New Zealand Earthquake 2011: Tasman Glacier Ice Breaks Off

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — The earthquake that struck Christchurch has caused some 30 million tons of ice to break off from New Zealand's biggest glacier.

Tour guides at the Tasman Glacier in the Southern Alps say the quake caused the ice to "calve" from the glacier, forming icebergs in the terminal lake.

Tourists of Glacier Explorer boats say the icefall caused waves of up to 3.5 meters in height which swept up and down the lake for 30 minutes.

The glacier is about 120 miles (200 kilometers) from Christchurch on the west coast.

The powerful earthquake struck Christchurch on Tuesday, toppling tall buildings and churches, crushing buses and killing at least 65 people.

Comments

[mspelto]

02:19 PM on 02/22/2011

There are two other glaciers in adjacent valleys the Hooker and Murchison I wonder if either were impacted?
http://glacierchange.wordpress.com/2009/11/27/tasman-glacier-retreat/
http://glacierchange.wordpress.com/2011/02/22/murchison-glacier-retreat-increasing/

[mspelto]

02:17 PM on 02/22/2011

That is a splendid picture of the rapidly retreating Tasman Glacier, and the expanding lake it used to fill. The lower glacier sitting in the lake is quite susceptible to breakup.

[EagleFury]

01:45 PM on 02/22/2011

30 million tons?! That seems a bit exaggerated. Perhaps 300,000 tons?

[Hesca419]

03:35 PM on 02/22/2011

Using estimates for the density of frozen ice, 30 million tons of ice becomes roughly 190 billion gallons. A lot for us, no doubt, but very little on the planetary scale.

[Madamm Geeky]

09:44 AM on 02/22/2011

A tribute to the victims of the Christchurch earthquake:
http://earthquakes.videohq.tv/2011/02/new-zealand-tribute-to-earthquake.html

Please donate and help via the official lines on that page.