Illecillewaet Glacier
| Illecillewaet Glacier | |
|---|---|
| Great Glacier | |
Northern terminus of glacier in July 2006
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| Type | Alpine |
| Location | Selkirk Mountains, British Columbia, Canada |
| Coordinates | 51°14′12″N 117°26′30″W / 51.23667°N 117.44167°WCoordinates: 51°14′12″N 117°26′30″W / 51.23667°N 117.44167°W |
| Area | 8.83 square kilometres (3.41 sq mi) |
| Status | Retreating |
The Illecillewaet Glacier /ˌɪləˈsɪləwət/ is a glacier in British Columbia, Canada. It is located inside Glacier National Park in the Selkirk Mountains, a sub-range of the Columbia Mountains. After the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) near the glacier’s terminus, and the building of a hotel nearby, the glacier became a prominent tourist destination in the Canadian west. Easily accessible by road and railway, it is one of the most-studied glaciers in North America. Its retreat over the last one hundred years has been extensively documented.
The glacier is located south of Mount Sir Donald in the Selkirk Mountains, west of Rogers Pass in British Columbia. The outflow of the glacier forms the headwaters of the Illecillewaet River. The Illecillewaet névé feeds three other glaciers: the Asulkan, Geikie and Deville. As of 2002, the accumulation area of the glacier is 4.92 square kilometres (1.90 sq mi) while its ablation area is 3.91 square kilometres (1.51 sq mi), for a total size of 8.83 square kilometres (3.41 sq mi). Its estimated mean depth is 100 metres (330 ft), and its highest point is measured at 2,800 metres (9,200 ft). The exposed bedrock downslope of the glacier's terminus shows the effects of glacial plucking.
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