Benson Glacier is in the U.S. state of Oregon. The glacier is situated in the Wallowa Mountains at an elevation generally above on the eastern slopes Glacier Peak, a subpeak of

Eagle Cap Eagle Cap ( is a mountain peak located in the Wallowa Mountains, Wallowa–Whitman National Forest, in the U.S. state of Oregon. The peak is in the Eagle Cap Wilderness and the Benson Glacier is along the east flank of the summit ridge. Its summit ...

. The glacier was named in honor of Frank W. Benson, former Governor of Oregon during an expedition in 1914. Benson Glacier is estimated to be long. Due to its small size, researchers have frequently questioned whether it was a glacier or a perennial snowfield. Areal photography taken in 2007 showed crevasses on the surface, confirming that it does flow and is a true glacier. It is not expected to remain a true glacier much longer, however, due to climate change. Benson Glacier is the last remaining remnant of Wallowa Glacier which extended , creating the lateral moraines that created Wallowa Lake during the

Last Glacial Maximum The Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), also referred to as the Late Glacial Maximum, was the most recent time during the Last Glacial Period that ice sheets were at their greatest extent. Ice sheets covered much of Northern North America, Northern Eur ...

. Its ice is estimated to have been in places. The West Fork of the

Wallowa River The Wallowa River is a tributary of the Grande Ronde River, approximately long, in northeastern Oregon in the United States. It drains a valley on the Columbia Plateau in the northeast corner of the state north of Wallowa Mountains. The Wal ...

occupies the valley it left behind.

References

Glaciers of Oregon Glaciers of Wallowa County, Oregon {{WallowaCountyOR-geo-stub

See also

References