A much smaller glacier than its Alaskan neighbor, Columbia, Mendenhall has been retreating steadily for a number of years. In the next few years it’s probably going to back up onto the bedrock and the pace of retreat will slow down. The protruding, rounded cat’s claw shape at the base is typical of a glacier that is retreating. Glaciers that are advancing tend to have a steeper, more cliff-like terminus.

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