The Liberty Cap Glacier is a small glacier located near the summit of Mount Rainier, Washington. True to its name, the glacier does start at the 14,100 feet (4,300 m) Liberty Cap above the steep and rocky Sunset Amphitheater and the Mowich Face.[1][2] Since the topography of Mount Rainier is very jagged and uneven, the glacier is warped and twisted during its descent northward down to its terminus at about 11,000 feet (3,400 m). From there, the glacier ice falls off the cliff and tumbles down the steep Mowich Face; eventually, this ice contributes to the large North Mowich Glacier at an elevation of 10,100 ft (3,100 m).[2]
| Liberty Cap Glacier | |
|---|---|
 Multi-lobed Liberty Cap Glacier terminates in ice cliffs (2005) | |
| Type | Mountain glacier |
| Location | Mount Rainier, Pierce County, Washington, USA |
| Coordinates | 46°51′57″N 121°46′54″W / 46.86583°N 121.78167°W[1] |
Climate
editLiberty Cap has an ice cap climate (Köppen EF).
| Climate data for Liberty Cap 46.8598 N, 121.7749 W, Elevation: 13,146 ft (4,007 m) (1991–2020 normals) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 12.2 (−11.0) |
11.4 (−11.4) |
12.1 (−11.1) |
15.9 (−8.9) |
24.7 (−4.1) |
31.1 (−0.5) |
41.1 (5.1) |
41.4 (5.2) |
36.9 (2.7) |
27.1 (−2.7) |
15.5 (−9.2) |
11.1 (−11.6) |
23.4 (−4.8) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 6.3 (−14.3) |
4.1 (−15.5) |
3.8 (−15.7) |
6.6 (−14.1) |
14.4 (−9.8) |
20.2 (−6.6) |
28.8 (−1.8) |
29.3 (−1.5) |
25.5 (−3.6) |
17.7 (−7.9) |
9.2 (−12.7) |
5.5 (−14.7) |
14.3 (−9.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 0.4 (−17.6) |
−3.1 (−19.5) |
−4.4 (−20.2) |
−2.7 (−19.3) |
4.1 (−15.5) |
9.3 (−12.6) |
16.6 (−8.6) |
17.2 (−8.2) |
14.1 (−9.9) |
8.2 (−13.2) |
2.8 (−16.2) |
−0.2 (−17.9) |
5.2 (−14.9) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 14.46 (367) |
11.52 (293) |
11.40 (290) |
6.55 (166) |
4.21 (107) |
3.31 (84) |
1.27 (32) |
1.27 (32) |
3.26 (83) |
7.92 (201) |
13.04 (331) |
14.06 (357) |
92.27 (2,343) |
| Source: PRISM Climate Group[3] | |||||||||||||
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Google Earth images.
- ^ a b "USGS Mount Rainier West (WA) Topo Map". USGS Quad maps. TopoQuest.com. Retrieved 2008-07-05.
- ^ "PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University". PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
To find the table data on the PRISM website, start by clicking Coordinates (under Location); copy Latitude and Longitude figures from top of table; click Zoom to location; click Precipitation, Minimum temp, Mean temp, Maximum temp; click 30-year normals, 1991-2020; click 800m; click Retrieve Time Series button.