Bering Glacier is a glacier in the U.S. state of Alaska . It currently terminates in Vitus Lake south of Alaska's Wrangell-St. Elias National Park , about 10 km (6.2 mi) from the Gulf of Alaska . Combined with the Bagley Icefield , where the snow that feeds the glacier accumulates, the Bering is the largest glacier in North America . The glacier is named after Vitus Bering .
8-504: Warmer temperatures and changes in precipitation over the past century have thinned the Bering Glacier by several thousand meters. Since 1900 the terminus has retreated as much as 12 km (7.5 mi). The Bering Glacier exhibits "surges", acceleration events of the flow rate of the glacier, every 20 years or so. During these periods the glacier terminus advances. The surges are generally followed by periods of retreat, so despite
16-496: A glacier terminus as measured from this fixed position at different time intervals provides a record of the glacier's change. A similar way of tracking glacier change is comparing photographs of the glacier's position at different times. The form of a glacier terminus is determined by many factors. If the glacier is retreating, it is usually mildly sloping in form because a melting glacier tends to assume this shape. But there are many conditions that alter this typical shape, including
24-577: A location in the City and Borough of Yakutat, Alaska is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article about a glacier in Alaska is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article about a location in the Chugach Census Area, Alaska is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Glacier terminus A glacier terminus , toe , or snout ,
32-532: Is sliding underneath (being subducted by) the North American Plate]. The weight of the vast amount of ice in the Bering Glacier is enough to depress the Earth's crust, stabilizing the boundary between the two plates. As the glaciers lose mass, the pressure of the ice is diminished. This reduced compression allows the rocks along faults to move more freely, resulting in more earthquakes. Scientists from
40-403: Is the end of a glacier at any given point in time. Although glaciers seem motionless to the observer, in reality they are in endless motion and the glacier terminus is always either advancing or retreating. The location of the terminus is often directly related to glacier mass balance , which is based on the amount of snowfall which occurs in the accumulation zone of a glacier, as compared to
48-701: The Michigan Tech Research Institute , working with U.S. Geological Survey and U.S. Bureau of Land Management have recently discovered that the glacier is releasing approximately 30 cubic kilometres (7.2 cu mi) of water a year, more than twice the amount of water in the entire Colorado River . Meltwater at the terminus collects in Vitus Lake, which flows via the Seal River to the Gulf of Alaska. This article about
56-406: The amount that is melted in the ablation zone . The position of a glacier terminus is also impacted by localized or regional temperature change over time. Tracking the change in location of a glacier terminus is a method of monitoring a glacier's movement. The end of the glacier terminus is measured from a fixed position in neighboring bedrock periodically over time. The difference in location of
64-618: The periodic advances the glacier has been shrinking overall. Most glaciers along the Alaskan coast have been retreating along with the Bering Glacier. The glacial retreat has an interesting side effect, an increase in the frequency of earthquakes in the region. The Wrangell and Saint Elias mountain ranges that spawn the Bering Glacier were created by the collision of the Pacific and North American tectonic plates [the Pacific Plate
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