Ice wall
Tens of metres high.
Christoph Strässler from Oberdorf BL, Schweiz — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Christoph Strässler from Oberdorf BL, Schweiz — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Capricorn4049 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Christoph Strässler from Oberdorf BL, Schweiz — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Christoph Strässler from Oberdorf BL, Schweiz — CC BY-SA 2.0
Russell Glacier is an outlet of the ice sheet in western Greenland, its front lying about 23 km in a straight line east of the settlement of Kangerlussuaq. It is one of the easiest places on the island to see the edge of the ice sheet up close, which draws many visitors. The glacier ends in a wall of ice tens of metres high above the plain, from which chunks sometimes break away. Meltwater streams pour from its base into a river that runs west towards Kangerlussuaq through a shallow valley where long fields of quicksand form, with a large lake beside it. Kangerlussuaq lies at the end of a long fjord and was long Greenland's main airport, and its surroundings hold much wildlife, including muskoxen and caribou. A gravel road runs from the settlement towards the glacier, and four-wheel-drive tours from town stop here, often passing herds of muskoxen on the way. Access is usually on a paid tour. Keep away from the ice wall, as pieces can fall without warning, bring mosquito repellent in early summer, and visit between June and September.
Tens of metres high.
Flowing to town.
Wild herds.
Kangerlussuaq, Greenland
On a four-wheel-drive tour from Kangerlussuaq.
No, keep well back, as pieces fall without warning.