Map of Suicide Basin

As the smaller Suicide Glacier in Juneau, Alaska rapidly receded away from the large Mendenhall Glacier, it left behind a baren, rock- and iceberg-filled basin. Rainwater, ice, and glacier meltwater accumulate in the basin, cupped between the Mendenhall Glacier and the bare mountain. When the water level reaches a certain threshold, it builds up enough pressure to force its way underneath the Mendenhall Glacier, draining into the Mendenhall Lake in a glacial outburst flood. As the lake overflows, the floodwaters inundate roads and homes, eventually making their way down the Mendenhall River and to the ocean. 

Map Image Description: A map showing the location of Suicide Basin in relationship to the Mendenhall Glacier and the city of Juneau. In the top right, a glacier sits high in the mountains above the curved Suicide Basin, which is blocked on its other side by the Mendenhall Glacier. The Mendenhall Glacier fills the valleys between the mountains and ends at the edge of the Mendenhall Lake. At the far side of the lake from the glacier, the Mendenhall River flows down the slope and along the left edge of the city of Juneau.