Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska `
Twelve thousand years ago, as the earth neared the end of the last glacial episode, ice up to a mile in depth covered what is now Southeastern Alaska, moving from the continent to the sea: grinding, carving, it shaped the landscape to create the fjords and inland passages through which our ship now passes. By 10,000 years BP (Before Present) the ice was in retreat and the earth shifted to the present (Holocene) interglacial episode. However, what is now Glacier Bay remained in the grip of the ice much longer. Abundant moisture from the Gulf of Alaska was caught as snow by the tall mountains of the Saint Elias Range and converted to ice by the weight of accumulation. This ice, moving by the force of gravity, flowed out of the mountains to reach aptly named Icy Strait. In 1794, when the expedition of Captain James Vancouver meticulously charted the coast, Glacier Bay was a small indentation in the coast leading to a massive glacial face, but soon after the glaciers began a rapid retreat and Glacier Bay took on its present shape.
Today twelve glaciers reach the sea and calve ice into the bay (and thus are called tidewater glaciers.) The Grand Pacific Glacier carries a mantle of rock rubble that has fallen onto the glacier as it makes its way down from the mountains; it is just peaking out at the right-hand edge of the picture above. The adjacent Margerie Glacier, which meets the Grand Pacific at the sea, is a beautiful blue and white. Blue? Dense ice, formed under great pressure, reflects blue light. Less dense ice, filled with air bubbles, appears white. Both glaciers dropped ice from their face into the bay as we watched.
We enjoyed a bright and mostly clear day for our visit to Glacier Bay, with Mount Fairweather (15,320 feet) making an occasional appearance through the clouds. Glaciers, floating ice, brown bears, mountain goats, and even a moose walking along the shoreline ... another great day in this beautiful corner of Alaska.
Twelve thousand years ago, as the earth neared the end of the last glacial episode, ice up to a mile in depth covered what is now Southeastern Alaska, moving from the continent to the sea: grinding, carving, it shaped the landscape to create the fjords and inland passages through which our ship now passes. By 10,000 years BP (Before Present) the ice was in retreat and the earth shifted to the present (Holocene) interglacial episode. However, what is now Glacier Bay remained in the grip of the ice much longer. Abundant moisture from the Gulf of Alaska was caught as snow by the tall mountains of the Saint Elias Range and converted to ice by the weight of accumulation. This ice, moving by the force of gravity, flowed out of the mountains to reach aptly named Icy Strait. In 1794, when the expedition of Captain James Vancouver meticulously charted the coast, Glacier Bay was a small indentation in the coast leading to a massive glacial face, but soon after the glaciers began a rapid retreat and Glacier Bay took on its present shape.
Today twelve glaciers reach the sea and calve ice into the bay (and thus are called tidewater glaciers.) The Grand Pacific Glacier carries a mantle of rock rubble that has fallen onto the glacier as it makes its way down from the mountains; it is just peaking out at the right-hand edge of the picture above. The adjacent Margerie Glacier, which meets the Grand Pacific at the sea, is a beautiful blue and white. Blue? Dense ice, formed under great pressure, reflects blue light. Less dense ice, filled with air bubbles, appears white. Both glaciers dropped ice from their face into the bay as we watched.
We enjoyed a bright and mostly clear day for our visit to Glacier Bay, with Mount Fairweather (15,320 feet) making an occasional appearance through the clouds. Glaciers, floating ice, brown bears, mountain goats, and even a moose walking along the shoreline ... another great day in this beautiful corner of Alaska.
