Lyell Glacier facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lyell Glacier |
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East lobe of Lyell Glacier
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 Lyell Glacier
Location in California
Lyell Glacier
Location in the United States
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| Type | Mountain glacier |
| Location | Yosemite National Park, Tuolumne County, California, United States |
| Coordinates | 37°44′35″N 119°16′09″W / 37.74306°N 119.26917°W |
| Length | .5 mi (0.80 km) estimated |
| Terminus | Talus |
| Status | Retreating |
The Lyell Glacier is a famous ice formation located in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California. It sits on the northern slopes of Mount Lyell. This area is part of the beautiful Yosemite National Park.
A famous explorer named John Muir discovered the Lyell Glacier in 1871. At that time, it was the biggest glacier in all of Yosemite National Park.
Contents
What is a Glacier?
A glacier is like a very slow-moving river of ice. It forms over many years as layers of snow pile up and get compressed. Glaciers are important because they shape landscapes and store a lot of Earth's fresh water.
Lyell Glacier's Changing Size
The Lyell Glacier has been shrinking for a long time. This process is called retreating. It started retreating after the end of the Little Ice Age. The Little Ice Age was a period from about the 1300s to the mid-1800s when parts of the Earth were cooler.
How Lyell Glacier Has Shrunk
Since 1883, the Lyell Glacier has lost a lot of its size. It has shrunk by up to 70 percent! In the middle of the 1900s, the glacier even split into two smaller parts. These parts were in high, bowl-shaped valleys called cirques on Mount Lyell.
Another nearby glacier, the Maclure Glacier on Mount Maclure, has also shrunk a lot. This shows a wider trend of glaciers retreating in the region.
From Glacier to Ice Field
Scientists studied the Lyell Glacier in 2013. They found that it was no longer moving. For something to be called a true glacier, it must be moving. Because it stopped moving, the Lyell Glacier is now considered an ice field. An ice field is a large area of ice, but it doesn't flow like a glacier.
