard for what size a body of ice must be to be considered a glacier, USGS scientists in Glacier National Park use the commonly accepted guideline of 0.1 square kilometers (about 25 acres) as the minimum size of a glacier. Below this size, ice is generally stagnant and does not have enough mass to move. Learn more: Status of Glaciers in Glacier National Park
South Cascade Glacier, Washington
The surface of South Cascade Glacier, Washington is mostly exposed ice at the end of summer melt season.
The surface of South Cascade Glacier, Washington is mostly exposed ice at the end of summer melt season.
Margerie Glacier, Glacier National Park and Preserve
An aerial view of Margerie Glacier. Glaciers are important for many species found in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. NPS.
An aerial view of Margerie Glacier. Glaciers are important for many species found in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. NPS.
Aerial view of Wolverine Glacier icefall
An aerial view of the upper cracks in the Wolverine Glacier icefall as sunset approaches.
An aerial view of the upper cracks in the Wolverine Glacier icefall as sunset approaches.
Glacier mass balance measurements on Taku Glacier, Alaska
Students Stacey Edmonsond (left) and Audrey Erickson (right) of the Juneau Icefield Research Program, measuring glacier mass balance at the flow divide of Taku and Mendenhall glaciers during the summer of 2019
Students Stacey Edmonsond (left) and Audrey Erickson (right) of the Juneau Icefield Research Program, measuring glacier mass balance at the flow divide of Taku and Mendenhall glaciers during the summer of 2019
USGS Public Lecture: Warm Ice—Dynamics of Rapidly Changing Glaciers
- Glacier Numerology – The how big, how long, how thick, how much, how often, of glacier science.
- Glacier Photography – While a picture may be worth a thousand words, a collection of images may tell a complete forensic story.
- Glacier Numerology – The how big, how long, how thick, how much, how often, of glacier science.
- Glacier Photography – While a picture may be worth a thousand words, a collection of images may tell a complete forensic story.
Grinnell Glacier Mather Overlook 2008 in color
Grinnell Glacier Mather Overlook 2008 in color.
Grinnell Glacier Mather Overlook 2008 in color.
Mapping the glacier's edge in Glacier National Park.
Mapping the glacier's edge in Glacier National Park.
Mapping the glacier's edge in Glacier National Park.
Looking out the mouth of Reynolds Glacier in Glacier National Park.
Looking out the mouth of Reynolds Glacier in Glacier National Park. Glacier National Park is iconic of the combined impacts of climate change and snow and ice loss – over 80 percent of the park’s glaciers have been lost since the mid-19th century.
Looking out the mouth of Reynolds Glacier in Glacier National Park. Glacier National Park is iconic of the combined impacts of climate change and snow and ice loss – over 80 percent of the park’s glaciers have been lost since the mid-19th century.
Glacial fed alpine stream in Glacier National Park.
Scientists sample for alpine insects in streams like this near Blackfoot Glacier in Glacier National Park. Alpine streams environments in the northern Rocky Mountains are especially vulnerable to climate change due to rapid warming resulting in loss of glaciers and snowpack.
Scientists sample for alpine insects in streams like this near Blackfoot Glacier in Glacier National Park. Alpine streams environments in the northern Rocky Mountains are especially vulnerable to climate change due to rapid warming resulting in loss of glaciers and snowpack.
Mount St. Helens and Mount Rainier, aerial view toward the north.
Mount St. Helens and Mount Rainier, aerial view toward the north.
Mount St. Helens and Mount Rainier, aerial view toward the north.
Upper slopes of Glacier Peak, WA.
Upper slopes of Glacier Peak, Washington.
Upper slopes of Glacier Peak, Washington.
Portage, Burns and Shakespeare glaciers in Southcentral Alaska
Portage Glacier (right), Burns Glacier (center), Shakespeare Glacier (left) in Southcentral Alaska from the air.
Portage Glacier (right), Burns Glacier (center), Shakespeare Glacier (left) in Southcentral Alaska from the air.
Retreating Glacier and Runoff from Glacial Melt
Retreating glacier south of Mt. Pendleton in Denali National Park, Alaska, with runoff from glacial melt seen in the foreground.
Retreating glacier south of Mt. Pendleton in Denali National Park, Alaska, with runoff from glacial melt seen in the foreground.
Updated Date: March 25, 2025