​How Does Ice Shape the Earth?

• ​Glacier= mass of moving ice formed by compacted snow

• ​Large glaciers slowly move downhill.

  • ​They pick up materials as they move, which they later drop as they melt

    • ​Glacial drift= movement of materials by glaciers

• ​They also cause scratches and abrasions on the rocks they pass.

​Types of Glaciers

• ​Alpine glacier-forms in a mountainous area.

  • Often form in a V-shaped valley.

  • ​Widen it into a U-shape.

• ​Alpine landforms:

  • ​Cirque= bowl-shaped depression

  • ​Arete= ridge between 2 cirques

  • ​Horn= 3 or more aretes joined together

​Antarctica

​Continental glaciers are continuous masses of ice that are much larger than alpine glaciers.

-cover relatively flat ground.
-cause flatter, less rugged landforms

​Continental Glaciers

• ​Form over a large, mostly flat area

• ​Flatten and smooth the land as they move

• ​Continental landforms:

  • ​Erratics= large boulders deposited by a glacier

  • ​Kettle lakes= lakes formed by chunks of ice left behind by a glacier

​Kettle Lakes

​Erratics

​Weathering

​

Ice- ​Glacier- a large body of ice is pulled down the mountain by gravity, taking large chunks of rock from the mountain with it.

Land is constantly being worn down by wind, water, and ice.

This valley was carved out by a glacier millions of years ago.

​This arch was carved by high wind over thousands of years.

A glacier is like a bulldozer.

As glaciers grow they push soil and rocks. As the glacier melts, it lifts soil and rocks and moves them.

Ice Erosion

• Glaciers carry rocks, soil, and sediments.

• As the glaciers slowly move, it carries the sediments along with it.

• Avalanches carry the sediments along with the snow down the mountainside.

​Moraines

Glacial Deposits

• Moraines are formed when a glacier melts and the debris that it had been carrying get dropped in a new place.

​debris - small pieces of rock

Glacier National Park

​Basin - a large hole in the ground that can contain water - scientifically called a corrie.

​Chinese Glaciers

​China's glaciers are mainly located in the west and north, with a total area of 59,406 square kilometers.

​A whopping 750 billion tons of ice is melting every year due to global warming.

That's 24,000 tons of melting water being added to the world's oceans every single second or the same as 10 olympic swimming pools 24/7/365.