The name of the grasshopper glacier comes from the millions of extinct locusts inside it, and time is running out for this incredible glacier.
Perched 3,350 meters (11,000 feet) above sea level is a glacier that resembles an "elephant skin" and is filled with the remains of preserved extinct species. In 1914, the U.S. Geological Survey mining geologist J. M. P · Dr. Kimball conducted an investigation that eventually came up with the name of the grasshopper glacier.
The Grasshopper Glacier is located in the Custer National Forest in the Bertus Mountains southwest of Billings, Montana, and can be reached in just two months of the year. However, those lucky enough to reach the top of the mountain may see the treasures hidden in it.
Millions of well-preserved Rocky Mountain locusts have been present in glaciers for hundreds, if not thousands. When the U.S. Entomological Administration first identified locusts in 1914, they had not been found in large numbers since the late 19th century, and the last living specimen was collected in 1902.
While it's unclear what caused the extinction of this huge swarm, it is speculated that they encountered extreme weather conditions as they flew over glacially frosted peaks. Heavy snow and ice sheets keep them under the surface forever.
In the year the glacier was discovered, the structure of the glacier extended by 8 kilometers (5 miles) — but as global temperatures rise, the glacier has rapidly shrunk and is now only 0.32 kilometers (0.2 miles).
As the ice melts, preserved specimens are revealed, exposed to a warming climate. Once thawed, the time to collect the specimen is short. Due to the difficulty of reaching the site, many of these precious locusts were never collected, but slowly decayed at the top of the glacier.
Before their extinction, the Rocky Mountain locusts were known for their large swarm of locusts. Known in 1875 as the "Albert Locust Swarm," it is estimated to be 177 kilometers (110 miles) wide and 2,896 kilometers (1,800 miles) long, containing 12.5 trillion locusts.
The large swarm of locusts meant that few specimens were collected or studied before they became extinct, making the sites they have preserved all the more important for gathering information about this once-thriving species.
