Piegan Glacier facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Piegan Glacier |
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Piegan Glacier on Piegan Mountain
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 Piegan Glacier
Location in Montana
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| Type | Mountain glacier |
| Location | Glacier National Park, Glacier County, Montana, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 48°42′29″N 113°41′02″W / 48.70806°N 113.68389°W |
| Area | Approximately 62 acres (0.25 km2) in 2005 |
| Terminus | Barren rock |
| Status | Retreating |
The Piegan Glacier is a cool natural ice formation. You can find it in Glacier National Park in the state of Montana, U.S. This glacier sits high up on a mountain. It is slowly getting smaller over time.
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What is Piegan Glacier?
A glacier is like a huge river of ice. It forms when snow piles up over many years. This snow then gets squeezed into a large mass of ice. Glaciers move very slowly, carving out valleys and shaping mountains.
Where is Piegan Glacier Located?
Piegan Glacier is found in a special bowl-shaped area on Piegan Mountain. This area is called a cirque. It's on the mountain's southeast side, just below the very top. The glacier is very high up, between 8,200 and 8,800 feet (about 2,500 to 2,700 meters) above sea level.
How Big is Piegan Glacier?
In 2005, Piegan Glacier covered about 62 acres (0.25 square kilometers). To give you an idea, that's like 47 football fields! However, the glacier is shrinking. Since 1966, its size has gone down by about 10 percent.
Why is Piegan Glacier Shrinking?
Scientists have been watching Piegan Glacier for a long time. They compare old photos with new ones. Pictures from 1930 and 1998 showed that the glacier didn't change much during those years. But since then, it has started to melt more quickly. This shrinking is a sign of climate change, which causes temperatures to rise.
