Artist: Richard Becker

Lamplugh Glacier has one of the larger tidewater glacier faces in Glacier Bay, standing 150 feet high and being three quarters of a mile wide. One nickname for it is “Lamplugh the Blue” because it is one of the bluest glaciers in the park. Its blue color is a natural phenomenon, blue being the natural color of water when it is viewed in large quantities. If you think of the images of the Earth taken from space you’ll realize this to be true. Lamplugh Glacier is bluer than other glaciers in Glacier Bay because its ice has been subjected to higher pressures. These higher pressures force air bubbles to close and minimize cracking of the ice, as at higher pressures ice becomes more ductile. Bubbles and cracks scatter the light, producing white light and a white-colored glacier. The more these effects are minimized, the bluer the glacier.