Tyndall Glacier (Colorado)

For the glacier in Chile, see Tyndall Glacier (Chile).
Tyndall Glacier
Location in Colorado
Tyndall Glacier

Location in Colorado

Type Cirque glacier
Location Larimer County, Colorado, United States
Coordinates 40°18′17″N 105°41′22″W / 40.30472°N 105.68944°W / 40.30472; -105.68944Coordinates: 40°18′17″N 105°41′22″W / 40.30472°N 105.68944°W / 40.30472; -105.68944[1]
Terminus Talus
Status Retreating

Tyndall Glacier is a small cirque glacier in Rocky Mountain National Park in the U.S. state of Colorado.[2] Tyndall Glacier is on the east side of the Continental Divide and in a cirque to the north of Hallett Peak. Tyndall Glacier is both an ice and a rock glacier, with the lower portions of the glacier being composed primarily of rock debris and a small portion of ice.[3]

Tyndall Glacier is named after John Tyndall, an Irish scientist and Alpine mountaineer who in 1861 first ascended the Weisshorn and made an early attempt on the Matterhorn prior to its first ascent. In 1861 Tyndall identified carbon dioxide as a heat-trapping greenhouse gas; the glacier that bears his name appears to be retreating.

See also

References

  1. "Tyndall Glacier". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2012-08-19.
  2. McHenrys Peak, CO (Map). TopoQwest (United States Geological Survey Maps). Retrieved 2012-08-19.
  3. "Glacier Basics". Glaciers and Glacier Change of Rocky Mountain National Park. National Park Service. Retrieved 2012-08-19.


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