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

Ingraham Glacier
Ingraham Glacier, on the southeast slope of Mount Rainier, was named by Professor I.C. Russell in 1896 for Edward Sturgis Ingraham of Seattle, an early mountaineer. Ingraham arrived in Seattle in 1875 from Maine. He taught school and was Superintendent of King County Schools from 1875 to 1882 and of Seattle Schools from 1883 to 1889. He was a Colonel in the Militia, but was usually referred to as Major Ingraham. He climbed Mount Rainier eleven times often serving as a guide. He died in Seattle August 16, 1926. (Reese, 2009)

STATISTICS AS OF 2021 (Beason et al., 2022): Aerial Extent: 1.179 ± 0.065 square miles (3.054 ± 0.167 km2) (Rank: 10 of 29) Debris Cover (Based on Beason, 2017 - not updated in 2021): 0.106 ± 0.008 square miles (0.276 ± 0.021 km2) (Rank: 9 of 29) Estimated Glacial Volume: (See notes below) 0.0251 cubic miles (0.1047 km3) Highest Elevation (Head): 14,064 feet (4,287 m) Lowest Elevation (Terminus): 6,493 feet (1,979 m) Elevation Range: 7,572 feet (2,308 m) Length: 3.22 miles (5.18 km) Average Slope: 25° Average Flow Direction (Flows towards): East southeast (120°)

CHANGE IN EXTENT, 1896-2015 (Beason, 2017): Units 1896 1913 1971 1994 2009 2015 2021 Area, mi2 -- -- -- -- -- 1.161 1.179 Area, km2 -- -- -- -- -- 3.007 3.054 Area change between periods 1913 1971 1994 2009 2015 2021 1896 0.000 mi2 (0.000 km2) 0.000 mi2 (0.000 km2) 0.000 mi2 (0.000 km2) 0.000 mi2 (0.000 km2) 1.162 mi2 (3.008 km2) 1.180 mi2 (3.055 km2) 1913 -- 0.000 mi2 (0.000 km2) 0.000 mi2 (0.000 km2) 0.000 mi2 (0.000 km2) 1.162 mi2 (3.008 km2) 1.180 mi2 (3.055 km2) 1971 -- 0.000 mi2 (0.000 km2) 0.000 mi2 (0.000 km2) 1.162 mi2 (3.008 km2) 1.180 mi2 (3.055 km2) 1994 -- 0.000 mi2 (0.000 km2) 1.162 mi2 (3.008 km2) 1.180 mi2 (3.055 km2) 2009 -- 1.162 mi2 (3.008 km2) 1.180 mi2 (3.055 km2) 2015 -- 0.018 mi2 (0.047 km2) Percent change between periods 1913 1971 1994 2009 2015 2021 1896 0.00 % 0.00 % 0.00 % 0.00 % -300,228.64 % -304,924.44 % 1913 -- 0.00 % 0.00 % 0.00 % -300,228.64 % -304,924.44 % 1971 -- 0.00 % 0.00 % -300,228.64 % -304,924.44 % 1994 -- 0.00 % -300,228.64 % -304,924.44 % 2009 -- -300,228.64 % -304,924.44 % 2015 -- 1.56 %

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 -- -- -- 0.0476 -- -- 0.0247 0.0251 Volume, km3 -- -- -- 0.1982 -- -- 0.1029 0.1047 * = 1981 was the only year that glacial volumes have been measured. See note below. Basal Shear Stress (τ): 2,869.23 lbs/ft2 Volume change between periods 1913 1971 1981 1994 2009 2015 2021 1896 0.0000 mi3 (0.0000 km3) 0.0000 mi3 (0.0000 km3) 0.0476 mi3 (0.1982 km3) 0.0000 mi3 (0.0000 km3) 0.0000 mi3 (0.0000 km3) 0.0247 mi3 (0.1029 km3) 0.0251 mi3 (0.1047 km3) 1913 -- 0.0000 mi3 (0.0000 km3) 0.0476 mi3 (0.1982 km3) 0.0000 mi3 (0.0000 km3) 0.0000 mi3 (0.0000 km3) 0.0247 mi3 (0.1029 km3) 0.0251 mi3 (0.1047 km3) 1971 -- 0.0476 mi3 (0.1982 km3) 0.0000 mi3 (0.0000 km3) 0.0000 mi3 (0.0000 km3) 0.0247 mi3 (0.1029 km3) 0.0251 mi3 (0.1047 km3) 1981 -- -0.0476 mi3 (-0.1982 km3) -0.0476 mi3 (-0.1982 km3) -0.0229 mi3 (-0.0953 km3) -0.0224 mi3 (-0.0935 km3) 1994 -- 0.0000 mi3 (0.0000 km3) 0.0247 mi3 (0.1029 km3) 0.0251 mi3 (0.1047 km3) 2009 -- 0.0247 mi3 (0.1029 km3) 0.0251 mi3 (0.1047 km3) 2015 -- 0.0004 mi3 (0.0018 km3) Percent change between periods 1913 1971 1981 1994 2009 2015 2021 1896 0.00 % 0.00 % -19,821,860.00 % 0.00 % 0.00 % -10,288,994.43 % -10,467,369.96 % 1913 -- 0.00 % -19,821,860.00 % 0.00 % 0.00 % -10,288,994.43 % -10,467,369.96 % 1971 -- -19,821,860.00 % 0.00 % 0.00 % -10,288,994.43 % -10,467,369.96 % 1981 -- -100.00 % -100.00 % -48.09 % -47.19 % 1994 -- 0.00 % -10,288,994.43 % -10,467,369.96 % 2009 -- -10,288,994.43 % -10,467,369.96 % 2015 -- 1.73 % 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:
This glacier flows into the Cowlitz Glacier. Extent of this glacier from 1896-2009 was included with the combined Cowlitz/Ingraham Glacier system. See Cowlitz Glacier for extent change over time.

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