Near Seward, Alaska
Was all of Alaska covered by glaciers during the Pleistocene Ice Age?
No--most of interior Alaska, south of the Brooks Range and north of the Alaska Range, was a non-glaciated grassland refuge habitat for a number of plant and animal species during the maximum Pleistocene glaciation. This ice-free corridor also provided one route for humans to move into North America.
Learn more: USGS Water Science School - Glaciers: Things to Know
Related
Which mountain in the conterminous U.S. has the most glaciers?
How old is glacier ice?
Are today's glaciers leftovers from the Pleistocene ice age?
Is glacier ice a type of rock?
Where are glaciers found in continental North America?
How would sea level change if all glaciers melted?
What is a glacier?
How long can we expect the present Interglacial period to last?
How many glaciers currently exist in Alaska?
How much of the Earth's water is stored in glaciers?
Why is glacier ice blue?
View of central Alaska Range from the south.
View of central Alaska Range from the south.

This northeast-looking photograph, on the southeastern side of White Thunder Ridge ,shows the lower reaches of Muir Glacier, then a large tidewater calving valley glacier, and its tributary Riggs Glacier. The séracs in the lower right-hand corner of the photograph mark Muir Glacier’s terminus. The ice thickness is more than 700 meters.
This northeast-looking photograph, on the southeastern side of White Thunder Ridge ,shows the lower reaches of Muir Glacier, then a large tidewater calving valley glacier, and its tributary Riggs Glacier. The séracs in the lower right-hand corner of the photograph mark Muir Glacier’s terminus. The ice thickness is more than 700 meters.
USGS ecologist Kevin Lafferty visits the Exit Glacier in Alaska.
USGS ecologist Kevin Lafferty visits the Exit Glacier in Alaska.
Sculpted by water, elevated by earthquakes—The coastal landscape of Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska
The United States National Climate Assessment - Alaska Technical Regional Report
State of the Earth’s cryosphere at the beginning of the 21st century : glaciers, global snow cover, floating ice, and permafrost and periglacial environments
Why Study Paleoclimate?
Glaciers of North America - Glaciers of Alaska
A Century of Retreat at Portage Glacier, South-Central Alaska
Satellite image atlas of glaciers of the world — North America
The Sun and climate
Related
Which mountain in the conterminous U.S. has the most glaciers?
How old is glacier ice?
Are today's glaciers leftovers from the Pleistocene ice age?
Is glacier ice a type of rock?
Where are glaciers found in continental North America?
How would sea level change if all glaciers melted?
What is a glacier?
How long can we expect the present Interglacial period to last?
How many glaciers currently exist in Alaska?
How much of the Earth's water is stored in glaciers?
Why is glacier ice blue?
View of central Alaska Range from the south.
View of central Alaska Range from the south.

This northeast-looking photograph, on the southeastern side of White Thunder Ridge ,shows the lower reaches of Muir Glacier, then a large tidewater calving valley glacier, and its tributary Riggs Glacier. The séracs in the lower right-hand corner of the photograph mark Muir Glacier’s terminus. The ice thickness is more than 700 meters.
This northeast-looking photograph, on the southeastern side of White Thunder Ridge ,shows the lower reaches of Muir Glacier, then a large tidewater calving valley glacier, and its tributary Riggs Glacier. The séracs in the lower right-hand corner of the photograph mark Muir Glacier’s terminus. The ice thickness is more than 700 meters.
USGS ecologist Kevin Lafferty visits the Exit Glacier in Alaska.
USGS ecologist Kevin Lafferty visits the Exit Glacier in Alaska.