A body of dense ice that is moving under its own weight
October 8, 2014 8:15 AM Subscribe
This is really much more impressive if you look at it immediately after this.
That's a lot of ice.
posted by WinnipegDragon at 8:58 AM on October 8, 2014 [1 favorite]
That's a lot of ice.
posted by WinnipegDragon at 8:58 AM on October 8, 2014 [1 favorite]
It's called calving, and tons of tourists go to alaska on cruises to see the Mendenhall (and others) glacier do this on a daily basis.
Not to diminish the beauty of these photos, just the title makes it seem like more of an event than it is (the rupture!...might make a nice parody title for something 'left behind related)
posted by OHenryPacey at 9:33 AM on October 8, 2014 [3 favorites]
Not to diminish the beauty of these photos, just the title makes it seem like more of an event than it is (the rupture!...might make a nice parody title for something 'left behind related)
posted by OHenryPacey at 9:33 AM on October 8, 2014 [3 favorites]
OHenryPacey is right; My grandmother paid for my family to go on an Alaskan cruise once, and we watched calving for a long time. I've got a bunch of photos of it, but we were a lot further away, and I was shooting with film at the time, so I can't post them.
posted by Canageek at 10:41 AM on October 8, 2014
posted by Canageek at 10:41 AM on October 8, 2014
Awesome! If you ever get the chance, go there in person and take one of the boat trips where they park you close to the glacier and let you see some calving. The sound it makes is indescribable.
posted by lefty lucky cat at 10:50 AM on October 8, 2014
posted by lefty lucky cat at 10:50 AM on October 8, 2014
I came here to echo OHenryPacey's take on this event. I've seen the glacier on Mt. Lefroy calve and drop 1,400 feet into the valley below, that's what glaciers do, all the time.
posted by furtive at 12:32 PM on October 8, 2014
posted by furtive at 12:32 PM on October 8, 2014
Arg. HDR bullshit ruins it for me.
posted by klangklangston at 1:04 PM on October 8, 2014
posted by klangklangston at 1:04 PM on October 8, 2014
The title made me think he witnessed a Jökulhlaup.
posted by ThreeCatsBob at 3:33 PM on October 8, 2014
posted by ThreeCatsBob at 3:33 PM on October 8, 2014
Yup, WinnipegDragon's right, don't be sightseeing under the glacier.
posted by BlueHorse at 3:53 PM on October 8, 2014
posted by BlueHorse at 3:53 PM on October 8, 2014
And then there is this, courtesy of James Balog's team, in Greenland ... from "Chasing Ice" documentary about Balog's time-lapse photography of glaciers around the world. Watch until end for comparison to lower Manhattan.
posted by buffalo at 4:52 PM on October 9, 2014
posted by buffalo at 4:52 PM on October 9, 2014
... and the requisite metafilter linkback. Apologies, should have included this above.
posted by buffalo at 5:24 PM on October 9, 2014
posted by buffalo at 5:24 PM on October 9, 2014
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posted by Atom Eyes at 8:40 AM on October 8, 2014