FACTOID # 58: Looking for geniuses? Head straight to Iceland. There are more than 3 Nobel Prize Winners for every million Icelanders.
 
 Home   Encyclopedia   Statistics   Countries A-Z   Flags   Maps   Education   Forum   FAQ   About 
 
WHAT'S NEW
RECENT ARTICLES
More Recent Articles »
 

SEARCH ALL

FACTS & STATISTICS    Advanced view

Search encyclopedia, statistics and forums:

 

 

(* = Graphable)

 

 


Encyclopedia > Crater Glacier
Crater Glacier
The Crater Glacier from the north in October 2006
The Crater Glacier from the north in October 2006
Type Mountain glacier
Location Washington, U.S.
Coordinates 46°11′48″N, 122°11′15″W
Thickness up to 650 ft (200 m)
Terminus talus
Status expanding

The Crater Glacier[1] (also known as Tulutson Glacier) is a geologically extremely young glacier that is located on Mount Saint Helens, in the U.S. state of Washington. True to its name, the glacier lies inside the north-facing crater left by the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens. A massive central lava dome emplaced from 1980 to 1987 occupies the center of the crater, so the glacier formed in the shape of a horseshoe around the dome, with two terminal moraines on the eastern and western sides. The renewed activity since 2004 has created a new dome, which has split the glacier almost completely into two separate parts. The ice is very thick, with an average thickness of 100 meters and a maximum thickness of around 200 meters, nearly as deep as Mount Rainier's Carbon Glacier. None of the ice is older than the year 1980, however, the volume of the new glacier is about the same as all the pre–1980 glaciers combined. Extremely heavy winter snowfall, repeated snow avalanches, and sun-shading by the surrounding cliffs to the south have led to the exceptionally rapid growth of this glacier. The surface of the glacier looks dark and dirty in the summer due to the numerous rockfalls from the steep, unstable crater walls along with ash from eruptions, all of which helps to insulate and protect the growing glacier. [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] Official language(s) None Capital Olympia Largest city Seattle Area  Ranked 18th  - Total 71,342 sq mi (184,827 km²)  - Width 240 miles (385 km)  - Length 360 miles (580 km)  - % water 6. ... Motto: (Out Of Many, One) (traditional) In God We Trust (1956 to date) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington D.C. Largest city New York City None at federal level (English de facto) Government Federal constitutional republic  - President George Walker Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence from... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ... A glacier is a large, long-lasting river of ice that is formed on land and moves in response to gravity and undergoes internal deformation. ... Mount St. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Chief Justice Associate Justices Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures State Courts Counties, Cities, and Towns Other countries Politics Portal      A state of the United States is any one of the fifty subnational entities of the... Official language(s) None Capital Olympia Largest city Seattle Area  Ranked 18th  - Total 71,342 sq mi (184,827 km²)  - Width 240 miles (385 km)  - Length 360 miles (580 km)  - % water 6. ... Look up crater in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The 1980 eruption of Mount St. ... One of the Mono Craters, an example of a rhyolite dome. ... Modern horseshoes are most commonly made of iron and nailed onto the hoof. ... Moraine at Mono Lake, California, United States Moraines clearly seen on a side glacier of the Gorner Glacier, Zermatt, Switzerland. ... Mount Rainier is a stratovolcano in Pierce County, Washington, located 54 miles (87 km) southeast of Seattle, Washington, in the United States. ... Carbon Glacier is an album by Laura Veirs, released in 2004. ... Snowflakes by Wilson Bentley, 1902 Ice is the name given to any one of the 14 known solid phases of water. ... This page is about the form of precipitation. ... This article refers to the natural event known as an avalanche. ...

Contents

History

The Crater Glacier from the north in October 2000, prior to the current eruptive cycle and new lava domes.
The Crater Glacier from the north in October 2000, prior to the current eruptive cycle and new lava domes.

During the winter of 1980-1981, the glacier began to grow very rapidly (14 m/year thickness) in the shadow of the crater. By 2004, it covered about 0.36 square mile (0.93 sq km²) and there was a western and eastern lobe flowing around the 1980's dome. Due to the gas emissions on the crater floor, there were ice caves in the once smooth glacial ice, and several of them had been explored in the late 1990s.[7] [8] With the recent volcanic activity starting in 2004, the glacier lobes were pushed aside and higher by the growth of new volcanic domes. The surface of the glacier, once mostly uncrevassed, turned into a chaotic jumble of icefalls heavily criss-crossed with crevasses and seracs due to movement of the crater floor. The appearance of the glacier changes rapidly due to constant uplift of the crater and heavy snowfall. The new domes created since 2004 have almost split the Crater Glacier into two separate glaciers. Despite the ongoing volcanic activity, the termini of the glacier have still advanced, with a slight advance on the western lobe and a more considerable advance on the more shaded eastern lobe. 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A square mile is an English unit of area equal to that of a square with sides each 1 statute mile (≈1,609 m) in length. ... Square kilometre (US spelling: Square kilometer), symbol km², is an SI unit of surface area. ... Alternate meanings: Cave (disambiguation) The outside world viewed from a cave A cave is a natural underground void. ... In autumn 2004, Mount St. ... An icefall is a phenomenon found in some glaciers. ... Measuring snowpack in a crevasse on the Easton Glacier, North Cascades, USA A crevasse is a crack or fissure in a glacier or snow field. ... Seracs in firn at 10000 on the Winthrop Glacier of Mount Rainier in Washington, USA A serac (originally from Swiss French sérac, a crumbly white cheese) is a steep ridge or pillar of ice formed between two crevasses of a glacier. ...


