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Hubbard Glacier, Alaska, USA
Seventy-five miles long and covering over 1,350 square miles in area, the Hubbard Glacier is the largest tidewater glacier in North America. It is also one of the most impressive, a 300-foot wall of ice rising sheer and jagged from the ocean. You may hear the rumble and see the monumental splash as the glacier breaks off in great ice chunks, known as "calves." Contents | Description | Map | Explore | Excursions | History Description Contents | Description | Map | Explore | Excursions | History
Topographic | Aerial | Alaska3D Note: The topographic map and aerial photo are quite large files (~168K and 76K, respectively), but they do provide some very good detail of Hubbard Glacier and the surrounding area. The aerial photo (infrared) shows the ice dam that created Russel Lake in 1986. Should be worth the download time. Contents | Description | Map | Explore | Excursions | History While sailing up to the face of Hubbard Glacier, notice the ever increasing numbers and size of icebergs floating nearby. Notice the interesting, shapes, patterns of dirt and rock, and the amazing shades of blue some bergs have. If you are lucky, you'll see a seal or sea otter resting or playing on or near the larger pieces of ice. Notice the birds as they swoop down to the water from the nearby cliffs as sea animals are disturbed by the constant hammering of ice into the water. As you get closer to the glacier, look to the east side of the face and imagine it covering the entrance to Russel Fjord. Now consider the fjord filling with fresh water, at an amazing rate, and the pressure this wall of water is placing on the ice dam. Think about the sea animals trapped in this quickly becoming fresh water lake. Finally, picture the glacier as the forces of nature overpower the mighty glacier in a single moment with a thunderous crash and the spilling of millions of gallons of water. This was nature at her best. When you get very near to the glacier's face and you look up at the 300 foot wall of ice, listen carefully to the sounds it generates. Bang! Pop! Creak! Boom! Even without calving, the glacier speaks. Sometimes like rifle shot, the sound echoes throughout the area. Then a groan. Note the variety of sounds, sounds that you'll hear again and again as you recall your visit to this awe-inspiring work of nature. If you are lucky, and Hubbard seldom disappoints, you will see chunks of the glacier, some as big as a 30-story building, crash into the sea below. It begins with a few chunks cascading down the face, and then in an instant, thousands of pounds of ancient ice comes thundering down, and an enourmous wave propagates out into the bay. On a good day, the show seems never-ending. For a few lucky folks, the glacier treats them to a shooter. A block of ice, sometimes as big as a bus, bursts through the surface with a mighty splash as it reaches for the sky, only to fall back into the sea. Often, the waves generated by calving and shooters are big enough to feel in the largest of ships. It's no wonder the captain never gets closer than about a quarter mile from the glacier. Contents | Description | Map | Explore | Excursions | History There are no shore excursions available while visiting Hubbard Glacier, so you better be on deck for this fantatastic spectacle. Contents | Description | Map | Explore | Excursions | History Hubbard Glacier has been advancing for about the last 100 years. In May 1986, Hubbard Glacier briefly surged down from the mountains, blocking the outlet of Russel Fiord and created "Russell Lake." All that summer the new lake filled with runoff, its water level rose 25 meters, and the decrease in sliinity threatened its sea life. Around midnight on October 8th, 1986, the dam began to give way. In the next 24 hours, an estimated 5.3 billion cubic meters of water gushed through, and the fjiord was reconnected to the ocean at its previous level. The fjiord could become dammed again, and perhaps permanently. If this happens, the fiord could overflow its southern banks and drain through the Situk River instead, threatening trout habitat and the local airport! Source: USGS Earthshots. Contents | Description | Map | Explore | Excursions | History |
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