“I mean, it was just awesome … (a) spur-of-the-moment, seat-of-your-pants science research project,” Hults said. Within 6 1/2 minutes, the ice traveled 11 miles into a nearby town at a speed of 150 miles per hour and killed more than 100 people.įor Chad Hults, the Alaska regional geologist for the National Park Service, monitoring this year’s Muldrow Glacier surge was a “once-in-a-career opportunity.” In 2002, a 1.5-mile-long chunk of the Kolka Glacier, located on the Russia-Georgia border, detached from its base, according to a report from The Atlantic. In 2016, at least 90 million cubic yards of glacial ice and rock detached from a Tibetan glacier and killed nine herders and hundreds of livestock, The Washington Post reported. Martin Truffer, a professor of physics at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, noted that surge-type glaciers can also be catastrophic. “We’ll have more information on this surge than we have on really any other glacial surge out there.” “That’s the kind of area of research that could potentially give us a lot of insight into what the possibilities are in the future with climate change,” he said.
Louis Sass, a senior glaciologist for the United States Geological Survey, said their research may offer a greater understanding about the world’s receding glaciers as warmer temperatures cause glaciers to become unstable and experience irregular movement.
In the quest for answers, glaciologists have begun to analyze data gathered this summer about the surge phenomenon, which the Muldrow Glacier –– known as Henteel No’ Loo’ in Athabascan –– experiences roughly once every 50 years. Is the motion of a surging glacier smooth and continuous, or does it vary? Does the elevation of the glacier’s surface change? Would there be a gradual slowdown, or an abrupt end to the surge? Where does the floodwater come from? (Photo by Chris Palm)ĭENALI NATIONAL PARK AND PRESERVE –– Scientists scrambled to study a rare surge of the Muldrow Glacier in Denali National Park earlier this year that invited a barrage of questions. Please try again later.Updated: NovemPublished: November 14, 2021Ī view up the Muldrow Glacier shows jagged ice and crevasses, photographed on Sunday, April 18, 2021. Sorry, you are ineligible to sign up for this newsletter. If you still have troubles receiving the emails, please contact EA. You’ve already signed up for Unravel™ newsletters with the above email. Unsubscribe at any time by changing your email preferences. You've successfully signed up to receive emails about Unravel™ and other EA news, products, events and promotions. You must sign in and sign up for Unravel™ newsletter before you can redeem your items.
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