Piedmont glacier in
Alaska near
Yakutat; the largest
glacier in
North America. The
Malaspina Glacier originates in the
St. Elias Mountains and spills out into a giant circlular
piedmont about 20 miles in diameter. The
glacier's
terminis is located on the
Gulf of Alaska and the North end of
Disenchantment Bay, about 20 miles North of
Yakutat.
Named after an Italian explorer, the Malaspina is one of the few glaciers with large trees actually growing on the glacier itself (this is possible because of the presence of a rather large moraine on which soil is able to form over time). But like most glaciers in Alaska, the Malaspina is now receding, due perhaps in part to the role played by global climate change.
The M/V Malaspina, one of the ferries of the Alaska Marine Highway Fleet, was named after the Malaspina Glacier.