What Is Firn? The Hidden Middle Stage Between Snow and Ice
by 1. What Exactly Is Firn? Firn is a compacted form of old snow that has survived at least one summer or melting season but has …
Category: Glaciers Explained
What Is a Glacier Tongue or Snout? The Business End of Ice
Glaciers are among the most fascinating features of the natural world. These enormous bodies of ice move gradually across mountains, valleys, and polar landscapes, shaping …
What Is an Icefall? The Most Chaotic Part of a Glacier
Many people visualize glaciers as massive rivers of ice flowing slowly through mountain valleys. From a distance, they may appear peaceful, silent, and almost motionless. …
What Is a Crevasse? How and Why Cracks Form in Glaciers
Glaciers may appear solid, massive, and motionless from a distance, but they are constantly moving. Beneath their enormous surfaces, ice flows slowly downhill, responds to …
What Is Glacial Till? The Rock and Sediment Inside Ice
Glaciers are often imagined as enormous rivers of clean, blue-white ice slowly moving through mountain valleys. In reality, a glacier is much more than frozen …
What Is a Moraine? The Ridges Left Behind by Glaciers
When people imagine a glacier, they often picture a huge river of blue-white ice moving slowly through a mountain valley. But glaciers are more than …
What Is Glacial Deposition? Moraines, Drumlins, and Erratics Explained
Glaciers are often described as powerful natural forces that carve mountains, deepen valleys, and reshape entire landscapes. Their erosional power is impressive, but glaciers do …
What Is Glacial Erosion? How Ice Carves the Earth
Glaciers are among the most powerful natural forces shaping the surface of our planet. At first glance, a glacier may appear to be nothing more …
How Do Glaciers Shape the Landscape? Valleys, Fjords, and Mountains
When people look at a deep valley surrounded by steep mountains or sail through a narrow fjord bordered by towering cliffs, it can be difficult …
How Small Can a Glacier Be and Still Count as a Glacier?
When people hear the word glacier, they usually imagine an enormous frozen river stretching across a mountain valley or a huge mass of ice surrounded …