The Columbia Icefield is an icefield located in the Canadian Rockies, astride the Continental Divide of North America. The icefield lies partly in the northwestern tip of Banff National Park and the southern end of Jasper National Park. It is about 325 km² in area, 100 to 365 metres in depth and receives up to seven metres (275 in) of snowfall per year. The icefield feeds eight major glaciers

Mountain Glacier
Despite their immense impact on the landscape, glaciers are a relative newcomer to the mountain scene. The first buildup of ice occurred approximately 240,000 years ago and ended 128,000 BP. It was followed by a period of warmer climate. There were at least 5 subsequent advances that saw glaciers reclaiming their valleys. In reality, the ice age was not something that began, and then ended. It was a series of advances followed by warmer Interglacial Periods. The final advance was quite recent, beginning approximately 1200 AD, and ending at the turn of the 20th century. Some scientists claim we may only be in another interglacial period today and that the ice age may not be over. Only time will tell.

As snow accumulated in small depressions on the side of a mountain, it eventually began to flow under the force of gravity. As it moved, rock and debris falling onto the ice provided a suitable abrasive that allowed it to scrape and scour its mountain home. As if flowed out of its depression, it enlarged the basin in which it formed. This resulted in the smooth glacial bowls visible on many of our peaks. They are known as cirques, and once the ice melts, they may retain water in the form of a tiny alpine pond or tarn.

From their cirque nursery, the glaciers flowed downhill until they reached the valley bottom. Here, like a modern day river, they joined larger rivers of ice and flowed downstream towards the plains. In some cases the glaciers may have reached depths in excess of 1,000 metres.


Parts of the Icefield are visible from the Icefields Parkway. The Athabasca Glacier has receded significantly since its greatest modern-era extent in 1844. During the summer months visitors to the area can travel onto the glacier in the comfort of large "snowcoaches". The Columbia Icefield is also a major destination for ski mountaineering in the winter months.

Glacial Flow - How do Glaciers Flow?
Glaciers always flow downhill under the influence of gravity. The impression is often that the glacier moves as a unit, almost like a giant snake slithering down the valley. Scientists have been studying the Athabasca Glacier for many years now, and have come up with some fascinating details of how glaciers move. They don’t move as a unit, but rather like a thick liquid. By placing stakes at regular distances across the surface of the glacier, they have proven that the centre of the ice moves faster than either side. In a cross-sectional view, the glacier moves fastest at the surface, and moves progressively slower as the depth from the surface increases. It moves the slowest at its contact point with the valley floor.

How fast do they move? The speed of glaciers varies with the angle of slope, precipitation, thickness, temperature, and many other variables, but averages range from 10-200 metres/year. Assuming a moderate 54 metres/year, that would translate to a mere 6 mm/hour—hardly a snail’s pace. According to one study, a snail is able to move at a blinding 50,000 mm/hour—even a snail would quickly leave a glacier in the dust (Mountain Nature)



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