The Retreat of Boulder Glacier

In 1932 visitors to Glacier National Park, Montana, could walk beneath a massive arch of ice at the Boulder Glacier ice cave. By 1988 the glacier that created the cave had vanished completely, leaving behind only bare rock and gravel. This striking photo pair helped inspire the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to begin documenting glacier and landscape change through photography. Using either your mouse or arrow keys, drag the slider to reveal how much Boulder Glacier has retreated.

A slider comparing two images. The first image is a historic photo of Boulder Glacier showing thick ice and an ice cave, with several people standing at the glacier’s edge. The second image is a modern view of Boulder Glacier’s former site, now a rocky landscape with no remaining ice, revealing exposed mountain terrain.

Credits: George A. Grant/Glacier National Park Archives;
Jerry DeSanto/University of Montana, Mansfield Library Archives and Special Collections
© Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.