Harrison Glacier | |
---|---|
Type | Mountain glacier |
Location | Glacier National Park, Flathead County, Montana, United States |
Coordinates | 48°35′34″N 113°43′49″W / 48.59278°N 113.73028°W[1] |
Area | 466 acres (189 ha) in 2005[2] |
Length | .50 mi (0.80 km) |
Terminus | Barren rock/talus |
Status | Retreating |
Harrison Glacier is a glacier located in the US state of Montana in Glacier National Park.[3] Situated on a southeast‐facing ridge immediately south of Mount Jackson, it is the largest remaining glacier in Glacier National Park, estimated in 2005 to have an area of 466 acres (1.89 km2).[2][4] Though many experts have stated that all the glaciers in Glacier National Park may disappear by the year 2030,[4] Harrison Glacier lost only 9 percent of its surface area in the 40-year period between 1966 and 2005 and will likely still exist well beyond 2030.[5] Compared to many of the vanishing glaciers in Glacier National Park, Harrison Glacier's accumulation zone is at a much higher altitude (approximately 9,000 feet (2,700 m)), which has allowed it to maintain some equilibrium in its glacier mass balance.[5] Comparisons of images of the glacier taken in 1913 with images from 2009 indicate that the glacier has experienced thinning and retreat.[6]