Hello friends. For today's Daily Nature Fix, I'll be sharing a few photos I took at the John Hopkins Glacier in Alaska. I sorta held off on these because I felt like they were't as cool as I was hoping they'd be... but that's comparing the photos to the experience of viewing it in public. No photos would ever match that.
The John Hopkin's glacier is a real beauty. It stands around 200 feet tall from the water's surface and stretches back up into the mountains nearly 12 miles. We went to Glacier Bay in 2012 as well, but we weren't able to see this glacier. That's because the seals breed and birth their young on the icebergs during the early summer, so access to the area is not allowed in order to protect the habitat. Speaking of those icebergs, this post is about how they are made... lets take a look:
^^^ This first one is my favorite due to the dramatic splash. BUT, what's causing that big ole splash, you may be asking? Well, I happened to capture that as well. Moments before this photo, this happened:
^^^ That big piece that's in the middle of falling is much larger than it looks. To put it into perspective a bit, do you see those little black curls on the ice at the bottom the photo?? Those are seals, which are around 6 feet long. It's hard to say how big this falling chunk of ice was for certain, but I'd say it was at least as large as a tractor trailer.
^^^ Here's another section of the glacier that was several hundred yards to the left of those first two photos. And entire peak of ice crumbled and fell into the bay. All of those seals at the bottom got a bit of a ride as the wave from the falling ice travelled across the water.
^^^ This last one was taken from a bit more of a distance, but was still cool. I was trying to get a few photos that were more zoomed-out when a small section of ice let loose. The thunderous sound that happens when the ice cracks and falls is awesome. They call it "white thunder" and it's one of my favorite sounds in the world.
Thanks for reading! I try to post a nature-themed Daily Nature Fix blog every day. Please upvote if you enjoyed it and resteem if you found it especially interesting! Be sure to follow me @customnature so you'll never miss out on your nature fix! See you tomorrow. - Adam
*** These daily blogs showcase the natural world. It is all original content using photos, stories, and experiences from my own travels. ***