Utah Geologists Find 70 Hidden Ice Deposits Near Mount Timpanogos, Equal to 396 Million Gallons
Updated
Updated · Gizmodo · Sep 21
Utah Geologists Find 70 Hidden Ice Deposits Near Mount Timpanogos, Equal to 396 Million Gallons
2 articles · Updated · Gizmodo · Sep 21
Summary
Using 232 gravity measurements, Utah researchers mapped 70 buried ice deposits in rock glaciers near Mount Timpanogos and estimated about 396 million gallons of ice—roughly 600 Olympic-sized pools.
The survey used a gravimeter to distinguish ice from rock beneath debris near the summit, finding the Timpanogos rock glacier is about 83% ice, with average buried ice thickness of 61.7 feet.
The work matters because meltwater from Utah mountains supplies more than 95% of the state's freshwater, and researchers say the inventory could help future water-management planning in the arid state.
A second study indicates some of the ice dates to about 20,000 years ago, while parts of the rock glacier may still be gaining ice today because the overlying rock shields it from sun and warming.