Hinman Glacier was a glacier that flowed to the north and northwest from near the summit of

Mount Hinman Mount Hinman () is located on the border of Snoqualmie and Wenatchee National Forests in the U.S. state of Washington. Mount Hinman is less than west of Mount Daniel and both are within the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. Hinman Glacier is situated o ...

, in the U.S. state of

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

. Hinman Glacier was within the

Alpine Lakes Wilderness The Alpine Lakes Wilderness is a large National Wilderness Preservation System, wilderness area spanning the Central Cascades of Washington (state), Washington state in the United States. The wilderness is located in parts of Wenatchee National F ...

Snoqualmie National Forest Snoqualmie might refer to: People * Snoqualmie people, a Coast Salish people of Washington state :*Snoqualmie Indian Tribe, a federally recognized tribe of Snoqualmie people Places * Snoqualmie Indian Reservation *Snoqualmie Valley, ancestral home ...

. The glacier was approximately in 1971, making it the largest glacier between

Mount Rainier Mount Rainier (), indigenously known as Tahoma, Tacoma, Tacobet, or təqʷubəʔ, is a large active stratovolcano in the Cascade Range of the Pacific Northwest, located in Mount Rainier National Park about south-southeast of Seattle. With a s ...

and

Glacier Peak Glacier Peak or Dakobed (known in the Sauk-Suiattle dialect of the Lushootseed language as "Tda-ko-buh-ba" or "Takobia") is the most isolated of the five major stratovolcanoes (composite volcanoes) of the Cascade Volcanic Arc in the U.S state of ...

, but an expedition by glaciologists from

Nichols College Nichols College is a private business college in Dudley, Massachusetts. Founded in 1815 as Nichols Academy, Nichols College offers both bachelor's and master's degrees, as well as certificate programs. History Nichols Academy The instituti ...

in August 2022 discovered that the glacier had disappeared, with only a few snowfields and non-flowing remnant ice areas totalling remaining. Smaller glaciers in this part of the

Cascade Range The Cascade Range or Cascades is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades, ...

preceded the Hinman Glacier in disappearing as part of the

retreat of glaciers since 1850 The retreat of glaciers since 1850 affects the availability of fresh water for irrigation and domestic use, mountain recreation, animals and plants that depend on glacier-melt, and, in the longer term, the level of the oceans. Deglaciation occu ...

with only three glaciers remaining in

King County King County is located in the U.S. state of Washington. The population was 2,269,675 in the 2020 census, making it the most populous county in Washington, and the 13th-most populous in the United States. The county seat is Seattle, also the st ...

History

Evidence suggests that Hinman Glacier may have formed as early as the retreat of the Cordilleran ice sheet, which covered the region approximately 14,000 years ago, with it being at least as old as the

Mount Mazama Mount Mazama (''Giiwas'' in the Native American language Klamath language, Klamath) is a complex volcano in the state of Oregon, United States, in a segment of the Cascade Volcanoes, Cascade Volcanic Arc and Cascade Range. Most of the mountai ...

eruption 7,000 years ago that created

Crater Lake Crater Lake (Klamath language, Klamath: ''Giiwas'') is a volcanic crater lake in south-central Oregon in the western United States. It is the main feature of Crater Lake National Park and is famous for its deep blue color and water clarity. The ...

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

Loss of glacier

Made up of two sections, the western lobe was the first to disappear, leaving only small patches of ice by 2009. The glacier persisted on the north flank of Mount Hinman for another decade and repeat photography showed rapid retreat. A new lake, unofficially named Hinman Lake, formed behind the

terminal moraine A terminal moraine, also called end moraine, is a type of moraine that forms at the terminal (edge) of a glacier, marking its maximum advance. At this point, debris that has accumulated by plucking and abrasion, has been pushed by the front edge ...

during the second half of the 20th Century as the ice receded. Fragments of the glacier in the form of ice masses are dispersed within and around the lake.

Environmental impact

Meltwater from Hinman Glacier fed the

Skykomish River The Skykomish River is a long river in the U.S. state of Washington which drains the west side of the Cascade Mountains in the southeast section of Snohomish County and the northeast corner of King County. The river starts with the confluence ...

and in concert with the decline of other glacial ice in this portion of the Cascades, this has led to negative impacts on streamflow of the river and drainage basin into the

Puget Sound Puget Sound ( ) is a sound of the Pacific Northwest, an inlet of the Pacific Ocean, and part of the Salish Sea. It is located along the northwestern coast of the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected ma ...

near Everett. With less dependable late-summer waterflow, measured at approximately 55% surface loss, the depletion can cause harm to Pacific Northwest salmon and other aquatic life in the river, as well as the local population who depend on the waters.

References

Glaciers of the North Cascades Glaciers of King County, Washington Glaciers of Washington (state) Former glaciers of North America {{Washington-glacier-stub

History

Loss of glacier

Environmental impact

See also

References