Trinity Alps "Grizzly Glacier"

Grizzly Glacier, Trinity Alps Wilderness, California. Visited, photographed, and measured on September 12, 2009. One of the two remaining vestigial glaciers in the Klamath Mountains from the mini ice age that occurred in modern times (Holocene) ~ 700 years ago. Many other glaciations events occurred before this time during the Pleistocene epoch in the Klamath mountains. One other similar sized glacier (Salmon Glacier) occurs just east below Caesar Cap peak which was also photographed and measured on this date.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• glacier
• ice

[mmgeoguy]

Why do you think the ice is 700 years old?

[mtns2sea]

@mmgeoguy

See video description. I do not know the exact age, we do know its no older that 700 years, but these two vestigial features could be the most recent of many advances and retreats from multiple climate events over that time. With respect to these ice features being stable, I have very recent data that suggests this is not the case. I appreciate your insights.

[mmgeoguy]

Great Video. I would add the surprising thing is that this glacier (and the one below Caesar Peak to the east) has not changed in size much since it was documented in 1900 (Hershey) and 1960 (Sharp). I would have thought that a glacier this size would disappear over a few years. Maybe the high snowfall in the Trinity Alps sustains this glacier even within our warming climate.

[HippyDanimal]

The glaciers up there are going fast. The one above Upper Bolder Lake was gone as of late August, I happened upon several "old-time-mers" up there they were pretty sad to see it gone as myself...