Whitman Glacier facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Whitman Glacier |
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| Type | Mountain glacier |
| Location | Little Tahoma Peak, Mount Rainier National Park, Pierce County, Washington, USA |
| Coordinates | 46°50′31″N 121°41′41″W / 46.84194°N 121.69472°W |
| Area | 0.9 square miles (2.3 km2), 1983 |
The Whitman Glacier is a medium-sized glacier located in Mount Rainier National Park in Washington. It sits on the eastern side of Little Tahoma Peak. Little Tahoma Peak is a smaller peak next to the much larger Mount Rainier. This glacier is named after Marcus Whitman, a famous missionary.
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What is the Whitman Glacier?
A glacier is like a very slow-moving river of ice. The Whitman Glacier is a mountain glacier, meaning it forms high up in the mountains. It is made of snow that has fallen over many years and been pressed into thick ice. This ice then slowly slides downhill because of gravity.
Where is the Whitman Glacier Located?
The Whitman Glacier is found in the beautiful Mount Rainier National Park. It is on the eastern side of Little Tahoma Peak. This peak is part of the huge Mount Rainier volcano. The glacier is in Pierce County, Washington, in the USA.
How Big is the Whitman Glacier?
The Whitman Glacier covers an area of about 0.9 square miles (2.3 km2). That's almost one square mile! It holds a huge amount of ice, about 4.4 billion cubic feet (which is 125 million cubic meters). Imagine a lot of ice, that's how much is in this glacier.
How the Glacier Moves
The Whitman Glacier starts high up near the rocky top of Little Tahoma Peak. It begins at an elevation of about 10,000 feet (3,000 m). From there, it slowly flows downhill towards the southeast.
A small field of snow connects the Whitman Glacier to another nearby glacier called the Fryingpan Glacier. This connection is at an elevation of about 9,200 feet (2,800 m). As the Whitman Glacier moves southeast, a ridge called the Whitman Crest runs along its northeast side.
The glacier reaches a flatter area at about 8,300 feet (2,500 m). It doesn't travel much further before it ends. The very end of the glacier, called its terminus, is found between 8,200 feet (2,500 m) and 7,800 ft (2,400 m).
Water from the Glacier
East of where the Whitman Glacier ends, there is a smaller glacier called the Ohanapecosh Glacier. When the ice from the Whitman Glacier melts, the water flows into the Cowlitz River. This meltwater is an important part of the local water system.
