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| Crater Glacier | |
|---|---|
| Name | Crater Glacier |
| Type | Mountain glacier |
| Location | Mount St. Helens, Skamania County, Washington (state), United States |
| Area | 0.75 km2 (approx.) |
| Length | 1.6 km (approx.) |
| Terminus | Talus and icefalls |
| Status | Growing (since 1980s) |
Crater Glacier is a rapidly evolving mountain glacier formed within the crater of Mount St. Helens after the 1980 eruption. It occupies a volcanic amphitheater and has been notable for its rapid advance, thick ice formation, and unique interactions with volcanic topography and post-eruption geomorphology. Scientists from agencies and institutions worldwide have studied its growth, dynamics, and effects on downstream systems.
Crater Glacier formed in the collapse scar of Mount St. Helens and has attracted attention from researchers at United States Geological Survey, National Park Service, University of Washington, Oregon State University, United States Forest Service, and international teams studying glacier dynamics, volcanology, geomorphology, and cryosphere processes. The glacier’s development has been documented in journals such as Science (journal), Nature (journal), Geology (journal), Journal of Glaciology, and reports by the U.S. Geological Survey and National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Its growth contrasts with regional trends reported by programs like the World Glacier Monitoring Service, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and the National Snow and Ice Data Center.
Crater Glacier sits within the amphitheater created by the 1980 eruption on the northern flank of Mount St. Helens, near features such as Spirit Lake, Toutle River, Coldwater Lake, and the Johnson Ridge. It lies in Skamania County in Washington (state), within the Gifford Pinchot National Forest and adjacent to the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument. The glacier’s morphology includes prominent icefalls, seracs, crevasses, and medial moraines sourced from the crater rim including Harrys Ridge and Smith Creek. Measurements by teams from USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory, University of Idaho, and Portland State University report an area on the order of hectares and a length extending toward the crater rim and down toward talus deposits; the glacier’s surface is characterized by a hummocky, blocky topography similar to pahoehoe and aa textures observed in nearby lava fields studied by volcanologists such as Dieter Schwandner.
The genesis of the glacier is tied to the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, an event associated with the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, the 1980s eruption sequence, and the collapse of the north flank that created a horseshoe-shaped crater. Subsequent emplacement of pyroclastic flows, lahars, and tephra from eruptions and dome-building episodes provided insulating debris and sheltered hollows that favored snow accumulation, a process discussed in publications by Lorenzo A. King and Robert J. G. Brakenridge. Underlying geology includes andesitic to dacitic volcanic strata, welded tuff, breccias, and juvenile dome lava similar to materials described at Mount Adams and Mount Rainier. Post-eruption sedimentation in the crater involved interactions with hydrothermal alteration, fumarolic activity monitored by USGS Volcano Hazards Program, and mass-wasting processes akin to those observed after events at Mount St. Helens and Kīlauea.
Crater Glacier displays rapid mass-balance adjustments, surge-like advance episodes, and ice thickening documented by remote sensing from Landsat, ASTER, LiDAR, and TerraSAR-X platforms, as well as field surveys by teams from USGS, NASA, Oregon State University, and University of British Columbia. Ice flow features include steep icefalls over crater rim thresholds, basal sliding influenced by geothermal heat flux similar to observations at Mount Erebus, and englacial debris bands strikingly visible in aerial photography by USGS EROS Center. Monitoring networks have employed stakes, GPS campaigns, ground-penetrating radar, and time-lapse cameras—methods comparable to studies at Columbia Glacier (Alaska), Hubbard Glacier, and Gorner Glacier—to quantify velocity, thickness, and ablation. The glacier’s dynamics are modulated by snowfall patterns linked to atmospheric rivers studied by NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and by volcanic heat and ash deposition analogous to processes noted at Eyjafjallajökull.
The glacier creates a localized microclimate influencing primary succession on the crater floor alongside colonization by pioneer species documented by ecologists from University of Montana, University of California, Berkeley, and Seattle University. Vegetation recovery around the glacier involves lichens, mosses, alpine grasses, and early woody species similar to successional sequences observed after disturbance at Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument and in studies by Daniel R. H. Lamarre. Faunal recolonization includes arthropods, avian species such as American Dipper, and small mammals monitored by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Cryoconite holes and microbial mats on the glacier surface have been analyzed by microbiologists affiliated with Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Montana State University for extremophile communities comparable to those on Glacier Bay and Antarctic ice.
Crater Glacier has been the focus of outreach and education programs led by Mount St. Helens Institute, National Park Service, USGS Volcano Hazards Program, Washington State University, and various naturalist organizations. Scientific expeditions have included teams from Smithsonian Institution, United States Geological Survey, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and universities across the Pacific Northwest and internationally, including collaborators from University of Copenhagen and University of Tokyo. The glacier figures in hazard assessments used by Skamania County planners, and in public communications through media outlets such as The Seattle Times, National Geographic (magazine), BBC News, and Science News. Educational initiatives have engaged institutions like Pacific Crest Trail Association and Boy Scouts of America in stewardship and citizen science programs.
Conservation efforts involve agencies including United States Forest Service, National Park Service, USGS, Washington State Department of Natural Resources, and nonprofit groups such as The Nature Conservancy working on landscape restoration, invasive species control, and trail management. Hazards associated with the glacier include potential ice avalanches, lahars, outburst floods affecting Toutle River drainage, and interactions with renewed volcanic activity monitored by USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory and NOAA National Weather Service. Risk communication and evacuation planning coordinate Skamania County emergency services, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and regional emergency management in scenarios reminiscent of events at Mount Pinatubo and Mount St. Helens (1980) response planning.
Category:Glaciers of Washington (state) Category:Mount St. Helens Category:Volcanic glaciers