Potanin Glacier | |
Type: | Mountain glacier |
Map: | Mongolia |
Relief: | 2 |
Location: | Ulaankhus District, Bayan-Ölgii Province, Mongolia |
The Potanin Glacier is the longest glacier in Mongolia, it stretches about 14 kilometres and located through in the Altai Tavan Bogd mountain in Altai Mountains.[1] The glacier is named after explorer Grigory Potanin.
As with many other glaciers around the world, the Potanin Glacier is gradually decreasing in size. Over a 6-year period of observation, September 2003 to September 2009, it retreated by about 90 meters, thus recording an average retreat rate of 15 m/year. It also has become thinner, especially in its lower parts; the average thinning rate of 2.6 m/year has been measured over 2004–2009.