Types of Glaciers Flashcards
Glaciers are classified as…
semi-permanent bodies of ice
How are glaciers formed?
from the compaction and recrystallization of snow
Glaciers build up by the gradual accumulation of ____ over ____.
snow, time
What happens as snow builds up?
As the snow accumulates, the overlying layers of snow places a lot of pressure on the underlying layers and squeeze the snowflakes into small ice crystals
Snowflakes are squeezed so much that glacier ice becomes _______ to air.
impermeable
What are the five types of glaciers?
- Cirque glacier
- Valley glacier
- Ice cap
- Fjord glacier
- Piedmont glacier
Where do Cirque glaciers form?
In bowl-shaped depressions
What do valley glaciers fill?
valleys
_____ are small glaciers at the top of mountains.
ice caps
_____ glaciers empty into narrow bodies of water
Fjord
Piedmont glaciers spread out into large ______ areas
planar
Cirque glaciers are often the starting point for ______ glaciers
valley -
so if cirque glaciers spill out of their bowl into a valley then they become a valley glacier
What do valley glaciers create?
U-shaped valleys
What are valley glaciers surrounded by?
Bedrock and slopes that are not covered with ice
If a valley glacier flows into a body of water is considered to be a _____ glacier
Fjord
a _______ glacier is a glacier that has spread beyond its valley and covers a large,____ area
Piedmont, flat
Continent-sized glacial surfaces are called ______ ______
ice sheets
what are ice shelves?
-thick floating sheets of ice on top of water
_____ ice is floating ice not attached to a glacier
sea
