Old Sun Glacier

Old Sun Glacier
Old Sun Glacier is the prominent snowfield in the background on the north slope of Mount Merritt at center
Type	Mountain glacier
Location	Glacier National Park, Glacier County, Montana, USA
Coordinates	48°52′21″N 113°46′38″W / 48.8725°N 113.77722°W / 48.8725; -113.77722Coordinates: 48°52′21″N 113°46′38″W / 48.8725°N 113.77722°W / 48.8725; -113.77722[1]
Area	Approximately 91 acres (0.37 km2) in 2005[2]
Length	1,000 feet (300 m)
Terminus	Rockfall
Status	Retreating

Old Sun Glacier is located in the U.S. state of Montana in Glacier National Park. The glacier is situated immediately to the east and northeast of the Mount Merritt at an elevation between 9,400 feet (2,900 m) and 8,600 feet (2,600 m) above sea level.^[3] The glacier was named after a sun priest of the Blackfoot called "Ntas", translated to Old Sun.^[4] Old Sun Glacier has numerous crevasses and appears to have a healthy accumulation zone. Old Sun Glacier lost 12 percent of its surface area between 1966 and 2005.^[2]

Cited references

1. ^ "Old Sun Glacier". Geographic Names Information System, U.S. Geological Survey. http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=gnispq:3:::NO::P3_FID:774942. Retrieved 2010-10-09. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "Retreat of Glaciers in Glacier National Park" (pdf). United States Geological Survey. 2010. http://www.nrmsc.usgs.gov/files/norock/products/GlacierRecession_infosheet2010_SRC_040910.pdf. Retrieved 2010-10-23. 
3. ^ "Ahern Pass, MT" (Map). TopoQuest (USGS Quad). http://www.topoquest.com/map.php?lat=48.87206&lon=-113.77666&datum=nad83&zoom=2&map=auto&coord=d&mode=zoomin&size=m. Retrieved 2010-10-09. 
4. ^ "Historic Place Names". Through the Years in Glacier National Park. National Park Service. http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/glac/appa.htm. Retrieved 2010-10-09. 

See also

• List of glaciers in the United States
• Glaciers in Glacier National Park (U.S.)