Maclure Glacier is a glacier located on Mount Maclure

Mount Maclure

Mount Maclure is the nearest neighbor to Mount Lyell, the highest point in Yosemite National Park. Mount Maclure is located at the southeast end of the Cathedral Range, about northwest of Lyell. It is named for William Maclure, was a pioneer in American geology, who produced one of the earliest...

 in the Sierra Nevada crest of Yosemite National Park

Yosemite National Park

Yosemite National Park is a United States National Park spanning eastern portions of Tuolumne, Mariposa and Madera counties in east central California, United States. The park covers an area of and reaches across the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountain chain...

 in Tuolumne County

Tuolumne County, California

Tuolumne County is a county in the Sierra Nevada of the U.S. state of California. The northern half of Yosemite National Park is located in the eastern part of the county. As of the 2010 census, the population was 55,365, up from 54,501 at the 2000 census...

, California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. Like most glaciers in the Sierra Nevada, the Maclure Glacier is a small cirque

Cirque

Cirque may refer to:* Cirque, a geological formation* Makhtesh, an erosional landform found in the Negev desert of Israel and Sinai of Egypt*Cirque , an album by Biosphere* Cirque Corporation, a company that makes touchpads...

 glacier that is 0.3 mi (0.5 km) long and covers an area of .08 mi² (0.2 km²). The mean elevation of the glacier is around 11400 ft (3,474.7 m). Both the Maclure Glacier and the Lyell Glacier

Lyell Glacier

There is also a Lyell Glacier, South GeorgiaLyell Glacier is a small glacier in the Sierra Nevada of California. The glacier was discovered by John Muir in 1871 , and is the largest glacier in Yosemite National Park. The glacier lies on the northern slopes of Mount Lyell.The glacier has retreated...

, located nearby on Mount Lyell, have retreated since

Retreat of glaciers since 1850

The retreat of glaciers since 1850 affects the availability of fresh water for irrigation and domestic use, mountain recreation, animals and plants that depend on glacier-melt, and in the longer term, the level of the oceans...

their first discovery.