Chancellor Dome

Snow collects in the neve then spills over down the Fox valley. On the true right side there is a rock dome, which the ice once flowed over and smoothed, called Chancellor Dome. Below that is a ledge tapering up into the neve, very similar to the ledges described lower down on the left wall of the valley (see Giant Fox Panorama).

Over the ridge made by Chancellor Dome is a higher valley, where another glacier once flowed to join the Fox (bottom left of picture). This is now a hanging valley with its floor high above the present glacier level. Behind the hanging valley is the Fritz Range, behind which is the top of the Franz Josef Glacier.

These views of Fox Glacier were obtained by Paul Maggs in 1995 during a commercial helicopter flight over the glacier.

The ice is still flowing from the Fox neve over the top of rocks on the left bank, as it once flowed over Chancellor dome on its right bank.

For this dramatic picture, Paul Maggs looked back down Fox Glacier from the hovering helicopter above the top ice fall, down to Fox river, which joins Cook River and then on to the sea.

Chancellor dome is on the right.

Just before the sea is a dark, low range of hills. This was deposited as a lateral moraine by Fox Glacier when it last reached the sea during the ice age, about 14 million years ago.

Another view of the ice field feeding Fox Glacier and the longitudinal furrow which develops in amongst the crevasses is seen here

Some experts believe Fox Glacier retreated right up into the snow neve during a warmer period than now after the ice age and the valley we are looking down had no ice until the "little ice age" began about 1200AD.

Fox glacier advanced until 1600, then retreated slightly.

A further advance ended around 1750

Yet another ended about 1825

There has been a major retreat since then, until the recent advance began around 1995

There is global warming going on at present, but the earth temperature has been colder than average for several million years and some believe we are simply returning to a more normal phase.

Since 2000, the glacier has been retreating again. Precipitation can make the glacier advance or retreat, as explained here.