Fairchild Glacier
Encyclopedia
The Fairchild Glacier is a glacier
located on Mount Fairchild and the Bailey Ridge
in the Olympic Mountains
of Olympic National Park
. Beginning at an elevation of about 6600 feet (2,011.7 m) along the Baily Ridge, the glacier descends northeast from several sources. Though the glacier is one piece, the sources of ice never converge together and form one single ice stream. Instead, there is one intermediate field of ice that connects the two moving streams. The western stream terminates in a lake at about 5900 ft (1,798.3 m), while the eastern lobe terminates at about 5600 ft (1,706.9 m). The glacier has retreated significantly
when comparing aerial photos and maps taken at different times.
Glacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
located on Mount Fairchild and the Bailey Ridge
Bailey Ridge
Bailey Ridge is a serrate ridge long, standing between Mount Blades and Fleming Peaks in the Ford Ranges of Marie Byrd Land. It was discovered on aerial flights of the Byrd Antarctic Expedition in 1934, and named by the United States Antarctic Service for Clay W. Bailey, a member of both...
in the Olympic Mountains
Olympic Mountains
The Olympic Mountains is a mountain range on the Olympic Peninsula of western Washington in the United States. The mountains, part of the Pacific Coast Ranges, are not especially high - Mount Olympus is the highest at - but the western slopes of the Olympics rise directly out of the Pacific...
of Olympic National Park
Olympic National Park
Olympic National Park is located in the U.S. state of Washington, in the Olympic Peninsula. The park can be divided into four basic regions: the Pacific coastline, alpine areas, the west side temperate rainforest and the forests of the drier east side. U.S...
. Beginning at an elevation of about 6600 feet (2,011.7 m) along the Baily Ridge, the glacier descends northeast from several sources. Though the glacier is one piece, the sources of ice never converge together and form one single ice stream. Instead, there is one intermediate field of ice that connects the two moving streams. The western stream terminates in a lake at about 5900 ft (1,798.3 m), while the eastern lobe terminates at about 5600 ft (1,706.9 m). The glacier has retreated significantly
Retreat of glaciers since 1850
The retreat of glaciers since 1850 affects the availability of fresh water for irrigation and domestic use, mountain recreation, animals and plants that depend on glacier-melt, and in the longer term, the level of the oceans...
when comparing aerial photos and maps taken at different times.