A substantial portion of the Mendenhall Glacier is expected to collapse at any time, and visitors are being urged by the U.S Forest Service to keep their distance from the glacier face.
Officials say, due to significant calving activity in recent weeks, the timing and the scale of the calving are unpredictable.
According to the U.S Forest Service website The face of the glacier is an active calving zone at all times of the year. In the winter, a calving can shatter the lake ice. Ice near the face of the glacier is also weaker due to calving and the movement of the glacier. Most reports of people falling through the ice come from the face of the glacier.
Many residents spend leisure time on the frozen Mendenhall lake, with cross country skiing, skating and walking paths leading toward the glacier.
The U.S Forest Service says ” Lake ice is never safe. The thickness is not measured or monitored by the Forest Service. Lake ice can vary in thickness due to water flowing into the lake.”
Calving activity has already caused ice chunks to fall onto the lake, which could destabilize the surface.
A video posted on Facebook in December showed people running from the glacier face as a large chunk fell towards the ice.
