North Mowich Glacier

The North Mowich Glacier is a glacier located on the northwest flank of Mount Rainier in Washington. It covers 2.4 sqmi and contains 9.5 billion ft3 (269 million m3) of ice. Starting from the foot of Rainier's steep Mowich Face at about 9600 ft, the glacier first consists of two lobes of ice that flow downhill to the northwest. The southern arm of the glacier is connected to the adjacent Edmunds Glacier. As the two sections of ice join up, they form a large, relatively flat plateau of ice ranging from 7800 ft to 8300 ft. This plateau is an unbroken expanse of ice except for Needle Rock, which pokes out of the glacier ice. From then on, the southern part of the glacier terminates at about 6400 ft, while the northern, rocky arm flows down a glacial valley and ends at about 5800 ft in elevation. The North Mowich Glacier gives rise to the North Mowich River.