LeConte Glacier
Encyclopedia
LeConte Glacier is a 21 miles (33.8 km) and 1 miles (1.6 km) glacier
in the U.S. state
of Alaska
. It flows southwest to the head of LeConte Bay
. It was named in 1887 by U.S. Navy Lieutenant-Commander Charles M. Thomas in honor of a California biologist Joseph LeConte
. According to John Muir
's book about indigenous peoples of the area, the Tlingits called it “Huti [sic]” which he claimed derived from a mythical bird that produced sounds of thunder when it flapped its wings.
Since its discovery, the glacier has retreated nearly 2.5 miles (4 km), although it is considered to be in a stable position today http://www.fs.fed.us/r10/tongass/forest_facts/resources/geology/stikineicefields.htm. The glacier is known for its "shooter" iceberg
s which calve off underneath the water (LeConte Bay is 810 feet (246.9 m) deep) and shoot out of the water due to their buoyancy.
LeConte Glacier is the southernmost tidewater glacier on the Pacific Coast
.
The glacier is a popular tourist destination, with operators from nearby Petersburg
and Wrangell
running excursions to its calving
face. Students from Petersburg High School
visiting also regularly to monitor its historical retreat.
Also of the same namesake and part of the Alaska Marine Highway is the ferry M/V LeConte
.
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...
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
. It flows southwest to the head of LeConte Bay
LeConte Bay
LeConte Bay is an 810-foot-deep , six-mile-long bay in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of Alaska, located east of Frederick Sound....
. It was named in 1887 by U.S. Navy Lieutenant-Commander Charles M. Thomas in honor of a California biologist Joseph LeConte
Joseph LeConte
Joseph Le Conte was an American geologist and professor at the University of California, Berkeley.-Biography:...
. According to John Muir
John Muir
John Muir was a Scottish-born American naturalist, author, and early advocate of preservation of wilderness in the United States. His letters, essays, and books telling of his adventures in nature, especially in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, have been read by millions...
's book about indigenous peoples of the area, the Tlingits called it “Huti [sic]” which he claimed derived from a mythical bird that produced sounds of thunder when it flapped its wings.
Since its discovery, the glacier has retreated nearly 2.5 miles (4 km), although it is considered to be in a stable position today http://www.fs.fed.us/r10/tongass/forest_facts/resources/geology/stikineicefields.htm. The glacier is known for its "shooter" iceberg
Iceberg
An iceberg is a large piece of ice from freshwater that has broken off from a snow-formed glacier or ice shelf and is floating in open water. It may subsequently become frozen into pack ice...
s which calve off underneath the water (LeConte Bay is 810 feet (246.9 m) deep) and shoot out of the water due to their buoyancy.
LeConte Glacier is the southernmost tidewater glacier on the Pacific Coast
Pacific Coast
A country's Pacific coast is the part of its coast bordering the Pacific Ocean.-The Americas:Countries on the western side of the Americas have a Pacific coast as their western border.* Geography of Canada* Geography of Chile* Geography of Colombia...
.
The glacier is a popular tourist destination, with operators from nearby Petersburg
Petersburg, Alaska
Petersburg is a city in Petersburg Census Area, Alaska, in the United States. According to 2009 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 2,824 full time residents.- History :...
and Wrangell
Wrangell, Alaska
Wrangell is a city and borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. At the 2000 census the population was 2,308.Its Tlingit name is Ḵaachx̱aana.áakʼw . The Tlingit people residing in the Wrangell area, who were there centuries before Europeans, call themselves the Shtaxʼhéen Ḵwáan after the nearby Stikine...
running excursions to its calving
Ice calving
Ice calving, also known as glacier calving or iceberg calving, is a form of ice ablation or ice disruption. It is the sudden release and breaking away of a mass of ice from a glacier, iceberg, ice front, ice shelf, or crevasse...
face. Students from Petersburg High School
Petersburg High School (Alaska)
Petersburg High School is the public high school for the Southeast Alaskan community of Petersburg and the Petersburg City School District...
visiting also regularly to monitor its historical retreat.
Also of the same namesake and part of the Alaska Marine Highway is the ferry M/V LeConte
M/V LeConte
M/V LeConte is a feeder vessel for the Alaska Marine Highway System, built in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin in 1973 and commissioned in 1974 by Alaska's ferry system...
.