Illecillewaet Glacier
Illecillewaet Glacier | |
---|---|
Great Glacier | |
Type | Alpine |
Location | Selkirk Mountains, British Columbia, Canada |
Coordinates | 51°14′12″N 117°26′30″W / 51.23667°N 117.44167°W[1] |
Area | 8.83 square kilometres (3.41 sq mi) |
Status | Retreating |
The Illecillewaet Glacier /ˌɪləˈsɪləwət/ is a glacier in British Columbia, Canada. It is located inside Glacier National Park in the Selkirk Mountains, a sub-range of the Columbia Mountains. After the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) near the glacier's terminus, and the building of a hotel nearby, the glacier became a prominent tourist destination in the Canadian west. Easily accessible by road and railway, it is one of the most-studied glaciers in North America. Its retreat over the last one hundred years has been extensively documented.
Physical characteristics
The glacier is located south of Mount Sir Donald in the Selkirk Mountains, west of Rogers Pass in British Columbia. The outflow of the glacier forms the headwaters of the Illecillewaet River. The Illecillewaet névé feeds three other glaciers: the Asulkan, Geikie and Deville.[2] As of 2002, the accumulation area of the glacier is 4.92 square kilometres (1.90 sq mi) while its ablation area is 3.91 square kilometres (1.51 sq mi), for a total size of 8.83 square kilometres (3.41 sq mi).[3] Its estimated mean depth is 100 metres (330 ft), and its highest point is measured at 2,800 metres (9,200 ft).[4] The exposed bedrock downslope of the glacier's terminus shows the effects of glacial plucking.
History
CPR and Glacier House
Although
At this point, the glacier was called the "Great Glacier" by CPR promoters. The name "Illecillewaet" is an Okanagan First Nations word for "big water", and referred to the river before being applied to the glacier.[8] It gradually replaced "Great" and was adopted by Parks Canada in the 1960s.
The influx of visitors to the glacier brought both mountaineers and glaciologists. The first recorded ascent of the glacier was by
Vaux family
The Vaux family were well-off
On a more anecdotal level, the Vaux family carefully photographed the glacier and surrounding area, first using
Trans Canada Highway
In 1916, the CPR constructed the
Glaciological studies
Although sparse compared with studies of European glaciers, studies of the Illecillewaet are detailed by North American standards. The first scientific study of the glacier was performed by the Vaux family from 1887 to 1912.[12] George, William, and Mary Vaux with others, including A.O. Wheeler and C.E. Webb measured the glacial retreat mostly with annual photos from fixed points.[4] The period of World War I and the Great Depression saw fewer observations; the closing of Glacier House in 1925 drastically reduced the number of visitors to the area.[4] The federal Dominion Water and Power Bureau started assessing the glacier in 1945 using baseline measurements. The Bureau conducted yearly studies from 1945 to 1950, and every two years from 1950 to 1960.[4] There were no measurements taken from 1960 to 1972, when Parks Canada began surveying. A study which examines rock lichen in order to determine glacial retreat was begun in 1996.[12] Satellite imagery has also been used to measure the glacier's size.[3]
Retreat
Since scientific research began in the late 1800s, Illecillewaet Glacier has been retreating and shrinking, with shorter periods of small advances. Between 1887 and 1962 the terminus of the glacier retreated almost 1.5 km (0.93 mi). Parks Canada research indicates that there was a period of advancement from 1972 to 1986, with the terminus advancing 100 m (330 ft). In total, there was a net retreat of 1,433 m (4,701 ft) in the period of 1887 to 1984. The glacier lost about 28% of its mass by 1951; it regained maybe 1% by 1986.[4]
See also
References
Footnotes
- ^ There are also other organizations that have compiled photographic records. Unfortunately, there have been lapses in the coverage, and discontinuity in the landmarking system. "Photographs of the Terminus". A researcher's guide to the Illecillewaet Glacier. Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies. Archived from the original on 4 July 2008. Retrieved 14 September 2012.
Sources
- ^ "Illecillewaet Glacier". BC Geographical Names. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
- JSTOR 30056229.
- ^ a b Ommanney, C. Simon L.; Champoux, André (2002). Glaciers of North America – Glaciers of Canada: Mapping Canada's Glaciers in Satellite Image Atlas of Glaciers of the World. United States Geological Survey Professional Paper 1386-J-1 (PDF). Washington, D.C.: United States Geological Survey. pp. J103. Retrieved 6 September 2012.
- ^ doi:10.3189/S0260305500001087. Archived from the original(PDF) on 26 July 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
- ^ a b c d e "Glacier National Park: History". Parks Canada - Government of Canada. Archived from the original on 8 February 2013. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
- ^ a b McCarthy, Daniel P. "Background". A researcher's guide to the Illecillewaet Glacier, British Columbia, Canada. Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies. Archived from the original on 25 May 2007. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
- ^ "Rogers Pass National Historic Site of Canada: Glacier National Park and Glacier House". Parks Canada - Government of Canada. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
- ISBN 0774806370.
- ISBN 0-930410-26-2. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
- ^ a b c Cooper, Alex (4 August 2011). "Following glaciers' progress a Vaux family tradition". Revelstoke Times-Review. Archived from the original on 28 July 2014. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
- ^ "Glacier House hotel site". Bivouac.com. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
- ^ a b Morris, Michael. "National Park Feature Articles: Glaciers, lichens, and the history of the Earth". Columbia Mountains Institute of Applied Ecology. Archived from the original on 17 March 2012. Retrieved 6 September 2012.
Further reading
- Original glaciology studies
- Vaux, George; Vaux, William S. Jr. (March 1901). "Observations made in 1900 on Glaciers in British Columbia". Proceedings of National Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia: 214–215. ISBN 9781437954579. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
- Vaux, George; Vaux, William S. Jr. (October–December 1907). "Observations Made in 1907 on Glaciers in Alberta and British Columbia". Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. 59 (3). Academy of Natural Sciences (JSTOR 4063206.
- Champoux, André; Ommanney, C. Simon L. (1986). "Evolution of the Illecillewaet Glacier, Glacier National Park, B.C., Using Historical Data, Aerial Photography and Satellite Image Analysis" (PDF). Annals of Glaciology. 8. doi:10.3189/S0260305500001087. Archived from the original(PDF) on 26 July 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
External links
- "Illecillewaet Glacier". BC Geographical Names.
- "Photographs of the Terminus" - A researcher's guide to the Illecillewaet Glacier, Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies
- Glaciers, lichens, and the history of the Earth, by Michael Morris, Parks Canada, 2002.