The Top 10 Glaciers In The World

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By cgull8m


Perito Moreno Glacier, Argentina

The top 10 Glaciers in the world, we must see in this beautiful Earth. The order of glaciers are in no particular order, but every one is a must see travel site. If you have been to any one of them please add your comments.

The first one is Perito Moreno Glacier, Argentina. It is located 48 miles from the Argentine town of El Calafate, the Perito Moreno Glacier is an exception in the area: Of the 50 or so southern Patagonian glaciers, only three are advancing, and Perito Moreno is one of them. Three viewing areas allow tourists to get safely up close and personal with the mass of ice. Lucky visitors witness huge chunks of ice breaking from the glacier and plummeting into Lake Argentino.

Reference: MSNBC.com.

Perito Moreno Glacier
Perito Moreno Glacier

Glacier Bay, Alaska

Alaska is home to more than 100,000 glaciers. More than 2,000 of these are substantial in size, says Bruce Molnia, a scientist at the U.S. Geological Survey who has been studying glaciers and other topics related to global water supply for more than 40 years. Glacier National Park is one of the best places to view a number of the large glaciers. Glacier Bay Lodge is the only accommodation within the park, and from it, visitors travel by boat through the bay, seeing numerous major glaciers in one day, including the spectacularly massive Margerie and Grand Pacific.

Glacier Bay, Alaska
Glacier Bay, Alaska

Furtwängler Glacier, Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

Of the world's receding glaciers, Mount Kilimanjaro's are among the most highly publicized. During the last century, they have lost more than 80 percent of their mass, and scientists predict that they will be gone sometime in the 2020s. Furtwängler Glacier, near Kilimanjaro's summit, is perhaps the most notable of these disappearing glaciers. Once they are gone, the mountain that inspired Ernest Hemingway will be permanently altered.

Furtwängler Glacier
Furtwängler Glacier

Pasterze Glacier, Austria

Resting at the foot of Austria's tallest mountain, the Pasterze Glacier is today about five miles long—the largest of Austria's 925 glaciers. However, Pasterze could lose up to 60 percent of its mass by 2100. For now, though, visitors can take in a magnificent view of both glacier and mountain by taking the Grossglocknerstrasse mountain road (open only in summer) to Kaiser-Frans-Josefs-Hohe, which maintains a large visitors center.

Pasterze Glacier, Austria
Pasterze Glacier, Austria

Vatnajökull Glacier, Iceland

Anyone who ever wondered how Iceland got its name would likely find the answer in the fact that the country's largest glacier alone covers more than eight percent of the country. Near the Vatnajökull Glacier's center, several active volcanoes make for a contrasting landscape. For example, visitors can visit hot springs located within the glacier's ice caves.

Vatnajökull Glacier, Iceland
Vatnajökull Glacier, Iceland

Yulong Glacier, China

China's Yulong Glacier has been receding steadily since the early 1980s, but it is still one of the most popular attractions in the Yunnan Province. It's not necessarily easy visiting the glacier—the high altitude of the final climb to the observation deck leaves many visitors gasping for air. Some even make the climb with small oxygen bottles.

Yulong Glacier, China
Yulong Glacier, China

Fox and Franz Josef, New Zealand

Although sibling glaciers Fox and Franz Josef retreated for much of the 20th century, they are currently advancing, thanks to the area's recent heavy precipitation. They are also unique among the world's glaciers in that they extend down the mountains and into a temperate rainforest. Visitors can experience the glaciers in any number of ways, including by helicopter and on foot, where it is often possible to explore the many tunnels and crevasses.

Fox and Franz Josef, New Zealand
Fox and Franz Josef, New Zealand

Athabasca Glacier, Canada

Part of the Canadian Rockies' Columbia Icefield, a system of glaciers that straddles the Continental Divide, the Athabasca Glacier has already lost half its volume and continues to recede. Still, it is currently almost four miles long. Although the most popular glacier in North America for tourists, it is also one of the more dangerous—visitors are cautioned not to set foot on the ice without a guide.

Athabasca Glacier, Canada
Athabasca Glacier, Canada

Biafo Glacier, Pakistan

Biafo Glacier is located in the Karakoram Mountain Range (sometimes considered part of the Himalayas, where glaciers are retreating at an alarming rate). Tourists looking for a challenge can hike on the remote glacier for several days to reach the ten-mile wide Snow Lake. Along the way, they are treated to sights of rare flora and fauna, as well as to the mountain peaks of Pakistan.

Biafo Glacier, Pakistan.
Biafo Glacier, Pakistan.

Antarctica

Tourists are heading to Antarctica's countless mountains, bays and glaciers in record numbers—nearly 35,000 are expected to visit this year, up from barely 10,000 a decade ago. Ironically, it is the melting ice brought on by global warming that is allowing these increases. The International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators was formed in 1991 with the purpose of establishing guidelines for environmentally responsible tourism to the continent.