Other glaciers and new rock glaciers

New glaciers are forming on the crater wall, above and to the left of the lava dome (zoom in to view).
New glaciers are forming on the crater wall, above and to the left of the lava dome (zoom in to view).

Since 2004, new glaciers have formed on the crater wall above Crater Glacier feeding rock and ice to the Crater Glacier below (see the photo at right). In addition, there are two rock glaciers to the north of the eastern lobe of Crater Glacier (see the photo below right). Several patches of permanent snow have been observed on the volcano. These may evolve into glaciers in the future.


Naming the glacier

Glaciers in the crater of Mount Saint Helens. The Crater Glacier is shaped in a horseshoe around the new domes that have developed in the crater. The west lobe of the glacier is visible in the bottom right and two more rock glaciers can be seen to the left of the east lobe.
Glaciers in the crater of Mount Saint Helens. The Crater Glacier is shaped in a horseshoe around the new domes that have developed in the crater. The west lobe of the glacier is visible in the bottom right and two more rock glaciers can be seen to the left of the east lobe.

Since the glacier was first observed to be forming and actively flowing in the late 1980s, most scientists working on the mountain have referred to it informally as the "crater glacier". That name has been in wide use with the public (at least those who were aware of the glacier's existence) for the two decades since the glacier formed, and has appeared in several scientific publications too. A single scientific paper, the most complete published study of the glacier to date, referred to it as the "Amphitheater glacier"[4], but that name has not been used otherwise.


Despite numerous observations and publications about the growing glacier in the late 1990s and early 2000s[7][8][3], no move was made to give the glacier a permanent and official name until late 2004, after the current eruptive cycle began and the new dome began to split the glacier.[9] At that time, a proponent from the Cowlitz tribe suggested the name "Tulutson Glacier", from the Cowlitz language word for ice. In March 2005, the Washington State Board on Geographic Names chose Tulutson over three other contenders (Crater, Spirit, and Tamanawas) [10], and so Tulutson Glacier became the de facto name. Cowlitz is a group of Native American peoples from what is now western Washington state in the United States. ...


However, the U.S. Board on Geographic Names had yet to make its decision, which would be official throughout the United States. The name Tulutson Glacier was submitted for consideration[11], along with Crater Glacier[12] and Kraffts Glacier, which would have honored the volcanologists Katia and Maurice Krafft, killed by a pyroclastic flow in 1991. In June 2006, the U.S. BGN chose Crater Glacier because of its two-decade precedent of common use, despite objections from the state of Washington and the United States Forest Service which both preferred Tulutson.[13] The scientists at the USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory strongly supported Crater Glacier, and also commented that Tulutson may not be an appropriate name since the volcano “lies inland in a region where the native language was not Cowlitz but Sahaptin.” The United States Board on Geographic Names (BGN) is a US Federal body whose purpose is to establish and maintain uniform usage of geographic names throughout the Federal Government. ... Volcanology (also spelled vulcanology) is the study of volcanoes, lava, magma and related geological phenomena. ... Katia Krafft (17 April 1942 – 3 June 1991) and her husband, Maurice Krafft ( 25 March 1946 – 3 June 1991) were French vulcanologists who died in a pyroclastic flow on Mt Unzen, in Japan, on June 3, 1991. ... Pyroclastic flows sweep down the flanks of Mayon Volcano, Philippines, in 1984 Pyroclastic flows are a common and devastating result of some volcanic eruptions. ... The USDA Forest Service, a United States government agency within the United States Department of Agriculture, is under the leadership of the United States Secretary of Agriculture. ... Sahaptin is a Sahaptian language (of the Plateau Penutian family) spoken in southern Washington and northern Oregon. ...


After the decision, some controversy erupted following an editorial in a local newspaper protesting the decision, and the state of Washington "has indicated that the name Tulutson Glacier will continue to appear on State products, although if the feature melts soon, as is anticipated, this may not be a great concern."[14] Despite these protests, the glacier is now officially named the Crater Glacier, and it continues to expand even through the past two-and-half years of renewed volcanic activity. Since continued dome building has nearly split the glacier in two, shortly after their June 2006 decision the BGN received a follow-up proposal to name the two arms of the glacier, East Crater Glacier and West Crater Glacier[14], but no further action has been taken on this matter.

