A glacier is a large,

slow-moving river of
ice, formed from
compacted layers of
snow, that slowly
deforms and flows in
response to gravity.
A. Confined Ice
1.) Cirque Glaciers := Cirque Glaciers are named for the bowl-like
hollows they occupy, which are called cirques. Typically, they are
found high on mountainsides and tend to be wide rather than
long.
2.) Valley Glaciers := Commonly originating from mountain glaciers or
ice fields, these glaciers spill down valleys, looking much like giant
tongues. Valley glaciers may be very long, often flowing down beyond
the snow line, sometimes reaching sea level.
3. ) Piedmont Glaciers :=A piedmont glacier is a valley glacier that has
spilled out onto adjacent flat land.
B. Unconfined Ice
1.) Continental Ice Sheets := Found only in Antarctica and Greenland, ice
sheets are enormous continental masses of glacial ice and snow
expanding over 50,000 square kilometers. The ice sheet on Antarctica is
over 4200 meters thick in some areas, covering nearly all of the land
features except the Transantarctic Mountains, which protrude above the
ice. Another example is the Greenland ice sheet.
2.) Ice Caps := Ice caps are miniature ice sheets, covering less than
50,000 square kilometers. They form primarily in polar and sub-polar
regions that are relatively flat and high in elevation.
* Transitional Ice Masses := Nunatak = An area that is unglaciated,
but surrounded by ice.
A.) Surface

1.) Temperate
2.) Subpolar
3.) Polar

B.) Bed

1.) Cold-Based
2.) Warm-Based
 The sheer weight of a thick layer of ice and the fact that it deforms as a
"plastic" material, combined with gravity's influence, causes glaciers to flow
very slowly. Ice may flow down mountain valleys, fan across plains, or in some
locations, spread out to the sea. Movement along the underside of a glacier is
slower than movement at the top due to the friction created as it slides along
the ground's surface.
When the glacier moves through irregular terrain, cracks form in
the fracture zone. These cracks can be up to 50 meters deep, at
which point they meet the plastic like flow underneath that seals
them.
Moraine refers to any glacially
formed accumulation of
unconsolidated debris which can
occur in currently glaciated and
formerly glaciated regions, such as
those areas acted upon by a past
ice age.
A drumlin is an
elongated whale-
shaped hill formed by
glacial action. Its long
axis is parallel with the
movement of the ice,
with the blunter end
facing into the glacial
movement.
-Julius M. Judan Envi. Sci. 1
WFR