Crater Glacier

Crater Glacier
The Crater Glacier from the north in October 2006
TypeMountain Glacier
LocationMount St. Helens, Skamania County, Washington, USA
Coordinates46°11′48″N 122°11′15″W / 46.19667°N 122.18750°W / 46.19667; -122.18750
ThicknessRanges up to 656 ft (200 m)
TerminusTalus
StatusExpanding

The Crater Glacier[1] (also known as Tulutson Glacier) is a geologically young glacier on Mount St. Helens, in the U.S. state of Washington. The glacier formed after the 1980 eruption and due to its location, the body of ice grew rapidly, unknown to the public for nearly 20 years. The glacier once contained ice caves in the smooth ice before the 2004–2008 volcanic activity. The growth of the lava dome and volcanic eruptions from 2004 to 2008 significantly altered the appearance of the glacier.[2] In the same time period, several agencies decided to put an official name on the glacier which, at first, was Tulutson Glacier. A later decision made Crater Glacier the official glacier name. Despite the volcanic activity, the glacier continued to advance and by mid-2008, the glacier completely encircled the lava domes.[2][3][4][5] In addition, new glaciers (rock or ice) have formed around Crater Glacier as well.[6]

  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 2007-03-07.
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference VR was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference KATU was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Schilling, Steve (2008-05-30). "MSH08_aerial_new_dome_from_north_05-30-08". United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2008-06-07. - Glacier is still connected south of the lava dome.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference NT was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference NASA was invoked but never defined (see the help page).