Gulkana Glacier is a

glacier A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its Ablation#Glaciology, ablation over many years, often Century, centuries. It acquires dis ...

that flows from the ice fields of the south flank of the eastern

Alaska Range The Alaska Range is a relatively narrow, 600-mile-long (950 km) mountain range in the southcentral region of the U.S. state of Alaska, from Lake Clark at its southwest endSources differ as to the exact delineation of the Alaska Range. ThBoar ...

.http://ak.water.usgs.gov/glaciology/gulkana/ U.S. Geological Survey Program Overview on Gulkana Glacier It is accessible by gravel roads from the

Richardson Highway The Richardson Highway is a highway in the U.S. state of Alaska, running 368 miles (562 km) and connecting Valdez to Fairbanks. It is marked as Alaska Route 4 from Valdez to Delta Junction and as Alaska Route 2 from there to Fairbanks. It ...

near mile post 197 at the Richardson Monument,https://ssl.panoramio.com/photo/45059844 Coordinates of Richardson Monument at 63° 11' 8.36" N 145° 32' 33.61" W near Gulkana Glacier just two miles north of Summit Lake and 12 miles north of Paxson and the junction with

Denali Highway Denali Highway (Alaska Route 8) is a lightly traveled, mostly gravel highway in the U.S. state of Alaska. It leads from Paxson on the Richardson Highway to Cantwell on the Parks Highway. Opened in 1957, it was the first road access to Denali Na ...

.http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g28923-c119230/Alaska:United-States:Richardson.Highway.Sights.html Richardson Highway on TripAdvisor Closer to the glacier, a suspension bridge allows pedestrians to cross over Phelan Creek. Wildlife includes moose and bears. The peak of a hill just southwest of Gulkana Glacier has a post labeled ''PEWE 1975''. The Arctic Man competition takes place near Gulkana Glacier every spring.http://www.arcticman.com/directions-to-arctic-man Directions to Arctic Man 2014

Geology

Gulkana Glacier is one of three detailed long-term glacier monitoring sites run by the

USGS The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, a ...

in a study on

climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...

and glacier-related hydrologic processes. Wolverine Glacier and South Cascade Glacier are the other two monitoring sites. The study monitors climate, glacial movement, glacial runoff, glacier mass-balance, and stream runoff. Since 1966 when the USGS began collecting annual mass balance data, the mass of Gulkana Glacier has been decreasing by 0.4 meters per year on average. In addition, the motion of the ice has slowed, which has resulted in glacier retreat.http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2011/5046/ March, R.S., and O’Neel, Shad, 2011, Gulkana Glacier, Alaska—Mass balance, meteorology, and water measurements, 1997–2001: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5046, 72 p. The glacier enjoys a peak thickness in May or June which is 2 to 5 meters thicker than its minimum in August or September. The USGS Phelan Creek near Paxson stream-gaging station is located at an altitude of 1,125 meters above sea level and one kilometer downstream from the glacier's 1996 terminus. The creek bed contains gravel and boulders of various sizes, typical of a glacial

moraine A moraine is any accumulation of unconsolidated debris (regolith and rock), sometimes referred to as glacial till, that occurs in both currently and formerly glaciated regions, and that has been previously carried along by a glacier or ice shee ...

References

External links

USGS information on Gulkana Glacier, including photographs of glacier retreat since 1910.Additional photos of Gulkana GlacierA student's research on Gulkana Glacier
{{Authority control Alaska Range Glaciers of Alaska Glaciers of Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, Alaska Glaciers of Unorganized Borough, Alaska