Nabesna Glacier

Nabesna Glacier is a large valley glacier in Alaska’s Wrangell Mountains. It flows northeast from Mount Blackburn into the Nabesna River valley.

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Mount Blackburn: Mount Blackburn is a glaciated shield volcano and the highest peak in the Wrangell Mountains of Alaska. Nabesna Glacier flows northeast from this mountain’s ice-covered slopes.
Glacier: A glacier is a persistent mass of land ice that moves under its own weight. Nabesna Glacier is a large glacier whose flow carries ice down a mountain valley.
Kennicott Glacier: Kennicott Glacier is a valley glacier in the Wrangell Mountains of Alaska, flowing from Mount Blackburn toward the historic Kennecott mining district. It shares Mount Blackburn’s glaciated terrain but drains a different valley.
Glacial lake outburst flood: A glacial lake outburst flood is a sudden release of water stored in or beside a glacier. Changing ice and meltwater can reshape downstream hazards in glacier-fed valleys.
Wrangell Mountains: The Wrangell Mountains are a volcanic mountain range in eastern Alaska, centered on Wrangell–St. Elias National Park. The range contains Nabesna Glacier and the peaks feeding its ice.
Glacier mass balance: Glacier mass balance is the difference between ice gained through accumulation and ice lost through melting, sublimation, and calving. Its balance determines whether Nabesna Glacier gains or loses ice over time.
Root Glacier: Root Glacier is a glacier in the Wrangell Mountains near McCarthy, Alaska, known for its accessible ice and historic mining landscape. Its nearby setting offers a contrasting example of a Wrangell valley glacier.
Glacial sediment: Glacial sediment is rock and mineral material eroded, transported, and deposited by glacier ice or meltwater. The glacier’s movement can deliver sediment into the Nabesna River valley.
Valley glacier: A valley glacier is a body of flowing ice confined by mountain valleys. Nabesna Glacier follows a mountain valley toward the Nabesna River.
Glacial accumulation: Glacial accumulation is the addition of snow and ice to a glacier, mainly through snowfall. Snow accumulating in the high Wrangell Mountains supplies ice to the glacier.