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The Konwakiton Glacier is a glacier situated on the southern flank of Mount Shasta, in the U.S. state of California. It occupies the head of a large cirque on the south side of Shasta's Misery Hill cone, just northeast of the prominent outcrop of Thumb Rock at about 11,500 feet (3,500 m)[1]. It is the fifth largest glacier on Mount Shasta, although less than one-third the size of any of the four larger ones (Whitney, Bolam, Hotlum, and Wintun). [2] The Konwakiton is the most frequently visited of Shasta's glaciers, since the standard climbing route up Avalanche Gulch skirts along its western edge above Thumb Rock saddle, with the boot track often only a few feet (about a meter) from the bergschrund at the glacier's head.
In 2002, scientists made the first detailed survey of Mount Shasta's glaciers in 50 years. They found that seven of the glaciers have grown over the period 1951-2002, with the Hotlum and Wintun Glaciers nearly doubling, the Bolam Glacier increasing by half, and the Whitney and Konwakiton Glaciers growing by a third.[3] [4] [5]
[edit] References
- ^ Google Earth elevation for GNIS coordinates.
- ^ Driedger, Carolyn L.; Kennard, Paul M. (1986). Ice volumes on Cascade volcanoes; Mount Rainier, Mount Hood, Three Sisters, and Mount Shasta. U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1365. Retrieved on 2007-03-06.
- ^ Harris, Stephen L. (2005). Fire Mountains of the West: The Cascade and Mono Lake Volcanoes (3rd ed.). Mountain Press Publishing Company, p. 109. ISBN 0-87842-511-X.
- ^ Wong, Kathleen. California Glaciers. California Wild. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved on 2007-01-23.
- ^ Whitney, David. "A growing glacier: Mount Shasta bucks global trend, and researchers cite warming phenomena", The Bee, September 4, 2006. Retrieved on 2007-01-23.
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