East lobe of the Crater Glacier
East lobe of the Crater Glacier

References

  1. ^ The official name for this feature is "Crater Glacier", as decided by an 8-4 vote of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names, Domestic Names Committee, in June 2006. This supersedes the earlier decision by the Washington State Board on Geographic Names in March 2005 to name it "Tulutson Glacier", and is now the official name required for use in all US government documents and publications. See USGS Geographic Names Information System: Crater Glacier (2006-06-28). Retrieved on 2007-03-07.
  2. ^ Brugman, Melinda M.; Austin Post (1981). USGS Circular 850-D: Effects of Volcanism on the Glaciers of Mount St. Helens. Retrieved on 2007-03-07.
  3. ^ a b Wiggins, Tracy B.; Hansen, Jon D.; Clark, Douglas H. (2002). "Growth and flow of a new glacier in Mt. St. Helens Crater". Abstracts with Programs - Geological Society of America 34 (5): 91. 
  4. ^ a b Schilling, Steve P.; Paul E. Carrara, Ren A. Thompson, and Eugene Y. Iwatsubo (2004). "Posteruption glacier development within the crater of Mount St. Helens, Washington, USA". Quaternary Research 61 (3): 325–329. 
  5. ^ McCandless, Melanie; Plummer, Mitchell; Clark, Douglas (2005). "Predictions of the growth and steady-state form of the Mount St. Helens Crater Glacier using a 2-D glacier model". Abstracts with Programs - Geological Society of America 37 (7): 354. 
  6. ^ Schilling, Steve P.; David W. Ramsey, James A. Messerich, and Ren A. Thompson (2006-08-08). USGS Scientific Investigations Map 2928: Rebuilding Mount St. Helens. Retrieved on 2007-03-07.
  7. ^ a b Anderson, Charles H., Jr.; Behrens, Christopher J.; Floyd, Gary A.; Vining, Mark R. (1998). "Crater firn caves of Mount St. Helens, Washington". Journal of Cave and Karst Studies 60 (1): 44–50. 
  8. ^ a b Anderson, Charles H., Jr.; Mark R. Vining (1999). "Observations of Glacial, Geomorphic, Biologic, and Mineralogic Developments in the Crater of Mount St. Helens, Washington". Washington Geology 27 (2/3/4): 9–19. 
  9. ^ Dininny, Shannon. "Naming Mount St. Helens New Dome Confusing", LiveScience.com, 2004-11-24. Retrieved on 2007-03-07.
  10. ^ Associated Press. "Mount St. Helens Glacier Gets A Name But May Be Short-Lived", KIRO-TV.com, 2005-03-08. Retrieved on 2007-03-07.
  11. ^ U.S. Board on Geographic Names Docket 389 (2005-06-01). Retrieved on 2007-03-07.
  12. ^ U.S. Board on Geographic Names Quarterly Review List 390 (2005-10-03). Retrieved on 2007-03-07.
  13. ^ U.S. Board on Geographic Names Domestic Names Committee, 679th Meeting (2006-06-05). Retrieved on 2007-02-28.
  14. ^ a b U.S. Board on Geographic Names Domestic Names Committee, 680th Meeting (2006-07-13). Retrieved on 2007-02-28.

The United States Board on Geographic Names (BGN) is a US Federal body whose purpose is to establish and maintain uniform usage of geographic names throughout the Federal Government. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... June 28 is the 179th day of the year (180th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 186 days remaining. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... March 7 is the 66th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (67th in leap years). ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... March 7 is the 66th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (67th in leap years). ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... August 8 is the 220th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (221st in leap years), with 145 days remaining. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... March 7 is the 66th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (67th in leap years). ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... November 24 is the 328th day (329th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... March 7 is the 66th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (67th in leap years). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... March 8 is the 67th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (68th in leap years). ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... March 7 is the 66th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (67th in leap years). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... June 1 is the 152nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (153rd in leap years), with 213 days remaining. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... March 7 is the 66th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (67th in leap years). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... October 3 is the 276th day of the year (277th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... March 7 is the 66th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (67th in leap years). ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... June 5 is the 156th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (157th in leap years), with 209 days remaining. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... February 28 is the 59th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... July 13 is the 194th day (195th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 171 days remaining. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... February 28 is the 59th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

  • Maps and aerial photos


 

COMMENTARY     


Share your thoughts, questions and commentary here
Your name
Your comments
Please enter the 5-letter protection code

Want to know more?
Search encyclopedia, statistics and forums:
 


Lesson Plans | Student Area | Student FAQ | Reviews | Press Releases |  Feeds | Contact
The Wikipedia article included on this page is licensed under the GFDL.
Images may be subject to relevant owners' copyright.
All other elements are (c) copyright NationMaster.com 2003-5. All Rights Reserved.
Usage implies agreement with terms.