a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation (melting and sublimation) over many years, often centuries
Snowpit was excavated in the accumulation zone of the Rhone Glacier during the 2000-2001 austral summer. GPS coordinates were not obtained at the time of sample collection. Location is approximated based on the recollection of Thomas Nylen, and provided by Kathy Welch in October 2022.