Holyoke Glacier facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Holyoke Glacier |
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|---|---|
| Type | glacier |
| Location | College Fjord, Alaska, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 61°09′40″N 147°57′28″W / 61.16111°N 147.95778°W |
| Length | 1.5 miles (2.4 km) |
| Highest elevation | 3655 ft (1114 m) |
Holyoke Glacier is a large river of ice, about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) long. It is located in the state of Alaska, in the U.S.. You can find it on the west side of College Fjord, which is about 65 miles (105 km) east of Anchorage.
This glacier was named in 1908 by U.S. Grant and D.F. Higgins from the U.S. Geological Survey. They named it after Mount Holyoke College, a school in South Hadley, Massachusetts.
Contents
Where Holyoke Glacier Is Found
Holyoke Glacier starts high up in a bowl-shaped valley called a cirque. It gets more ice from two smaller glaciers that join it from the south.
How the Glacier Looks
The glacier has two faint lines of rock and dirt, called medial moraines. These lines form where two ice streams merge. There are not many piles of rock along its sides, which are called lateral moraines.
Comparing Glaciers
Holyoke Glacier is longer than another nearby glacier, Barnard Glacier. It stretches out over the edge of its high valley.
Glacier's Past and Present
In 1910, the glacier did not reach the edges of its bare ground. This means it had not grown much in a long time. The old spruce trees growing near the fjord show that the glacier has not moved past this area for over a hundred years. Scientists have not seen clear signs that it has grown bigger recently.
