Blue Glacier facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Blue Glacier |
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The Blue Glacier as seen from the Lateral Moraine.
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 Blue Glacier
Location in Washington (state)
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| Type | Mountain glacier |
| Coordinates | 47°48′09″N 123°41′12″W / 47.80250°N 123.68667°W |
| Area | 1.7 sq mi (4.4 km2) |
| Length | 2.7 mi (4.3 km) |
| Thickness | 900 ft (270 m) |
| Terminus | Icefall |
| Status | Retreating |
The Blue Glacier is a very large glacier found on the north side of Mount Olympus. This mountain is in the Olympic Mountains of Washington, USA.
This glacier covers about 1.7 sq mi (4.4 km2) of land. It holds a huge amount of ice and snow, even though its lowest point is not very high up.
The Blue Glacier has been getting smaller over time. In the 1800s, it was about 3.4 mi (5.5 km) long. By the year 2000, its length had shrunk to 2.7 mi (4.3 km). Between 1995 and 2006 alone, the glacier moved back 325 ft (99 m). It is also getting thinner. From 1987 to 2009, the ice near its end lost 178 ft (54 m) of its depth. Even at the very top, it lost between 32 and 48 ft (9.8 and 14.6 m) of ice.
How the Blue Glacier Looks and Moves
The Blue Glacier starts very high up, at about 7,800 feet (2,380 m). This is near the three peaks of Mount Olympus. It begins as a large field of snow and ice. This field is divided by sharp, rocky ridges called arêtes.
As the glacier moves north, it flows down a very steep slope. Because of this, the smooth ice turns into a messy, broken area called an icefall. Here, you can see tall ice towers called seracs and deep cracks in the ice called crevasses.
After the icefall, the glacier reaches a valley. It then turns left and flows west. Another stream of ice joins the Blue Glacier from a snowdome (a rounded snow-covered peak) to the northwest of Mount Olympus.
Together, these ice streams flow down to a steep cliff at 4,050 feet (1,234 m). The Blue Glacier ends here, having dropped over 3,700 feet (1,130 m) in just 2.7 mi (4.3 km). This rocky cliff used to have a second icefall. But the glacier has shrunk and moved back up the cliff.
From 1957 to 1963, a weather station was set up near the glacier. It was at an elevation of 6910 ft. This station recorded how much rain and snow fell. It also recorded temperatures, but mostly during the summer months. Even so, it snowed at least once every month of the year during the six years the station was running.
Water from the Blue Glacier
The Blue Glacier gets a lot of rain and snow. This is because of something called orographic lift. This happens when moist air from the Pacific Ocean is forced to rise over the mountains. As the air rises, it cools and drops its moisture as precipitation. This means the Blue Glacier gets more precipitation than any other glacier in the lower 48 United States.
About 180 in (460 cm) of precipitation falls on the upper parts of Mount Olympus and the Blue Glacier each year. In winter, most of this is snow. But a lot of rain also falls on the glacier, especially in spring and summer.
Because of all this water, the Blue Glacier sends a lot of water into the Hoh River. This water flows through a stream called Glacier Creek first. The Hoh River then flows for 34 mi (55 km) through a temperate rain forest in Olympic National Park. Finally, it empties into the Pacific Ocean.
