Black Rapids Glacier

Black Rapids Panorama
This photo was taken near a USGS marker above the Black Rapids Glacier. Center top you can see the Loket tributary flowing into the main branch of the glacier. The rocky moraine in between is where we camped for 15 days. The lake bottom center is a large, ice-dammed marginal lake that drains every year causing the glacier to speed-up slightly from the increased water pressure at the base. Andrew is off to the left, also enjoying this view.
panorama alaska alaska range glacier black rapids glacier lakes ice snow mountains hike
From 2014-06-24
Refilling the Channel
Water flows from the surface of the Black Rapids Glacier into a channel along a medial moraine. A few meters upstream a large moulin was draining the bulk of the water that had originally carved this passage that was a little bit over my head.
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From 2013-06-30
What. A. Day.
Peaks above the Loket Tributary in the Alaska Range.
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From 2013-04-25
landslide and pond
Water backs up behind a natural dam on the Black Rapids Glacier. This dam formed from one of 3 enormous landslides that cover the entire width of the glacier. The landslides occurred in 2002 after a 7.9 earthquake on the Denali Fault that runs along the length of the Black Rapids Glacier. While the debris cover itself is not very thick, a few meters at most, the rock insulates the ice beneath it so there is less melt in the summer months compared to the surrounding ice. The height difference between the top of the debris here and the ice surface I took this photo from is due almost entirely to the difference in the amount of melt of insulated and non-insulated ice over the previous 11 years.
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From 2013-06-29
Atmospheric optics over the Black Rapids Glacier
I photographed this awesome sight while doing field work out on the Black Rapids Glacier in the eastern Alaska Range. The view is to the southeast and you can see the Loket Tributary flowing into the main branch of the glacier center right. Living in Fairbanks (a little under 100 miles north of here) we get to see a lot of optical phenomena from ice in the atmosphere. In the winter we frequently see halos and parhelia (sun dogs). It’s pretty rare to see the tangent arc and even rarer to see a parhelic circle – the line that continues ‘horizontally’ from the sundog. At times this made a full 360° circle around our heads from camp. The stitching together of this 14 image panorama was not fun and it isn’t perfect, but I think it came out nice enough.
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From 2012-04-29
Flying over the Loket Tributary
A large glacier tributary to the Black Rapids Glacier in the Alaska Range
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From 2012-04-24
The Turbine Otter and McGinnis Peak. First unload: April 2012.
black rapids glacier alaska ak mountains glacier field work flying portfolio
From 2012-04-24
Pulling Radar
Skiers dragging radar lines across a glacier to measure ice depth.
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From 2012-04-25
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From 2012-04-25
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From 2012-04-25
sunset glacier black rapids mountains snow alaska range alaska
From 2012-04-25
Bedtime
A crescent moon hangs over the Black Rapids Glacier in the Alaska Range shortly after sunset.
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From 2012-04-25
July
Rocks insulate the snow and ice beneath as the ice melts around them. This leaves big boulders standing on thin ice platforms. Eventually they fall off, but the ones that are left standing are pretty cool. On the Black Rapids Glacier in the Alaska Range.
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From 2012-07-18
Glacierscape
A small, yet fast stream near the northern lateral moraine of the Black Rapids Glacier in the Alaska Range. McGinnis Peak on the right dominates the skyline in this area.
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From 2012-07-18
The Supercub parked in front of McGinnis Peak.
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From 2012-07-18
Inactive Moulin
Moulins occasionally die - it may have closed off at depth, or may not yet be connected with the sub-glacial hydrology system. The gross looking stuff is algae.
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From 2012-07-19
Slice of ice in between two enormous rock slides. The thin layer of rock insulates the ice reducing melt and leaving the debris highly elevated above the uncovered ice. These rockslides occurred at the same time after a magnitude 7.9 earthquake in 2002.
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From 2012-08-28
Valley glacier tucked away above the Loket Tributary. It's located close to our GPS base station. It was tough trying to figure out what the weather was going to do.
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From 2012-08-28
