hanging glacier

British  

noun

1. a glacier situated on a shelf above a valley or another glacier; it may be joined to the lower level by an icefall or separate from it

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Example Sentences

In 1985, Nepal’s Dig Tsho lake, in the Everest region, burst after part of a hanging glacier fell into it, destroying houses and infrastructure below.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

In 2021, the area experienced a deadly flood after a section of rock and hanging glacier fell down a steep slope.

From Washington Post • Jan. 12, 2023

This hanging glacier – compressed from ancient snowflakes into cerulean-white, gem hardness – was one of many encircling and guarding the upper half of the mountain.

From The Guardian • Nov. 8, 2018

He then rappelled approximately two-thirds of the way down the face, where he strapped in and made turns down a 250-meter, 50-degree, hanging glacier, below which was nothing but 500 meters of crisp Alpine air.

From Time Magazine Archive

A small hanging glacier extends out from the lip of the ice cap, leading up and across the north face of the Thumb like a catwalk.

From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer