Ice breaking off a glacier into the water

Glacier Bay Quiz: Alaska's Tidewater Glaciers and Whales

This Glacier Bay quiz sails into the icy fjords of southeast Alaska. Play 10 interactive questions on George Vancouver's 1794 visit, John Muir's 1879 trip, one of the fastest glacier retreats on record, calving at Margerie Glacier, the 1980 national park, the Huna Tlingit tribal house, humpback whales, cruise ship limits and the gateway of Gustavus.

Start Glacier Bay Quiz

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

State
Which state is Glacier Bay in?
Type
What are tidewater glaciers?
1794
What did George Vancouver find in 1794?
Muir
Which naturalist explored Glacier Bay in 1879?
Retreat
How far have the glaciers retreated since the 1700s?
Calving
What is calving?
Margerie
Which glacier is famous for calving in front of cruise ships?
Park
When did Glacier Bay become a national park and preserve?
People
Which people call Glacier Bay their homeland?
Whales
Which whales feed in the bay in summer?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: Which state is Glacier Bay in?
Answer: Alaska
It lies in southeast Alaska.
Q2: What are tidewater glaciers?
Answer: Glaciers that reach the sea
They end at the water's edge.
Q3: What did George Vancouver find in 1794?
Answer: A bay almost filled with ice
The bay barely existed then.
Q4: Which naturalist explored Glacier Bay in 1879?
Answer: John Muir
He found the ice had retreated far.
Q5: How far have the glaciers retreated since the 1700s?
Answer: More than 60 miles
It is among the fastest retreats known.
Q6: What is calving?
Answer: Ice breaking off a glacier into the water
It makes loud booms.
Q7: Which glacier is famous for calving in front of cruise ships?
Answer: Margerie Glacier
It reaches the bay's upper end.
Q8: When did Glacier Bay become a national park and preserve?
Answer: 1980
It had been a monument since 1925.
Q9: Which people call Glacier Bay their homeland?
Answer: Huna Tlingit
A tribal house opened in 2016.
Q10: Which whales feed in the bay in summer?
Answer: Humpback whales
Boats must slow down near them.

Tidewater Glaciers and a Fast Retreat

Glacier Bay in southeast Alaska is a maze of fjords where tidewater glaciers reach the sea. When George Vancouver sailed past in 1794, the bay was almost filled by a huge glacier. By John Muir's visit in 1879, the ice had pulled back dozens of miles.

Since the 1700s, the ice has retreated more than 60 miles, one of the fastest glacier retreats on record. Glaciers such as Margerie still calve, dropping chunks of ice into the water with thunderous booms as cruise ships watch. Plants and animals quickly colonized the newly exposed land.

Glacier Bay became a national monument in 1925 and a national park and preserve in 1980. It is the homeland of the Huna Tlingit, whose tribal house opened in the park in 2016. Humpback whales feed in summer, and cruise ship numbers are limited to protect them. Gustavus is the gateway town.

What This Quiz Teaches

Nature fans will enjoy these questions.

What tidewater glaciers are
How fast the ice retreated
Who explored the bay
Whose homeland it is
Which wildlife lives there

Did You Know?

Sea otters have returned to the bay.
Kayakers paddle among floating ice.
Brown bears roam the shores.
The park is part of a huge UNESCO site.
Most visitors arrive by boat.