﻿SHERZERj GLACIAL STUDIES IN CANADIAN ROCKIES 4/7 



by a medial moraine. This is the piedmont type of glacier, only 

 one other— the Malaspina having thus far been described, which 

 accounts for the peculiar form and behavior of this ice body. The 

 componenl streams at the eastern and lower side are longer, better 

 defined and flow northward, at right angles to the rocky wall in the 

 rear. Toward the west they are deflected to the right and are less 

 well defined because of the steep inclination of the valley floor and 

 the interposition oi a tremendous block moraine, too massive to be 

 pushed aside. 



3. Frontal Changes. — Attention has been called by George and 

 William Vanx to the fact that portions of this glacier are encroach- 

 ing upon the forest which skirts its front for a considerable distance, 

 hnt no data have been available for determining the rate of advance. 

 Dead trunks, from which the hark has fallen, are seen projecting 

 from near the edge of the frontal slope (pi. LXVI, />), some of which 

 were probably killed by a forest tire which swept through the valle\ 

 70 to 80 years ago. Other trees in similar position and condition 

 still retain their dead boughs, without any evidence of fire, and seem 

 to have been killed by the ice advance some years ago, since which 

 time the glacier has advanced its frontal slope less than a dozen feet. 

 This would indicate a very sluggish condition of the ice. In order 

 to get something" more definite by the close of the season, as well as 

 for future reference, a series of eight sets of reference blocks was 

 established, between which accurate measurements were taken with 

 a steel tape. From August 9 to September 12, an interval of 34 

 days, no movement whatever had occurred at a point just east of the 

 discharge brook. Passing westward along the front and up the 

 valley, the next two stations showed a retreat of 1.2 and .7 in., due to 

 the wastage of the ice beneath. The next two stations gave an 

 advance of 1.9 in. and 1.3 in. The glacier was found to be again 

 wasting away slowly as indicated at the next two stations by a retreat 

 of 1.0 in. and 5.0 in. At the last station, nearly opposite Deltaform, 

 a more marked advance had occurred, from August 14 to September 

 i_\ amounting to 14 in. Occasional rocks were here rolling down 

 the frontal slope, giving evidence of activity beneath, and freshly 

 cut trees were observed about this particular nose. It is thus seen 

 that in glacial streams lying side by side, nearly their entire length, 

 some are stationary, some in slow retreat and others advancing; a 

 dozen different factors, at least determining in what way any par- 

 ticular stream will behave. 



4. Drainage. — At the eastern and lowest side of the glacier there 

 i< sties from beneath the frontal moraine a stream of perfectly clear 



