Utah mountain ranges may store a billion tons of hidden ice
Unlike conventional glaciers, rock glaciers appear as piles of rock that obscure large masses of unaccounted-for ice. Rock glaciers are common in the Wasatch and Uinta ranges, even appearing on the Colorado Plateau in the La Sal Mountains near Moab.
Two new studies have revealed that a Utah mountain range may be storing a billion tons of hidden ice. Rock glaciers, which are found in the Wasatch and Uinta ranges, are characterized by piles of rock that conceal large masses of ice. One such rock glacier, located under Mount Timpanogos near Salt Lake City and Provo, has been the subject of detailed research.
The ice within Timpanogos Rock Glacier is estimated to be 83% ice and 17% rock, with enough frozen water to fill 600 Olympic swimming pools or 1.5 million cubic meters. This ice is significantly more concentrated than previously thought, with the researchers noting that it's often hidden beneath loose rock. The study also found that rock glaciers in Utah are not remnants from the Ice Age, but rather ice storage systems that formed after the Ice Age glaciers had melted.
The researchers estimate that there are 836 rock glaciers in Utah, holding 1 gigaton of water, which is enough to fill 400,000 Olympic swimming pools.
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