Fox Glacier

E613368

Fox Glacier is a prominent temperate maritime glacier on New Zealand’s South Island, known for its steep descent from the Southern Alps into lush rainforest near sea level.

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Observed surface forms (1)

Surface form Occurrences
Fox Glacier / Te Moeka o Tuawe 1

Statements (47)

Predicate Object
instanceOf maritime glacier
temperate glacier
tourist attraction
valley glacier
accessModeToLowerGlacier primarily by helicopter for guided parties
accessRestrictedSince 2010s due to increased hazards near the terminus
climateType maritime climate
country New Zealand
currentlyTrend overall retreat due to climate warming
distanceToFranzJosefGlacier about 20 kilometres
drainageBasin Fox River catchment NERFINISHED
elevationRange from over 2500 metres to near sea level
from over 8200 feet to near sea level
experiencedAdvance mid-1990s to late 2000s
flowsInto Fox River NERFINISHED
geologicalSetting tectonically active region along the Alpine Fault
hasHazards flooding from glacial outburst events
icefall
rockfall
hasMaoriName Te Moeka o Tuawe NERFINISHED
knownFor proximity of glacier terminus to temperate rainforest
rapid response to climate variations
steep gradient
length about 8 miles
approximately 13 kilometres
locatedIn South Island
West Coast Region NERFINISHED
Westland Tai Poutini National Park NERFINISHED
locatedOn western slopes of the Southern Alps
managedBy Department of Conservation (New Zealand) NERFINISHED
MaoriNameMeaning The bed (or final resting place) of Tuawe
namedAfter Sir William Fox NERFINISHED
namedAfterOccupation former Prime Minister of New Zealand
near Franz Josef Glacier NERFINISHED
nearestSettlement Fox Glacier township NERFINISHED
partOf Southern Alps glacier system NERFINISHED
receives high annual precipitation
region Westland District NERFINISHED
retreatedNotablyDuring late 20th century and early 21st century
surfaceFeatures crevasses
ice caves
seracs
terminusNear sea level
tourismActivities guided glacier walks
heli-hiking
ice climbing
scenic flights

Referenced by (4)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Te Wahipounamu World Heritage Area contains Fox Glacier
this entity surface form: Fox Glacier / Te Moeka o Tuawe
West Coast contains Fox Glacier
Westland region contains Fox Glacier
Southern Alps hasGlacier Fox Glacier