University of Utah geologists mapped the Timpanogos Rock Glacier in 2024 using gravity imaging, revealing an estimated 1.55 million cubic meters of ice beneath its rocky surface. Meanwhile, a regional study by Brigham Young University and the Utah Geological Survey found that nearly all high-alpine rock glaciers in Utah and Colorado feed vital late-summer outlet streams.
Gravity Imaging Reveals Buried Ice Beneath Mount Timpanogos
From a distance, the jumble of broken rock resting in a north-facing basin beneath Mount Timpanogos looks like an ordinary rubble pile. Beneath that rocky surface, lies an enormous reservoir of ice.
University of Utah geologists mapped the Timpanogos Rock Glacier in three dimensions, determining it contains about 1.55 million cubic meters of ice. That volume is comparable to the largest pyramid at Giza and is enough frozen water to fill roughly 600 Olympic swimming pools. While conventional glaciers expose gleaming ice to the elements, rock glaciers are covered by thick layers of debris.
There’s a lot of ice that’s hidden in Utah’s mountains. When we are high in the mountains and walking across loose rocks or rubble, you don’t realize there could be 120 feet of ice buried beneath your feet.
Leif Anderson, University of Utah glaciology professor
Because traditional ground-penetrating radar waves scatter when striking the internal rocks of these landforms, researchers turned to an alternative method. Bronson Cvijanovich, then a geology and geophysics graduate student, carried a sensitive gravimeter across the rocky surface during six field trips in 2024, recording measurements at 232 locations spaced roughly 25 meters apart. Because rock is much denser than ice, the gravity measurements dropped slightly over areas containing thicker buried ice. The team processed the data using a Bayesian statistical model to build a 3D picture showing an ice-rich core running about 83% ice and 17% rock.
High-Country Expeditions Confirm Alpine Water Sources
Beyond the Mount Timpanogos mapping project, a collaborative study involving Brigham Young University, the Utah Geological Survey, and other regional institutions examined how these hidden formations fit into the wider hydrological network. Researchers embarked on a six-week expedition hiking to nearly 100 high-country rock glaciers across Utah and Colorado to inspect outlet streams.
For a state that depends on snowpack for roughly 95% of its water, understanding these subterranean reserves is increasingly urgent. As Utah Geological Survey, Brigham Young University and other Utah universities investigated the region’s alpine hydrology, the team discovered that nearly all the surveyed landforms fed active streams.
What we ended up finding out was nearly all of them had water, so it’s pretty exciting for us to be able to find that, especially late in the summer, when we need that water the most.
Greg Carling, BYU geology professor and researcher
The researchers also collected water and macroinvertebrate samples to assess quality. The samples came back notably clean, aligning with expectations for high-alpine sources. The findings arrive as drought conditions persist across the state, with the U.S. Drought Monitor noting that over 90% of Utah remained in severe or worse drought categories through the summer and into meteorological fall.
Global Implications and Future Outlook for Hidden Water Stores
The dual studies offer a clearer picture of how debris-covered glaciers form and endure as mountain climates shift. Unlike exposed surface ice that melts quickly under direct sunlight, rock glaciers shield their frozen cores beneath thick rubble blankets. Once winter snow arrives, moisture percolates back into the subsurface matrix, recharging the internal ice supply.
Global estimates suggest that known rock glaciers worldwide may hold about 48 gigatons of water. These hidden reservoirs function as natural regulators, releasing meltwater slowly during the hottest months when lower-elevation supplies dwindle.
For student researchers working in the Mountain West, the insights carry implications far beyond local watersheds. Lerato Thoka-Cole, a BYU geology graduate student who participated in the field research, noted that studying alpine hydrology in Utah offers practical lessons for managing untapped groundwater resources in drought-prone regions internationally, such as aquifers in Africa.