Fryingpan Glacier
Encyclopedia
The Fryingpan Glacier is a medium-sized glacier
on the eastern face of the 11138 feet (3,395 m) Little Tahoma Peak just to the east of Mount Rainier
in Washington. It covers an area of 1.3 mi2 (3.4 km2) and contains 2.9 billion ft3 (82 million m3) of ice. The glacier is located on top of a cliff from the Emmons Glacier
to the north and a small ridge separates this glacier from the Whitman Glacier
to the south, except for a small snowfield in which these two glaciers are connected. Most of the ice is located on a broad plateau at an elevation of 8000 to 8600 ft (2,438.4 to 2,621.3 m). The head of the Fryingpan Glacier is located to the northeast of the ridge and at the foothill of Little Tahoma Peak at around 9100 to 9800 ft (2,773.7 to 2,987 m). The glacier flows downhill eastward and the uneven topography
causes the glacier surface to be crevasse
d. The glacier ends on shallow to steep slopes at about 7100 to 7500 ft (2,164.1 to 2,286 m). Numerous snowfields and alpine meadows are located near the bottom and east of the glacier. Meltwater from the glacier drains into the White River
.
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...
on the eastern face of the 11138 feet (3,395 m) Little Tahoma Peak just to the east of Mount Rainier
Mount Rainier
Mount Rainier is a massive stratovolcano located southeast of Seattle in the state of Washington, United States. It is the most topographically prominent mountain in the contiguous United States and the Cascade Volcanic Arc, with a summit elevation of . Mt. Rainier is considered one of the most...
in Washington. It covers an area of 1.3 mi2 (3.4 km2) and contains 2.9 billion ft3 (82 million m3) of ice. The glacier is located on top of a cliff from the Emmons Glacier
Emmons Glacier
Emmons Glacier is a glacier on the northeast flank of Mount Rainier, in Washington. At , it has the largest surface area of any glacier in the contiguous United States. The glacier was named after the geologist Samuel Franklin Emmons after his involvement in a survey of Mount Rainier in...
to the north and a small ridge separates this glacier from the Whitman Glacier
Whitman Glacier
The Whitman Glacier is a medium-sized glacier on the eastern flank of Little Tahoma Peak, a sub-peak of Mount Rainier in Washington. Named for the missionary Marcus Whitman, it covers and contains 4.4 billion ft3 of ice. Starting from near the rocky spire of Little Tahoma at , the glacier flows...
to the south, except for a small snowfield in which these two glaciers are connected. Most of the ice is located on a broad plateau at an elevation of 8000 to 8600 ft (2,438.4 to 2,621.3 m). The head of the Fryingpan Glacier is located to the northeast of the ridge and at the foothill of Little Tahoma Peak at around 9100 to 9800 ft (2,773.7 to 2,987 m). The glacier flows downhill eastward and the uneven topography
Topography
Topography is the study of Earth's surface shape and features or those ofplanets, moons, and asteroids...
causes the glacier surface to be crevasse
Crevasse
A crevasse is a deep crack in an ice sheet rhys glacier . Crevasses form as a result of the movement and resulting stress associated with the sheer stress generated when two semi-rigid pieces above a plastic substrate have different rates of movement...
d. The glacier ends on shallow to steep slopes at about 7100 to 7500 ft (2,164.1 to 2,286 m). Numerous snowfields and alpine meadows are located near the bottom and east of the glacier. Meltwater from the glacier drains into the White River
White River (Washington)
The White River is a white, glacial river in the U.S. state of Washington. It flows about 75 miles from its source, the Emmons Glacier on Mount Rainier, to join the Puyallup River at Sumner...
.