Learn about the formation of glaciers and how moraines, valleys, and lakes develop
Glaciers, formed from the gradual accumulation of snow, are a powerful geophysical force.
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News •
Just 3% of the world's glaciers account for over half of glacier ice loss
• Oct. 23, 2026, 5:00 AM ET (Phys.org)
Transcript
[Music in]
NARRATOR: Glaciers are huge masses of ice that cover the basement rock. They are found only in regions where snow cover is permanent, that is, at the poles and at high altitude.
At low temperatures, snow does not melt. It accumulates and is compacted into ice. This gradual metamorphosis, which can take several decades, results in the formation of an enormous mass of ice, several dozen meters thick--a glacier.
Propelled by its own weight, a mountain glacier may become detached from the rock wall and slide downward. It slowly flows into the valley like a river of ice. As it descends, the glacier picks up rocks and debris, which accumulate in the form of mounds, called moraines.
If the climate warms, the glacier melts. We say that it recedes. It leaves behind a profoundly eroded landscape composed of wide, flat bottom valleys and many lakes.
[Music out]
NARRATOR: Glaciers are huge masses of ice that cover the basement rock. They are found only in regions where snow cover is permanent, that is, at the poles and at high altitude.
At low temperatures, snow does not melt. It accumulates and is compacted into ice. This gradual metamorphosis, which can take several decades, results in the formation of an enormous mass of ice, several dozen meters thick--a glacier.
Propelled by its own weight, a mountain glacier may become detached from the rock wall and slide downward. It slowly flows into the valley like a river of ice. As it descends, the glacier picks up rocks and debris, which accumulate in the form of mounds, called moraines.
If the climate warms, the glacier melts. We say that it recedes. It leaves behind a profoundly eroded landscape composed of wide, flat bottom valleys and many lakes.
[Music out]
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