Glaciers

Question 1

What is a glacier?

Answer 1

Mass of moving ice.
May move in a valley, like a river, or flow out form a mountainous area across a plain.
Today glaciers cover one tenth of the world.

Question 2

Give an example of a glacier.

Answer 2

Mer de Glacé glacier. (ALPS)
largest glacier in France
located on mount Blanche massif in French alps.

Question 3

Glaciers can be found in two main locations. What are these?

Answer 3

High latitude, high altitude

Question 4

What is a high latitude?

Answer 4

Means they are closer to the poles and further from the equator.

Question 5

What is a high altitude?

Answer 5

Away from the poles glaciers only exist in mountainous terrains. As long as the mountain is high enough, there will even be glaciers close to the equator.

Question 6

How is a glacier formed?

Answer 6

Snowflakes accumulate in a hollow in a mountainside
More snow falls, increasing the density/weight
Increased weight compresses snow at bottom into solid ice
If ice doesn’t melt and snow continues to fall, the glacier will become bigger and heavier. Gravity will cause it to move downhill very slowly.