Glacier National Park

Glacier National Park (located in the Montana Rocky Mountains) was established as the US’s 10th national park in 1910. It is known for its beautiful glaciers, mountains, and lakes. These ancient glaciers are estimated to be 7000 years old. The park contains trails, waterfalls, and meadows, as well as many other unique natural feats such as u-shaped valleys, hanging valleys, paternoster lakes, moraines, aretes, and “horns” (National Park Service). Though the glaciers are what the park is named after, the rock beneath it all is very important to the park’s geological history. The land used to be covered by shallow water (The Belt Sea), however, mountain ranges formed as the water repeatedly retracted and then recovered the land. Within the sedimentary left behind are precambrian limestone, dolomite, argillite, and quartzite.

Unfortunately, all of the park’s glaciers have shown varying degrees of melting. According to the National Park Service, “Glacier National Park is warming at nearly two times the global average” (National Park Service 2022). Additionally, The New York Times states that the ice “shrank by more than a third between 1966 and 2015" (Popovich 2017). The park also hosts a wide array of wildlife (mountain goats, bald eagles, bighorn sheep, black bears, moose, mountain lions, etc.).

There are approximately 52 Canada Lynx estimated to be within the bounds of Glacier National Park (a 2023 study in GNP produced a population figure of 1.28/100 km2, which would equate to ≈52 [Glacier National Park is roughly 4100 km2; 4100/100=41; 41x1.28=52.48])(Anderson, Waller, and Thornton 2023). In the past, the Canada Lynx has been delared an endangered species. This is partially due to the specific conditions that the Lynx requires to survive. Our course’s text Elemental Geosystems defines a habitat as “a physical location to which an organism is biologically suited and lives” (Christopherson and Birkeland 2019, chap. 16). Its habitat generally includes boreal forest and heavy snow. Having proper weather conditions and an abundance of prey is vital to the survival of the lynx, especially considering it so heavily relies on one species (snowshoe hare) to hunt. 

The National Wildlife Federation states that “the link between lynx and hare is so tight in the North that the two species’ populations fluctuate in almost perfect synchrony” (National Wildlife Federation, n.d.). This population fluctuation is a massive limiting factor (“the physical, chemical, or biological factor that determines species distributions and population size, often through either lack or excess”) for the Canada Lynx (Christopherson and Birkeland 2019, chap. 16). There are four species of lynx: the Canada lynx, the Bobcat, the Eurasian lynx, and the Iberian lynx, the ladder half of which do not occupy North America but rather Europe and Asia (PBS 2020). The special thing about the Canada Lynx inhabiting parts of Glacier National Park is that there are so few other places in the United States in which the Canada Lynx still occupy. The majority of the Canada Lynx are found in Canada and Alaska, though some do live in the United States (Montana, Washington, Colorado, and Maine)(National Wildlife Federation, n.d.). These are the only states in which there are consistent, stable populations.

Whilst Lynx are an important species in GNP, mountains are one of its most significant physical features. The Rocky Mountains go through the park, which formed as a result of orogenesis (“the process of mountain building that occurs when large-scale compression leads to deformation and uplift of the crust; literally, the birth of mountains” (Christopherson and Birkeland 2019, chap. 10). Specifically, by what is known as the Laramide Orogeny (National Park Service 2016). This episode is what produced the current form of many mountains in North America (from Alaska to Mexico). Two ranges can be found within the park, the Lewis Range and the Livingston Range. According to the National Park Service, “The beautiful banding of the sedimentary layers in Glacier's mountains is due to changes in conditions of the shallow seas where they were originally deposited” (National Park Service 2016). 

Folding (“the bending and deformation of beds of rock strata subjected to compressional forces”) caused the crust that was being pushed together to push upwards, which formed the peaks and heights of the mountains (Christopherson and Birkeland 2019, chap. 10). Interesting variations of this occurred throughout Glacier Park. An example of this is Chief Mountain, which formed when uplifted sediment deposits pushed significantly older rock slabs overtop younger rock (National Park Service 2017). This is known as the Lewis Overthrust Fault. Another contributor is glaciers. Though the deposition and uplift created peaks, the glaciers carved deep valleys throughout the park. This is what formed the U-shaped valleys of the park (U.S. Geological Survey, n.d.). 

The historical, geological, and ecological significance of Glacier National Park can truly show how important it is that it was established as a National Park and protected land. This allows not only the further investigation of this ancient land for historical context and further scientific knowledge but also allows everyday people to witness its beauty and grandeur.

The park has established safe grounds for many species (endangered or not) to live, thrive, and reproduce. It has also allowed many scholars and scientists to study and gain a better grasp of where the landscape came from and how it will continue to morph. It is especially important to understand considering the already significant loss of glaciers so that we know how to adapt going forward. It is home to so many different stunning landscapes and ecosystems. Under this protected land is also the history of Native Americans that once lived amongst the land, much of which was considered sacred. Additionally, according to the NPS, "Waterton-Glacier is the world's first international peace park" (National Park Service, 2018).

Anderson, Alissa K., John S. Waller, and Daniel N. Thornton. 2023. “Canada lynx occupancy and density in Glacier National Park.” Journal of Wildlife Management 87, no. 4 (May).  https://doi.org/10.1002/jwmg.22383 . 

Christopherson, Robert W., and Ginger H. Birkeland. 2019. Elemental Geosystems. Pearson Education. https://plus.pearson.com/courses/grabbatin94228/products/3IO65RF1TSG/pages/ab12a9e 5c72669b09c772e40e180e9954d0f05434?locale=&redirectURL=https://plus.pearson.co m/home&userPreferredType=read.

PBS. “Lynx Fact Sheet.” PBS Nature. April 21, 2020.  https://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/blog/lynx-fact-sheet/#:~:text=Habitat%3A,trees%20and%20can%20swim%20swiftly . 

Popovich, Nadja. 2017. “Mapping 50 Years of Melting Ice in Glacier National Park.” New York Times, May 24, 2017.  https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/05/24/climate/mapping-50-years-of-ice-loss-in-glacier-national-park.html . 

The National Park Service. 2022. “Climate Change.” Last updated May 19, 2022.  https://www.nps.gov/glac/learn/nature/climate-change.htm . 

The National Park Service. 2017. “Geologic Formations.” Last updated May 24, 2017.  https://www.nps.gov/glac/learn/nature/geologicformations.htm . 

The National Park Service. 2023. “Glacier National Park.” Accessed November 17, 2023.  https://www.nps.gov/glac/index.htm . 

The National Park Service. 2018. “Glacier’s Purpose, Significance and Designations.” Last updated June 21, 2018.  https://www.nps.gov/glac/learn/education/glacier-s-purpose-significance-and-designations.htm . 

The National Park Service. 2016. “Mountains.” Last updated August 1, 2016.  https://www.nps.gov/glac/learn/nature/mountains.htm . 

The National Wildlife Federation. n.d. “Canada Lynx.” Accessed November 25, 2023.  https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Mammals/Canada-Lynx . 

U.S. Geological Survey. n.d. “Geology of Glacier National Park.” Geology and Ecology of National Parks. Accessed November 17, 2023.  https://www.usgs.gov/geology-and-ecology-of-national-parks/geology-glacier-national-park .