There is also a Lyell Glacier, South Georgia

Lyell Glacier, South Georgia

For the glacier located on Mount Lyell in California, see Lyell GlacierLyell Glacier is a glacier flowing in a north direction to Harpon Bay at the southeast head of Cumberland West Bay, South Georgia...

Lyell Glacier is a small glacier

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 Sierra Nevada of California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

. The glacier was discovered by 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...

 in 1871 , and is the largest glacier in Yosemite National Park

Yosemite National Park

Yosemite National Park is a United States National Park spanning eastern portions of Tuolumne, Mariposa and Madera counties in east central California, United States. The park covers an area of and reaches across the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountain chain...

. The glacier lies on the northern slopes of Mount Lyell.

The glacier has retreated since the end of the Little Ice Age

Little Ice Age

The Little Ice Age was a period of cooling that occurred after the Medieval Warm Period . While not a true ice age, the term was introduced into the scientific literature by François E. Matthes in 1939...

 in the mid-19th century. During the mid-20th Century, the glacier split into two smaller glaciers occupying the high cirque

Cirque

Cirque may refer to:* Cirque, a geological formation* Makhtesh, an erosional landform found in the Negev desert of Israel and Sinai of Egypt*Cirque , an album by Biosphere* Cirque Corporation, a company that makes touchpads...

s of Mount Lyell.

Since 1883, the glacier area has retreated up to 70 percent. Another glacier, the Maclure Glacier

Maclure Glacier

Maclure Glacier is a glacier located on Mount Maclure in the Sierra Nevada crest of Yosemite National Park in Tuolumne County, California, United States. Like most glaciers in the Sierra Nevada, the Maclure Glacier is a small cirque glacier that is 0.3 mi long and covers an area of...

 on nearby Mount Maclure

Mount Maclure

Mount Maclure is the nearest neighbor to Mount Lyell, the highest point in Yosemite National Park. Mount Maclure is located at the southeast end of the Cathedral Range, about northwest of Lyell. It is named for William Maclure, was a pioneer in American geology, who produced one of the earliest...

, has also retreated significantly.