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Wheeler Peak Glacier is a glacier situated at the base of Wheeler Peak within Great Basin National Park in the U.S. state of Nevada. At a height of Wheeler Peak is the tallest mountain in the Snake Range and the second tallest mountain in Nevada.〔(Hiking Wheeler Peak in Great Basin National Park )〕 The mountain top is also considered to be a horn, a peak carved and shaped by glaciers over a long period of time. The Wheeler Peak glacier can be considered an alpine glacier which started melting at and the effects of the glacier can easily be seen by observing the pathways (slopes, canyons, and streams) that the melting glacial water has cut through over several years.〔(NPS: Nature & Science» Geology Resources Division )〕 The glacier is also unique in that it contains many rocks and minerals, including limestone (found in the Lehman Caves), marble, sandstone, shale, quartzite, granite, aragonite, moonmilk, and gypsum.〔 ==Glacier Details== At about in size, the Wheeler Peak Glacier is fairly small, and is generally considered to be an alpine glacier. This type of small glacier is generally found in mountainous terrain, and is also sometimes referred to as a "mountain", "niche", or "cirque" glacier.〔(Great Basin National Park - Glaciers / Glacial Features (U.S. National Park Service) )〕 Wheeler Peak Glacier is also considered by some to be a rock glacier, since it is made up of ice, but contains large quantities of rocks on its surface. Looking at the glacier, it is easy to see arc-shaped ridges on the ice surface. The curvature is due to the way the glacier has grown; ice mass near the midline of the glacier creep faster than those on either side, causing the curvature.〔 Because Wheeler Peak has a northeast-facing headwall, it has perennial snow, and is able to protect the glacier from the sun.〔http://www.westernsnowconference.org/proceedings/pdf_Proceedings/2001%20WEB/WSC2001OrndorffVanHoesen%201%20.pdf〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Wheeler Peak Glacier」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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