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    11 Glaciers and Glaciations

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    MUHAMMAD NUMAN
    Glaciers are large accumulations of ice, snow, rock and sediment that form in cold climates or at high elevations. There are three main types of glaciers: mountain glaciers, ice sheets, and ice shelves. Glaciers form when more snow accumulates than melts and the snow is not removed by wind or avalanches. Glaciers move via internal flow and basal sliding, eroding the landscape through plucking, abrasion, and freeze-thaw processes as they advance or retreat depending on the balance between accumulation and ablation.

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    11 Glaciers and Glaciations

    Uploaded by

    MUHAMMAD NUMAN
    27 views4 pages
    Glaciers are large accumulations of ice, snow, rock and sediment that form in cold climates or at high elevations. There are three main types of glaciers: mountain glaciers, ice sheets, and ice shelves. Glaciers form when more snow accumulates than melts and the snow is not removed by wind or avalanches. Glaciers move via internal flow and basal sliding, eroding the landscape through plucking, abrasion, and freeze-thaw processes as they advance or retreat depending on the balance between accumulation and ablation.

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    Glaciers are large accumulations of ice, snow, rock and sediment that form in cold climates or at high elevations. There are three main types of glaciers: mountain glaciers, ice sheets, and ice shelves. Glaciers form when more snow accumulates than melts and the snow is not removed by wind or avalanches. Glaciers move via internal flow and basal sliding, eroding the landscape through plucking, abrasion, and freeze-thaw processes as they advance or retreat depending on the balance between accumulation and ablation.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    27 views4 pages

    11 Glaciers and Glaciations

    Uploaded by

    MUHAMMAD NUMAN
    Glaciers are large accumulations of ice, snow, rock and sediment that form in cold climates or at high elevations. There are three main types of glaciers: mountain glaciers, ice sheets, and ice shelves. Glaciers form when more snow accumulates than melts and the snow is not removed by wind or avalanches. Glaciers move via internal flow and basal sliding, eroding the landscape through plucking, abrasion, and freeze-thaw processes as they advance or retreat depending on the balance between accumulation and ablation.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 4

    Glaciers and Glaciation

    Glacier:

    A glacier is a large, permanent accumulation of ice, snow, rock, sediment, and often
    liquid water.

    Types of Glaciers:

    1. Mountain Glaciers – They are relatively small glaciers which occur at higher
    elevations in mountainous regions.

    2. Ice Sheets (Continental glaciers) - are the largest types of glaciers on Earth.
    They cover large areas of the land surface, including mountain areas. Ice
    sheets cover Greenland and Antarctica. These two ice sheets comprise about
    95% of all glacial ice currently on Earth. They have an estimated volume of
    about 24 million km3. If melted, they contain enough water to raise sea level
    about 66m (216 ft.). The Greenland ice sheet is in some places over 3000 m
    (9800 ft) thick and the weight of ice has depressed much of the crust of
    Greenland below sea level. Antarctica is covered by two large ice sheets that
    meet in the central part along the Transantarctic Mountains.
    3. Ice Shelves - Ice shelves are sheets of ice floating on water and attached to
    land. They may extend hundreds of km from land and reach thicknesses of
    1000 m.

    Glaciers can also be classified on the basis of their internal temperature:

    • Temperate glaciers - Ice in a temperate glacier is at a temperature near its


    melting point.

    • Polar glaciers - Ice in a polar glacier always maintains a temperature well


    below its melting point.

    The Formation of Glacial Ice

    Three conditions are necessary to form a glacier:

    (1) Cold local climate (polar latitudes or high elevation).

    (2) snow must be abundant; more snow must fall than it melts, and

    (3) snow must not be removed by avalanches or wind.


    Changes in Glacier Size:

    Accumulation - A glacier can change its size by Accumulation, which occurs by


    addition of snowfall and compaction

    Ablation - The loss of mass resulting from melting, where temperatures may rise
    above freezing point in summer.

    Thus, depending on the balance between accumulation and ablation during a full
    season, the glacier can advance or retreat.

    Movement of Glaciers:

    Glaciers move to lower elevations under the force of gravity by two different processes

    • Internal Flow - called creep, results from deformation of the ice crystal
    structure. The crystals slide over each other like deck of cards.
    • Basal sliding - meltwater at base of glacier reduces friction by lubricating the
    surface and allowing the glacier to slide across its bed.

    The velocity of glacial ice changes throughout the glacier. The velocity is low next to
    the base of the glacier and where it is contact with valley walls. The velocity increases
    toward the center and upper parts of the glacier.
    Glacial Erosion:

    There are three main types of glacial erosion

    Plucking
    Plucking is when melt water from a glacier freezes around lumps of cracked and
    broken rock. When the ice moves downhill, rock is plucked from the back wall.

    Abrasion
    Abrasion is when base of glacier scrapes the bed rock.

    Freeze thaw
    When water enters into cracks of bed rock and freezes, water expands. This causes
    the crack to get larger and eventually the rocks break.

    Engineering Considerations:

    Sea Level Changes

    • During glacial periods much sea water was tied up in glaciers so sea level was
    lower.

    • during interglacial periods sea level was higher due to melting of the ice.

    Formation of new drainage networks

    When glacial ice forms, it can block existing drainages causing the formation of new
    lakes and forcing streams to find new pathways that develop into new drainage
    networks. Once the ice melts, the new drainage network become well established and
    the old drainage networks are often abandoned.

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