Switch Glacier: Carbon GlacierColumbia Crest GlacierCowlitz GlacierEdmunds GlacierEmmons GlacierFlett GlacierFryingpan GlacierIngraham GlacierInter GlacierKautz GlacierLiberty Cap GlacierMuir SnowfieldNisqually GlacierNorth Mowich GlacierOhanapecosh GlacierParadise GlacierPuyallup GlacierPyramid GlaciersRussell GlacierSarvent GlaciersSouth Mowich GlacierSouth Tahoma GlacierStevens GlacierSuccess GlacierTahoma GlacierVan Trump GlaciersWhitman GlacierWilson GlacierWinthrop Glacier

NOTE: This page has been updated to show 2021 extents and changes

Columbia Crest Glacier
Columbia Crest is the name of the summit of Mount Rainier - The Columbia Crest Glacier occupies the summit crater. This name was suggested by H.E. Holmes of the E.S. Ingraham climbing party of 1891. The party spent two nights on the summit and before leaving jointly chose the name for it was believed at the time that it was the highest point in the United States. It was called Crater Peak by Stevens and Van Trump. A report published in the Seattle Telegraph July 28, 1894 notes that Frank W. Hawkins named it Columbia Crest while he was a member of Ingraham's July 18, 1894 conquest of the peak. (Reese, 2009)

STATISTICS AS OF 2021 (Beason et al., 2022): Aerial Extent: 0.067 ± 0.005 square miles (0.173 ± 0.012 km2) (Rank: 27 of 29) Debris Cover (Based on Beason, 2017 - not updated in 2021): --No appreciable debris cover in 2015-- Estimated Glacial Volume: (See notes below) 0.0007 cubic miles (0.0030 km3) Highest Elevation (Head): 14,393 feet (4,387 m) Lowest Elevation (Terminus): 14,146 feet (4,312 m) Elevation Range: 248 feet (76 m) Length: 0.43 miles (0.68 km) Average Slope: 10° Average Flow Direction (Flows towards): East (96°)

CHANGE IN EXTENT, 1896-2015 (Beason, 2017): Units 1896 1913 1971 1994 2009 2015 2021 Area, mi2 0.124 0.041 0.097 0.076 0.046 0.070 0.067 Area, km2 0.322 0.107 0.251 0.198 0.118 0.180 0.173 Area change between periods 1913 1971 1994 2009 2015 2021 1896 -0.083 mi2 (-0.215 km2) -0.027 mi2 (-0.071 km2) -0.048 mi2 (-0.124 km2) -0.079 mi2 (-0.204 km2) -0.055 mi2 (-0.141 km2) -0.057 mi2 (-0.149 km2) 1913 -- 0.056 mi2 (0.144 km2) 0.035 mi2 (0.091 km2) 0.004 mi2 (0.011 km2) 0.028 mi2 (0.074 km2) 0.026 mi2 (0.066 km2) 1971 -- -0.020 mi2 (-0.053 km2) -0.051 mi2 (-0.133 km2) -0.027 mi2 (-0.070 km2) -0.030 mi2 (-0.078 km2) 1994 -- -0.031 mi2 (-0.080 km2) -0.007 mi2 (-0.017 km2) -0.009 mi2 (-0.025 km2) 2009 -- 0.024 mi2 (0.062 km2) 0.021 mi2 (0.055 km2) 2015 -- -0.003 mi2 (-0.007 km2) Percent change between periods 1913 1971 1994 2009 2015 2021 1896 -66.80 % -22.11 % -38.61 % -63.36 % -43.95 % -46.24 % 1913 -- 134.59 % 84.90 % 10.36 % 68.82 % 61.90 % 1971 -- -21.18 % -52.95 % -28.04 % -30.98 % 1994 -- -40.31 % -8.70 % -12.44 % 2009 -- 52.96 % 46.70 % 2015 -- -4.10 %

ESTIMATED CHANGE IN VOLUME, 1896-2021 (Beason et al., 2022; George and Beason, 2017): PLEASE see important notes about this, below... Units 1896 1913 1971 1981* 1994 2009 2015 2021 Volume, mi3 0.0015 0.0004 0.0011 -- 0.0008 0.0005 0.0008 0.0007 Volume, km3 0.0061 0.0018 0.0046 -- 0.0035 0.0020 0.0032 0.0030 * = 1981 was the only year that glacial volumes have been measured. See note below. Basal Shear Stress (τ): 2,098.41 lbs/ft2 Volume change between periods 1913 1971 1981 1994 2009 2015 2021 1896 -0.0010 mi3 (-0.0043 km3) -0.0004 mi3 (-0.0015 km3) -0.0015 mi3 (-0.0061 km3) -0.0006 mi3 (-0.0026 km3) -0.0010 mi3 (-0.0041 km3) -0.0007 mi3 (-0.0029 km3) -0.0007 mi3 (-0.0031 km3) 1913 -- 0.0007 mi3 (0.0028 km3) -0.0004 mi3 (-0.0018 km3) 0.0004 mi3 (0.0018 km3) 0.0000 mi3 (0.0002 km3) 0.0003 mi3 (0.0014 km3) 0.0003 mi3 (0.0013 km3) 1971 -- -0.0011 mi3 (-0.0046 km3) -0.0003 mi3 (-0.0011 km3) -0.0006 mi3 (-0.0026 km3) -0.0003 mi3 (-0.0014 km3) -0.0004 mi3 (-0.0016 km3) 1981 -- 0.0008 mi3 (0.0035 km3) 0.0005 mi3 (0.0020 km3) 0.0008 mi3 (0.0032 km3) 0.0007 mi3 (0.0030 km3) 1994 -- -0.0004 mi3 (-0.0016 km3) -0.0001 mi3 (-0.0003 km3) -0.0001 mi3 (-0.0005 km3) 2009 -- 0.0003 mi3 (0.0012 km3) 0.0003 mi3 (0.0011 km3) 2015 -- 0.0000 mi3 (-0.0001 km3) Percent change between periods 1913 1971 1981 1994 2009 2015 2021 1896 -71.04 % -24.49 % -100.02 % -42.21 % -67.64 % -47.83 % -50.23 % 1913 -- 160.75 % -100.06 % 99.55 % 11.72 % 80.14 % 71.87 % 1971 -- -100.02 % -23.47 % -57.15 % -30.91 % -34.09 % 1981 -- -352,830.62 % -197,586.14 % -318,530.25 % -303,911.76 % 1994 -- -44.01 % -9.72 % -13.87 % 2009 -- 61.24 % 53.84 % 2015 -- -4.59 % With the exception of data in 1981, all values here are calculated estimates based on work by Driedger and Kennard (1986), which calculates glacier volumes with the following equations: If Glacier Length (L) > 8,500 ft: If Glacier Length (L) < 8,500 ft: Basal shear stress (τ) is calculated as: Where V is the calculated volume of the glacier (ft3), A is the calculated area of the glacier (ft2), ρ is the density of ice (1.779 slug/ft3), g is the acceleration of gravity (32.178 ft/s2), and α is the average slope of the glacier. If you need a really good research project, recalculating the glacier volumes at Mount Rainier is the way to go!

NOTES:
No outlet for this glacier, though it does exhibit downward and radial motion

Data References: Beason et al., 2022, Beason, 2017, George and Beason, 2017, Reese, 2009, and Driedger and Kennard, 1986