Ablation Zone

Ablation Zone: the lower altitude region of a glacier where there is a net loss of ice mass due to melting, sublimation, evaporation, ice calving or avalanche. The ablation zone of a glacier such as the Wedge Glacier has meltwater features such as englacial streams and a glacier window. An englacial stream refers to meltwater flowing inside a glacier. A glacier window is a cave-like opening at the mouth of a glacier where meltwater runs out.

Whistler & Garibaldi Park

Ablation Zone Accumulation Zone Adit Lakes Aiguille Alpine Zone Arête ARRTI Armchair Glacier The Barrier Battleship Islands Bears Bench Bergschrund Bivouac Cairn/Inukshuk Carter Chimney Cirque Cloudraker Coast Mountains Cordilleran Cornice Corrie Lake Crevasse Dalgleish Deadfall Emerald Forest Erratic The Fissile Fitzsimmons Creek Fitzsimmons Range Fyles Garibaldi Ranges Garibaldi Volcanic Belt Gemel Glacier Window Green Lake Hoary Marmot Krummholz Lithophyte Moraine Mt Garibaldi Mt James Turner Northair Mine Nunatuk Overlord Peak 2 Peak Roundhouse Rubble Creek Scree Spearhead Range Tarn The Table Townsend Usnea Winram

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The ablation zone is located below the firn line. Firn originated from Swiss German and means "last year's snow". It has been compacted and recrystallized making it harder and more compact than snow, though less compact than glacial ice. A glacier such as the Wedge Glacier which stretches from Wedge Mountain down toward Wedgemount Lake, the ablation zone is very beautiful. A big pool of meltwater spills down the rock face and into turquoise coloured Wedgemount Lake. The pool of water is at the toe of Wedge Glacier and the large glacier window appears like a huge, gaping mouth. Big chunks of ice float in the pool and chunks of glacier split off into the water. The Wedge Glacier has been receding for decades. In the 1970's the glacier terminated with a steep and vertical wall of ice at the shores of the lake. Today the glacier terminates a couple hundred metres above Wedgemount Lake. Wedgemount Lake in Garibaldi Provincial Park is a great place to see a glacier in Whistler. The trailhead is located near the north end of Green Lake, just north of Whistler Village. Wedgemount Lake is a beautiful turquoise, glacier coloured lake lake is nestled in a gorgeous and hostile looking valley surrounded by mountains. Rethel Mountain, Parkhurst Mountain, Wedge Mountain, Mount Weart and Mount Cook surround the lake with Wedge Glacier filling the valley between Parkhurst and Weart and flowing down from Wedge.

Ablation Zone Wedgemount Glacier

Ablation Zone Aerial Wedgemount Glacier

Ablation Zone Aerial View Wedgemount Glacier

Wedgemount Glacier Iceburg

The main attraction to hiking to Wedgemount Lake is the stunning lake itself. The wonderful colour of the lake with the dark and menacing Rethel Mountain across. Wedge Glacier can be down at the end of the lake and walking there is easy to do and gives you a great, up close look at the mighty glacier and the ever-changing glacier window. If you are camping overnight, you will pass several rustic, gravel tent clearings directly opposite the glacier and just steps from the lake. Up towards the hut there are several wooden tent platforms for tents as well. No matter where you set up your tent you have a breathtaking view of this alpine paradise.

Ablation Zone Glacier Window View

Wedgemount Lake in Garibaldi Provincial Park

Beautiful Wedgemount Lake

Ablation Zone at Joffre Lakes

Another great place to get up close to see an ablation zone of a glacier is at Joffre Lakes. There is a glacier window found above Upper Joffre Lake that most visitors to the lakes don't bother to hike to. It is just a five minute hike up the rocky slope that stretches above the campsites. Here you find a small glacier window and a lot of glacier water flowing out. Not as impressive at the one at Wedgemount Lake, though the area is pretty nice to explore and the view of Joffre Lakes is magnificent. There are also so great rock outcrops that are warm and sunny places to lounge in the summer.

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