Lone Mountain Rock Glaciers: Indicators of Change?

Rock glaciers are unique mountain features of rock and ice.  Like more traditional glaciers, they act as slow conveyor belts moving ice and rock downhill - but the layer of rock on the top makes for great camouflage.  In 1972, the discovery by Montana State University scientists of multiple rock glaciers on Lone Mountain went little noticed, or appreciated.  Today - more than 30 years later -  revisiting those glaciers is a high priority because of what they may be able to reveal about changes in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) in the distand and recent past.  The ice is also likely to contain dead and living flora and fauna, which may contribute to understanding past ecological conditions and unusual species.

Through the support of Big Sky Resort and the John Montagne Memorial Fund for Alpine Studies, BSI is funding a research project focusing on the Lone Mountain rock glaciers.  The study, part of BSI's graduate research fellowship program, began in fall 2008.  Under the guidance of Professor Mark Skidmore, Caitlyn Florentine, a MSU graduate student in the Department of Earth Sciences is delving into the mysteries of Lone Mountain's rock glaciers.

The questions she's exploring include:

• How have Lone Mountain's rock glaciers changed over time?
• What life has found a home in these ancient ice and rock habitats?
• Can rock glaciers give us additional clues to understanding how Lone Mountain and the GYE have changed over time in response to climate and other factors?

Read a fun and interesting report from Caitlyn Florentine on her first summer of field work.

An aerial view of Lone Mountain's largest rock glacier, outlined in red.