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Glaciers
Glaciers
A Glacier is a mass of ice that forms on the side of a mountain when snow accumulates and compacts over many years eventually flowing down under its own weight through rivers and down mountains shredding them as they go.
Example of The Penitentes of Mount Rainier
What caused the erosion?
What caused the erosion?
After Mount Rainier erupted in 1450 it lost a total of 1,600 feet in height and it started to erode faster due to it carrying large amounts of debris and snow which made it so it scraped across the bottom of the river faster and made the rocks scrape the side of the mountain causing it to cut the rock and make it easier to erode over time since Mount Rainier is surrounded by 28 glaciers and has 5 rivers going through it which makes it easier to flood and to erode faster overtime.
Pic of a forest by Carbon River
Birds eye view of all the glaciers in Mount Rainier
Glacial History
Glacial History
About 25,000 to 15,000 years ago there was a noticeable difference for the glaciers in the Mount Rainier area nowadays they are still eroding and expanding they now house the perimeter of Mount Rainier when 15,000 years ago they were limited to the inside of Mount rainier
Examples of This
Examples of This
The Nisqually Glacier is a prime example of erosion in action. It shows how it has caused lahars and has cause glacial outburst floods. Which in turn have reshaped the land making U-Shaped Valleys which have steep sides and a wide bottom which you can see today when you go hiking on the Nisqually vista trail. While you are on the trail you can also find Moraines left behind from when the glacier advanced and retreated which are piles of rock it left behind.
Nisqually Vista Loop - U shaped Valley
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