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Earth Science for Kids

Glaciers


What is a glacier?

A glacier is a thick mass of ice that covers a large area of land. Around ten percent of the world's land area is covered by glaciers. Most glaciers are located near the North or South Poles, but glaciers also exist high in mountain ranges such as the Himalayas and the Andes.

How do glaciers form?

Glaciers form from snow that doesn't melt even during the summer. When enough snow builds up the weight of the snow will compress and turn into solid ice. It can take hundreds of years for a large glacier to form.

Glaciers Move

Although glaciers are made of ice and appear to be sitting still, they are actually moving. The weight of a glacier will cause it to move slowly downhill, sort of like a very slow moving river. The speed of glaciers varies widely with some moving as slow as a few feet a year while others may move several feet per day.

Types of Glaciers

Scientists have given names to different types of glaciers. Here are a few of the main types:
Glacier Features
  • Ablation zone - The ablation zone is the area below the accumulation zone where the glacial ice exists. In this area there is a loss in ice mass due to ablation such as melting and evaporation.
  • Accumulation zone - This is the area of the glacier where snow falls and accumulates. It is located above the ablation zone. It is separated from the ablation zone by the equilibrium line.
  • Crevasses - Crevasses are giant cracks that occur on the surface of glaciers typically where the glacier flows the fastest.
  • Firn - Firn is a type of compacted snow that lies between the new snow and the glacial ice.
  • Head - The glacier head is where the glacier starts.
  • Terminus - The terminus is the end of the glacier. It is also called the glacier foot.

A glacier crevasse
Glaciers Change the Land

When glaciers move they can change the land creating many interesting geological features. Here are some of the geological features that are created by glaciers.

Interesting Facts about Glaciers
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