Lyell Glacier facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lyell Glacier
East lobe of Lyell Glacier
Lyell Glacier Location in California Show map of California Lyell Glacier Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Type	Mountain glacier
Location	Yosemite National Park, Tuolumne County, California, United States
Coordinates	37°44′35″N 119°16′09″W / 37.74306°N 119.26917°W / 37.74306; -119.26917
Length	.5 mi (0.80 km) estimated
Terminus	Talus
Status	Retreating

Lyell Glacier is in the Sierra Nevada of California. The glacier was discovered by John Muir in 1871, and was the largest glacier in Yosemite National Park. It lies on the northern slopes of Mount Lyell.

The glacier has retreated since the end of the Little Ice Age in the mid-19th century. During the mid-20th Century, the glacier split into two smaller glaciers occupying the high cirques of Mount Lyell. Since 1883, the glacier area has retreated up to 70 percent. Another glacier, the Maclure Glacier on nearby Mount Maclure, has also retreated significantly.

According to a study in 2013, today the Lyell is no longer a glacier, having lost any movement and thus it should be considered an ice field.

Lyell Glacier in 1883