go back to the main topics menu
go back to the main GEL 101 menu
Glaciers: blob of
ice
on land moving downhill/downslope; NOT sea ice = frozen seawater
(a) valley/alpine glaciers; in narrow valleys, typical of
mountain
ranges (high altitude)
(b) continental glaciers/ice caps/ice sheets; spread out over
large
area, polar regions (high latitude)
snowfall, avalanches
onto glacier converts to ice in a few years; rest melts
glacial features:
shape of glaciers, head, snout, sub-glacial streams, crevasses,
ice-falls
Dynamics of Glaciers:
glaciers
move downhill/downslope by two different mechanisms
(1) flow within glaciers; glacial ice as a hot gooey solid
oozing
downslope
(2) sliding along the muddy base aided by pressure melting
around
obstacles
glaciers can move at speeds: inches/month (winter) to 100's of feet/day
(surging glaciers)
advance
(growth)
and retreat (shrink) of glaciers related to changes in glacial
budget
more snowfall/less melting = growth/advance, less snowfall/more melting
= shrink
features of advance and retreat: trim lines and recessional
moraines
Glacial Erosion: glaciers
are very efficient at eroding both loose and solid materials
plucking of floor and
walls using freeze-thaw ; abrasion by transported debris in ice
features of erosion: polished bedrock, striations, roche
moutonée/stoss
and lee
rock steps, rock basin lakes/paternoster lakes, tarns; cirques, horns,
aretes
U-shaped valleys, hanging valleys, truncated spurs/facets
Channeled Scablands
of WA produced by glacial outburst floods
Glacial Transport of Sediment:
glaciers can carry any size, as well as large volumes
indicators of transport
direction: striations, roche moutonée, drumlins, rock
trains,
etc.
Glacial Deposits:
classified
based on location in relation to the glacier.
in front of glacier
(pro-glacial):
rivers and lakes often found in front of glacier
lakes: glacial lake deposits, rock flour, varved clays, deltas
rivers: outwash fans, braided stream deposits
terminus: moraines, kettles and kames, dead ice topography, Mima Mounds
of WA
at bottom of glacier
(basal): glaciers lay down a slug track of deposits underneath
ground moraine and till, till types; drumlins; eskers
at sides of glacier
(lateral): rivers and lakes often found along sides of glaciers
lateral moraines, kames, ice marginal streams/lakes/deltas
Glaciation in the Past:
glaciers
have covered continents many times in the past
reconstructing past
glaciers using erosional and depositional features
ancient glaciers in
North America; history of Olympic and Cascade glaciers
past glacial epochs,
worldwide glacial periods, paleoclimate data
glaciers and climate;
causes of glaciation (excessive growth of glaciers)
--decreased solar output--dim sun (colder climate, more snow, less
melting)
--block sunlight with volcanic dust/ash in upper atmosphere (Krakatoa,
Pinatubo)
--change pattern of precipitation with changing ocean currents
(e.g.)--no
T change
--earth wobble--tilt the earth's axis away from the sun (Milankovitch
cycles)
--reflection feedback--ice reflects sun, less heat, more ice, more
reflection,
etc.
--all of the above--why should there be one single cause of a common
phenomenon?
go to top
of page