Drygalski Glacier (Tanzania)
| Drygalski Glacier | |
|---|---|
NASA image from 2004 with locations of major glaciers on Mount Kilimanjaro. Drygalski Glacier is at upper left. Click on image to expand. | |
Drygalski Glacier Location in Tanzania Drygalski Glacier Drygalski Glacier (Africa) | |
Interactive map of Drygalski Glacier | |
| Type | Mountain glacier |
| Location | Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania |
| Coordinates | 03°03′21″S 37°20′48″E / 3.05583°S 37.34667°E |
| Terminus | Barren rock |
| Status | Extinct |
The Drygalski Glacier was a large ice sheet located on Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, the highest mountain in Africa. Part of the Northern Ice Field near the mountain's summit, it dated to the last ice age, around 11,700 years ago. The glacier was discovered in 1898 by Hans Meyer, who nine years earlier had been the first person to reach Kilimanjaro's summit. It was named after Erich von Drygalski.
Between 1912 and the present day, the ice sheets on Kilimanjaro have retreated dramatically. As of 2016, only the top portions of the Northern Ice Field were reported as still being extant and the Drygalski Glacier was reported as vanished by 2022.