Fairweather Glacier
Encyclopedia
Fairweather Glacier is a 19-mile-long (31 km) glacier
in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve
in the U.S. state
of Alaska
. It begins on the west slope of Mount Salisbury
and continues west to its 1961 terminus 0.2 miles (300 m) east of Cape Fairweather
, 100 miles (161 km) northwest of Hoonah
.
Fairweather Glacier is the namesake of the Alaska Marine Highway
fast ferry M/V Fairweather
.
Glacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve
Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve
Glacier Bay National Park is a national park in Alaska. The area around Glacier Bay in southeastern Alaska was first proclaimed a U.S. National Monument on February 25, 1925. It was changed to Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve on Dec. 2, 1980 by the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation...
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
. It begins on the west slope of Mount Salisbury
Mount Salisbury
Mount Salisbury is a peak in the Fairweather Range of Alaska, 6 miles southeast of Mount Fairweather. Its east slopes feed one of the northern branches of the Johns Hopkins Glacier, which flows into Glacier Bay...
and continues west to its 1961 terminus 0.2 miles (300 m) east of Cape Fairweather
Cape Fairweather
Cape Fairweather is a cape 705 m high, which is ice covered except for rocky exposures along its southeast and east sides, lying midway between Drygalski Glacier and Evans Glacier on the east coast of Graham Land...
, 100 miles (161 km) northwest of Hoonah
Hoonah, Alaska
Hoonah is a Tlingit community on Chichagof Island, located in Alaska's "panhandle" in the southeast region of the state. It is 30 miles west of Juneau, across the Alaskan Inland Passage. Hoonah is the only first-class city on Chichagof Island, the 109th largest island in the world and the 5th...
.
Fairweather Glacier is the namesake of the Alaska Marine Highway
Alaska Marine Highway
The Alaska Marine Highway or the Alaska Marine Highway System is a ferry service operated by the government of the U.S. state of Alaska. It has its headquarters in Ketchikan, Alaska....
fast ferry M/V Fairweather
M/V Fairweather
The M/V Fairweather is a fast ferry catamaran in the Alaska Marine Highway System.It was built by Derecktor Shipyards in Bridgeport, Connecticut in 2003 and 2004, and began service on June 8 of the latter year...
.