Glacier Landforms: Cirque, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park
This cirque (Dixie Pass Trail, Wrangell-St Elias National Park, Alaska) housed a glacier as recently as the 1950s, according to a USGS map of the area.
Glacier Landforms: Kettle, Lamar Valley II
A kettle lake in Lamar Valley (Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming-Montana-Idaho) reveals the park's glacial history. Photo from 1966.
Glacier Landforms: Glacial Erratics, Yellowstone National Park
Glacial erratics dot a field in Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming-Montana-Idaho). Such rocks can be found throughout the park, including the famous "Glacial Boulder" near Inspiration Point in the park. Photo from 1977.
Glacier Landforms: Terminal Moraine and Tarn, Schoolroom Glacier
A view of the Little Ice Age moraine (deposited in the late 1800s) of Schoolroom Glacier in Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming) from the modern ice terminus. The moraine dams water melting off the ice today, cr... More
Glacier Landforms: Fjord, John Hopkins Inlet
The John Hopkins Inlet (Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska) is a beautiful example of a steep-walled fjord.
Glacier Landforms: Outwash Plain, Red Glacier
The outwash plain in front of the Red Glacier in Lake Clark National Monument (Alaska) ends far away from the glacier and is characterized by braided rivers and small ponds.
Glacier Landforms: Glacier Striations, Yellowstone National Park
A large striated rock in Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming-Montana-Idaho) indicates past ice flow directions. Photo from 1967.
Glacier Landforms: Till, Yellowstone National Park
A road cut through a moraine in Yellowstone National Park exposes the glacial till inside. This till includes large rocks that can be picked out within the photo as well as the small and tiny grains that surrou... More
Glacier Landforms: Kettle, Lamar Valley
Lamar Valley (Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming-Montana-Idaho) is dotted with kettle lakes, where chunks of glacier ice were once buried as ice retreated during the last ice age. Photo from 1969.
Glacier Landforms: Glacial Erratic, Yellowstone National Park
The famous Glacial Boulder Trailhead in Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming-Montana-Idaho) begins near a giant erratic that was dropped there as glaciers retreated during the last glaciation.
Glacier Landforms: Lateral Moraine, Root Glacier
A hiker walks on the Root Glacier Trail in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park (Alaska), following the crest of an old lateral moraine beside the glacier.
Glacier Landforms: Drumlin, Spectacle Island
Spectacle and Long Islands are two of the drumlins that can be found in Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area (Massachusetts). Many of these drumlins have the classic drumlin shape, like these two islands
Glacier Landforms: Lateral Moraine, Moraine Park
Rocky Mountain National Park A laternal moraine from the last glaciation, now covered in vegetation, gives Moraine Park in Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado) its name.
Glacier Landforms: Paternoster Lakes, Grinnell Valley
A series of beautiful paternoster lakes lines the floor of Grinnell Valley in Glacier National Park (Montana).
Glacier Landforms - geologic resources division
Glaciers are responsible for the iconic landforms in many of our National Parks, including Mt Rainier National Park (Washington). The following images describe a few of the most common ones.
Glacier Landforms: Lateral Moraine, Kennicott Glacier
Hikers walk along the ridge top of a lateral moraine (Wrangell-St Elias National Park, Alaska).
Glacier Landforms: Glacier Polish
As ancient glaciers flowed over basalt at Devil's Postpile National Monument (California), rock and sediment in the ice left scratches on the bedrock. These scratches, "striations," can be used to understand pa... More
Glacier Landforms: U-Shaped Valley, Glacier Bay National Park
This U-shaped valley is a classic example of glacier activity (Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska).
Glacier Landforms: Cirque, Muldrow Glacier
The Muldrow Glacier (Denali National Park, Alaska) flows out from a beautiful cirque and around a curved arête that forms the headwall of an adjacent cirque.
Glacier Landforms: Hanging Valley, Birdwoman Falls
Bird Woman Falls (Glacier National Park, Montana), in the background of this photo, cascades from a glacially-sculpted hanging valley. When this area was occupied by glaciers, the smaller tributary glacier occu... More
Glacier Landforms: U-Shaped Valley, Avalanche Lake
Avalanche Lake (Glacier National Park, Montana) sits at the mouth of a classic U-shaped, glacially-carved valley.
Glacier Landforms: Glacial Erratic, Denali National Park
This famous erratic in Denali National Park (Alaska) shows where glaciers once flowed there.
Glacier Landforms: Tarn, Olympic National Park
This beautiful tarn sits in a glacially-carved cirque and is still bright turquoise due to the large amounts of fine glacial sediment suspended in its waters (Olympic National Park, Washington).
Glacier Landforms: U-Shaped Valley, Oolah Valley
Oolah Valley (Gates of the Arctic National Park, Alaska) is a striking example of a U-shaped valley with a beautiful tarn at its head.
Glacier Landforms: Outwash Plain, Tana Glacier
A large outwash plain sits in front of the Tana Glacier (Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska)
Glacier Landforms: Nunatak, Barkley Ridge
The Barkley Ridge protrudes from the Bagley Ice Field (Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska).
Glacier Landforms: Terminal Moraine, Clemets Glacier
An old terminal moraine on the Clemets Glacier (Glacier National Park, Montana) reveals how much bigger the glacier used to be.
Glacier Landforms: Paternoster Lakes, Lyell Glacier
Paternoster lakes form in a chain of glacially-dug bowls in front of the Lyell Glacier (Yosemite National Park, California).
Glacier Landforms: Cirque, Granite Creek
The Granite Creek Tarn (Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska) sits in a classic, bowl-shaped cirque.
Glacier Landforms: Glacier Flour
The waters coming off of the Guyot Glacier at its terminus in Icy Bay (Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska) are cloudy with suspended glacial flour. The difference between the highly-concentrated sediment ... More
Glacier Landforms: Till, Kennicott Glacier
Till blankets the Kennicott Glacier forefield (Wrangell-St Elias National Park, Alaska).
Glacier Landforms: Arête & Horns, as viewed from Lake MacDonald
The view from Lake McDonald (Glacier National Park, Montana) includes a few of classic glacier landforms such as a steep-walled arête and several sharp, pointed horns.
Glacier Landforms: Glacial Landscape, Rocky Mountain National Park
Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado) is home to striking glacial scenery, like this landscape with a field of glacial erratics in the foreground and cirques in the background.
Glacier Landforms: Hanging Valley, Bridalveil Falls
Bridalveil Fall in Yosemite National Park (California) cascades down from a hanging valley that was carved by a tributary glacier that joined the main glacier in Yosemite Valley long ago.
Glacier Landforms: U-Shaped Valley, Glacier National Park
A view from the head of a classic U-Shaped Valley in Glacier National Park (Montana).
Glacier Landforms: Terminal Moraine & Tarn, Schoolroom Glacier II
A survey of the Schoolroom Glacier (Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming) documents its retreat. The ice today sits far back from the terminal moraine it deposited during the Little Ice Age (which ended in the la... More