White River Glacier (Oregon)
Encyclopedia
White River Glacier is an alpine glacier located on the south slopes of Mount Hood
in the U.S. state
of Oregon
. It ranges in elevation from about 6,200 to 10,000 ft (1,900 to 3,000 m). It is among the best known of the twelve glaciers on the mountain, and the lower reaches are a popular destination for Nordic skiing
enthusiasts. The glacier is the source of the White River
, a tributary of the Deschutes River, and has a long history of washing out the bridge where Oregon Route 35 crosses at 45.30307°N 121.67208°W.
The glacier is a remnant of the massive glaciers that formed during the last ice age
and have created White River Canyon. The canyon divides the two largest ski areas on Mount Hood, and is easily seen from many areas of Timberline Lodge ski area
, and from the upper southern runs of Mount Hood Meadows.
The glacier is bounded on the east by a ridge shared with Newton-Clark Glacier and on the west by a ridge shared with Palmer Glacier
. The upper glacier forms at the base of Steel Cliff to the east of an area known as Triangle Moraine. The glacier lies almost entirely within Mount Hood Wilderness
.
The western edge of the canyon is extremely steep and in times of low visibility causes descending mountain climbers on the South Route (through Palmer Glacier to Timberline Lodge) to veer excessively to the west. This has resulted in numerous search and rescue operations near or in Zigzag Canyon, west of Palmer Glacier. (See Mount Hood climbing accidents
.)
Jökulhlaup
s originating from White River Glacier occurred in 1926, 1931, 1946, 1949, 1959, and 1968. These washed out Highway 35 (or its predecessor) each time. An increase of outbursts from White River Glacier may be related to increasing temperatures and the size of the fumarole field at the glacier's head at Crater Rock.
The White River Glacier has decreased in area by 61% between 1907 and 2004. The glacier terminus
has retreated by 1673 ft (510 m) over the same time period.
Mount Hood
Mount Hood, called Wy'east by the Multnomah tribe, is a stratovolcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc of northern Oregon. It was formed by a subduction zone and rests in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States...
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 Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. It ranges in elevation from about 6,200 to 10,000 ft (1,900 to 3,000 m). It is among the best known of the twelve glaciers on the mountain, and the lower reaches are a popular destination for Nordic skiing
Nordic skiing
Nordic skiing is a winter sport that encompasses all types of skiing where the heel of the boot cannot be fixed to the ski, as opposed to Alpine skiing....
enthusiasts. The glacier is the source of the White River
White River (Oregon)
The White River is a tributary of the Deschutes River, approximately 50 mi long, in north central Oregon in the United States. It drains a scenic mountainous area of the Columbia Plateau on the east side of the Cascade Range southeast of Mount Hood. In the 1840s, a section of the Oregon...
, a tributary of the Deschutes River, and has a long history of washing out the bridge where Oregon Route 35 crosses at 45.30307°N 121.67208°W.
The glacier is a remnant of the massive glaciers that formed during the last ice age
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
and have created White River Canyon. The canyon divides the two largest ski areas on Mount Hood, and is easily seen from many areas of Timberline Lodge ski area
Timberline Lodge ski area
Timberline Lodge ski area is the ski and snowboarding area of Timberline Lodge, a National Historic Landmark in the U.S state of Oregon. It is one of a few ski lodges in the United States with most of the skiable terrain below the main lodge...
, and from the upper southern runs of Mount Hood Meadows.
The glacier is bounded on the east by a ridge shared with Newton-Clark Glacier and on the west by a ridge shared with Palmer Glacier
Palmer Glacier
The Palmer Glacier is a glacier located on the upper slopes of Mount Hood in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is on the south side of the mountain ranging in elevation from about 6,200 to 9,300 ft , and was named for Joel Palmer, an Oregon pioneer...
. The upper glacier forms at the base of Steel Cliff to the east of an area known as Triangle Moraine. The glacier lies almost entirely within Mount Hood Wilderness
Mount Hood Wilderness
The Mount Hood Wilderness is a protected wilderness area inside the Mount Hood National Forest which is located in the U.S. state of Oregon. The area, covering , includes the peak of Mount Hood and its upper slopes, and ranges from temperate rain forests at the lower elevations, to glaciers and...
.
The western edge of the canyon is extremely steep and in times of low visibility causes descending mountain climbers on the South Route (through Palmer Glacier to Timberline Lodge) to veer excessively to the west. This has resulted in numerous search and rescue operations near or in Zigzag Canyon, west of Palmer Glacier. (See Mount Hood climbing accidents
Mount Hood climbing accidents
Mount Hood climbing accidents are mountain climbing- or hiking-related incidents on Oregon's Mount Hood. As of 2007, about 10,000 people attempt to climb Mount Hood each year. As of May 2002, more than 130 people have died climbing Mount Hood since records have been kept...
.)
Jökulhlaup
Jökulhlaup
A jökulhlaup is a glacial outburst flood. It is an Icelandic term that has been adopted by the English language. It originally referred to the well-known subglacial outburst floods from Vatnajökull, Iceland which are triggered by geothermal heating and occasionally by a volcanic subglacial...
s originating from White River Glacier occurred in 1926, 1931, 1946, 1949, 1959, and 1968. These washed out Highway 35 (or its predecessor) each time. An increase of outbursts from White River Glacier may be related to increasing temperatures and the size of the fumarole field at the glacier's head at Crater Rock.
The White River Glacier has decreased in area by 61% between 1907 and 2004. The glacier terminus
Glacier terminus
A glacier terminus, or snout, is the end of a glacier at any given point in time. Although glaciers seem motionless to the observer, in reality glaciers are in endless motion and the glacier terminus is always either advancing or retreating...
has retreated by 1673 ft (510 m) over the same time period.