Glaciers: The Meat and Potatoes

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Glaciers The Meat and Potatoes
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Glaciers Wolverine Glacier
Two Types Valley and Continental Continental
Glaciers that cover broad, continent sized areas
of land. Valley Glaciers that form in valleys in
high , mountainous areas
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Formation of a Glacier Regions of the world must
remain cold for long periods of time High
Latitudes High Elevations
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Formation of a Glacier

• Cold Temperatures keep fallen snow from melting
• This snow accumulates in the accumulation zone
• The weight of the top layers of snow put downward
  pressure to turn the snow below into ice
• Once the snow/ice becomes to heavy it begins to
  move down the mountain side

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To give you an idea of the amount of pressure
found at the base of a glacier, notice the fault
in this bedrock created by downward pressure from
the glacier that was once on top of it
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• Movement of a glacier
• The speed of a glacier depends on three things
• Slope of the Valley
• Temperature and thickness of ice
• Shape of the valley walls

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Evidence That Glaciers Move

• Striations Scratches or parallel grooves in the
  bedrock resulting from the movement of a glacier
• Similar to sand paper
• Researchers use bolts and GPS to monitor
  movements of glaciers

These striations can be found in Calumet
Michigannotice the gap between the grooves
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• Glacial Features
• Moraines Ridges consisting of till deposited by
  glaciers
• Till unsorted mixture of clay, sand, gravel, and
  boulders.
• Lateral Moraine Found along the sides of a
  glacier

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• Terminal Moraine Found at foot of glacier
  marking the glaciers furthest advance.
• Medial Moraine Formed when two lateral moraines
  combine

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Outwash Plain The area at the leading edge of
the glacier, where the melt water streams flow
and deposit outwash
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U-shaped valleys are associated with
glaciers Valleys carved out by streams are
V-shaped