Muldrow Glacier, also known as McKinley Glacier, is a large
glacier
A glacier (; or ) is a persistent body of dense ice, a form of rock, that is constantly moving downhill under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires ...
in
Denali National Park and Preserve in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...
of
Alaska
Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...
. Native names for the glacier include, Henteel No' Loo' and Henteel No' Loot.
The glacier originates from the Great Icefall of
Harper Glacier on the eastern side of
Denali
Denali (), federally designated as Mount McKinley, is the highest mountain peak in North America, with a summit elevation of above sea level. It is the tallest mountain in the world from base to peak on land, measuring . On p. 20 of Helm ...
. The glacier moves generally eastward, receiving
Traleika Glacier and
Brooks Glacier as tributaries, then turning northward to emerge from the Alaska Range as the source of the
McKinley River.
Muldrow Glacier was renamed by
Alfred Hulse Brooks in 1902 in honor of
U.S. Geological Survey
The United States Geological Survey (USGS), founded as the Geological Survey, is an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior whose work spans the disciplines of biology, geography, geology, and hydrology. The agency was founded on March ...
topographer
Robert Muldrow.
In 2021, the glacier was noted to be growing in a surge that greatly exceeds the scant previous records of its status. In April that year scientists were documenting growth of the glacier at one hundred times its normal rate, advancing up to ninety feet a day during the prior few months.
See also
*
List of glaciers
A glacier ( ) or () is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight; it forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation (melting and sublimation) over many years, often centuries. Glaciers slowly defor ...
References
Glaciers of Denali Borough, Alaska
Glaciers of Denali National Park and Preserve
Denali
Glaciers of Alaska
{{Alaska-glacier-stub