[1][2] The glacier is situated in a north-facing cirque on the east slope of Mount Timpanogos (11,749 feet or 3,581 metres).

The core sample was reportedly contaminated and crystal morphology study was unsuccessful.

He dug through the rocks in the slope of the pit and found blue ice about three feet (0.91 m) down.

The occasional blue color of Emerald Lake is an indicator of the buried glacial ice.

Since this color did not appear in 2016 despite low water levels, the main flow lobe of the glacier which touches the lake may now be inactive.