Potholes are depressions, often water-filled, 10-100 m across, found on the surfaces of glaciers. Most fields of potholes are found on surging glaciers, suggesting that potholes form as a result of surging. A photographic inventory of hundreds of galciers in Alaska and Yukon Territory allowed this hypothesis to be tested. Out of 26 pothole fields observed, 19 were on known surging glaciers, two on probable surging glaciers, and the rest in areas where surging glaciers are common. The majority of pothole fields wer found near the equilibirum line. Photographs show that potholes formed within several years following the 1937 surge of the Black Rapids Glacier in a zone where there had been intense crevassing. Between 1949 and 1986 the total number of potholes on the glacier decreased from approximately 700 to less than 200, while their mean size increased from 20 to 30 m. Some of these potholes have been observed to drain englacially. The movement of these potholes were measured photogrammetrically to less than 10 m/yr, the majority of the motion resulting from ice flow. Intense crevassing resulting from surging appears to be necessary for the formulation of potholes, but not sufficient, as only 21 out of 256 surging glaciers contain potholes. ¿ American Geophysical Union 1987