Antarctica
Antarctica

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Nicole Winter profile image

Nicole Winter  says:
16 months ago

Thanks so much again for the beautiful awe-inspiring pictures!

cgull8m profile image

cgull8m  says:
16 months ago

Thanks Nicole, glad you liked it. Cheers :)

BeatsMe profile image

BeatsMe  says:
16 months ago

hhmm. beautiful pictures. :)

cgull8m profile image

cgull8m  says:
16 months ago

Yes. Hope the glaciers are there for a long time and don't disappear because of Global Warming.

robie2 profile image

robie2  says:
16 months ago

Hi cgull--love these photos. I'm glad you included Vatnajökull, the only glacier I have actuallly visited. It was a wonderful experience. There is actually a volcano, under this glacier. Would you believe it? Delightful and informative hub. Thanks. We better look at all these glaciers before they disappear--they are getting smaller every year.

cgull8m profile image

cgull8m  says:
16 months ago

Robie, glad to hear you went to Vatnajökull, it must have been a great experience. I agree they are getting smaller every year, some dismiss it as a cycle, but I think the main blame lies with us. So much beauty in the Earth, I hope we preserve it as much as possible at least for the future, they deserve a better one.

robie2 profile image

robie2  says:
16 months ago

Amen, cgull, :-)

Zsuzsy Bee profile image

Zsuzsy Bee  says:
16 months ago

CGull! I visited quite a few glaciers in Austria during my childhood. My Dad was almost obsessed with them I'll need to go hunting through my Moms many photo albums for the picture of us on 'Grossglockner' mountain pass. There were guided tours through some of the natural formed caves nearby too. Many year later after I was married and lived in British Columbia my Dad and I went on a 3 day hiking tour thoughout the Athabascar Glacier area of BC (one of my most cherished memories) Thanks CGull Super Hub (they're always good but this one is just perfect probaly, because of the great times it brought back) regards Zsuzsy

cgull8m profile image

cgull8m  says:
16 months ago

Glad to know Zsuzsy, you must have had a great time. Thanks :)

Sally's Trove profile image

Sally's Trove  says:
16 months ago

Gorgeous pictures, cgull! Thank you publishing a Hub that actually made me feel cooler on this hot summer day.

Regards, Sally

Chef Jeff profile image

Chef Jeff  says:
16 months ago

I agree- beautiful pictures - I wish I could visit them all!  Since I was a child I had a certain fascination about glaciers.  We visited Glacier National Park out west and I remember drinking water from glacial run-off.  The water was so cold that the only reason it didn't freeze was because it was flowing.  Once you scooped a cup ot it the water froze to a slushy ice in your cup.

Whenever I had a fever (as I often did when younger) I would think of that glacier and the water and my temperature would go down.

Dottie1 profile image

Dottie1  says:
16 months ago

Gorgeous glaciers and each so uniquely different. Thanks for showing us!

cgull8m profile image

cgull8m  says:
16 months ago

Thanks Sally, Chef Jeff, Dottie, glad you guys liked it .

midnightbliss profile image

midnightbliss  says:
13 months ago

beautiful pics and views. Let's help preserve and conserve these beautiul places so the next generations will not only see it in pctures.

cgull8m profile image

cgull8m  says:
13 months ago

I agree Midnightbliss, well said, I hope they remain for a long time to come.

jennyblog profile image

jennyblog  says:
11 months ago

I have been to franz josef and fox glaciers in new zealand. Prettiest country on earth and wonderfull lakes throughout the southern alps.

cgull8m profile image

cgull8m  says:
11 months ago

That's lovely Jenny, must have been a great experience. Cheers.

Crazychris  says:
10 months ago

Hi, i love the page and would love to visit all of the glaciers; i have already visited and stood on the Athabasca Glacier in the Canadian Rockies and there is only two words i can use to describe the experience - TRUELY SPECTACULAR- and anyone who has the chance to see it must!

cgull8m profile image

cgull8m  says:
10 months ago

Thanks Chirs for your comments hope to enjoy similar experiences there. :)

LondonGirl profile image

LondonGirl  says:
10 months ago

The only glacier I have visited is in the Alps - an amazing experience, can't recommned it highly enough.

Shalini Kagal profile image

Shalini Kagal  says:
10 months ago

Great pictures - makes one want to go see all of them - thanks for a fascinating hub!

cgull8m profile image

cgull8m  says:
10 months ago

Thanks LondonGirl and Shalini, hope you see them soon. Cheers :)

compu-smart profile image

compu-smart  says:
10 months ago

The pictures look awesome and i was looking for the Polar Bears which i automatically associate with these images! A Helichooper ride over them would be something!!

cgull8m profile image

cgull8m  says:
10 months ago

Thanks Compu-smart :) will be a great experience to see them in the arctic wild.

Camping Dan profile image

Camping Dan  says:
9 months ago

These are some beautiful glaciers but they are all disappearing quicker than ever so if you want to see them you better get out and do so.

cgull8m profile image

cgull8m  says:
9 months ago

I agree Dan, too bad they are disappearing.

Yunnan tour  says:
7 months ago

Travel to Yulong Glacier, travel to Yunnan

cgull8m profile image

cgull8m  says:
7 months ago

Thanks a lot Yunnan, Yulong Glacier looks nice.

Eileen Hughes profile image

Eileen Hughes  says:
3 months ago

Cgull Gee great pics thats for sure. Wonder how long these will last the way our climate is going although we are learning slowly I think so may be still there for our great grand kids. Thanks for sharing

cgull8m profile image

cgull8m  says:
2 months ago

I agree Eileen, I feel sorry for the future generations what we are giving them now.

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