The clouds start to dissolve.
black rapids glacier alaska ak mountains glacier field work flying aerial portfolio
From 2012-08-28
black rapids glacier alaska ak mountains glacier field work
From 2012-08-28
black rapids glacier alaska ak mountains glacier field work
From 2012-08-28
Meteor Peak
Meteor Peak in the Alaska Range. It's one of the "little ones" in this region. I don't like this photo as much viewed small on mobile - but I'm posting it anyway. It's much better if you have a big screen and can pick out all the detailed bergschrunds, crevasses, icefalls, avalanche sloughs, and such. It makes me feel so incredibly tiny.
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From 2012-08-28
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From 2012-08-29
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From 2012-08-29
Lenticulars
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From 2012-08-29
Snow line
Northern peaks in the Alaska Range a bit to the east of McGinnis Peak. The snow line is already descending fast at the end of August while there is still a bit of fall color in the little vegetation that exists here. It's pretty windy up high as can be seen by the fresh snow blowing off the top.
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From 2012-08-29
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From 2012-08-29
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From 2012-08-29
Mt. Shand
Rugged Alaska Range landscape
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From 2012-08-29
Looking up to Mt. Shand in the Alaska Range
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From 2012-08-29
Shand Light
Mt. Shand (12,660 feet, 3859 meters) in the Alaska Range - beautiful in the sunlight!
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From 2012-08-29
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From 2012-08-29
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From 2012-08-29
East side of the Trinitey Basin
Look at the sparkly snow!
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From 2012-08-29
Glacier Basin
Mountains covered in ice and a dusting of fresh snow in the Trinity Basin, high up in the Alaska Range.
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From 2012-08-29
Trinity Basin
The Trinity Basin is the main accumulation area for the Black Rapids Glacier - and a pretty good solar reflector. Don't forget your glasses and sunblock!
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From 2012-08-29
Ice-covered
A lot of snow falls up here covering the mountains of the Trinity Basin of the Alaska Range in ice. This is part of the small remaining accumulation area of the Black Rapids Glacier. I'm amazed at how such a conglomeration of ice and snow can take the appearance of simply being draped over the mountains. Best in panorama sizes 1:2
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From 2012-08-29
Mt. Shand
The south face of Mt. Shand (12,660 feet, 3859 meters) in the Alaska Range. That's about a mile of vertical, exposed rock.
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From 2012-08-29
August - Mt. Shand
The south face of Mt. Shand (12,660 feet, 3859 meters) in the Alaska Range. That's about a mile of vertical, exposed rock.
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From 2012-08-29
Mt. Shand
mt. shand fall glacier black rapids alaska range alaska
From 2012-08-29
Moulins
Moulins often form in crevasses, where there is already a path deep down into the glacier. If there is enough water available, they will stay open, even if the crevasse "heals" as it moves further downstream.
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From 2012-08-29
Fall colors and wind up high
Beautiful mountain vista in the Alaska Range
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From 2012-08-29
Aerial of the Black Rapids river
Moraine locked ponds and the silty river flowing out of the Black Rapids Glacier. This flows into the Delta River near the Richardson Highway about 4 miles downstream.
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From 2012-08-29
Loket
Flying over the Loket tributary to the Black Rapids Glacier in the Alaska Range in the Turbine Otter. This was the location of our campsite for a week in April 2013. It was quite a bit colder and windier than the previous year - like 60mph winds at -20 degrees F cold.
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From 2013-04-21
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From 2013-04-21
Left again
Our ride leaves for the last time.
black rapids glacier alaska ak mountains glacier field work
From 2013-04-21
black rapids glacier alaska ak mountains glacier field work
From 2013-04-21
The moon is just hanging out
The Alaska Range is quite beautiful in April, although it still gets awfully cold. The night after this the temperature dropped to -20 and the winds kicked up to 60 mph.
black rapids glacier alaska ak mountains glacier field work
From 2013-04-22

lee petersen photography

Black Rapids Glacier