2017 Alaska Cruise / DSC_3530
Our first look at the Hubbard Glacier but it is still miles away. The glacier is 76 miles long and begins near the summit of a
Richard Erwin
mountain at 11,000 feet, although one of its tributaries begins even higher, at an elevation of 18,300 feet. It takes about
9/20/2017
400 years for ice to travel the length of the glacier, which routinely calves icebergs the size of a 4-story building. We
told by people on the ship that the face of the glacier is 6 miles across. The Hubbard is one of a few glaciers that is
advancing and it has continued to do that for the past 100 years. In May of 1986 it blocked the entrance to Russell Fjord
(off the picture at right), although it retreated in October of that year, only to block the entrance again in July, 2002.
This blockage washed away in August of 2002 but the glacier continues to advance and may block the fjord permanently.
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