Bering Glacier

Bering Glacier is a huge glacier in the U.S. state of Alaska. It ends in a lake called Vitus Lake, which is south of a big natural park named Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. The glacier is only about 10 kilometers, or 6.2 miles, away from a big body of water called the Gulf of Alaska.

When we think about the Bering Glacier, we also think about the Bagley Icefield. This is a large area where lots of snow collects. The snow then feeds the glacier, helping it grow. Together, the Bering Glacier and the Bagley Icefield make the biggest glacier system in North America.

The glacier is named after a person named Vitus Bering, who was an explorer. This amazing glacier shows us how powerful nature can be and how Earth’s surfaces change over many years.

Glacier retreat and earthquakes

Warmer temperatures and changes in rainfall over the past century have made the Bering Glacier thinner by several thousand meters. Since 1900, the end of the glacier has moved back as much as 12 km (7.5 mi). The Bering Glacier sometimes moves faster, called "surges," about every 20 years. During these times, the glacier moves forward, but after that, it usually moves back again. Even with these surges, the glacier has been shrinking overall. The last time it surged was in the winter of 1994-95.

As the glacier shrinks, it causes more earthquakes in the area. The weight of the ice used to press down on the Earth's surface, keeping the rocks stable. With less ice, the rocks can move more easily, leading to more earthquakes. Scientists have found that the glacier releases about 30 cubic kilometers (7.2 cu mi) of water each year. This meltwater collects in Vitus Lake and flows into the Gulf of Alaska through the Seal River. Researchers are watching this water flow to see how it might affect the ocean currents nearby.