Glaciers Erosion Day 2
Glaciers Cause Erosion While they may look like big solid masses frozen in place, glaciers are really "rivers of ice" slowly flowing downhill under the force of gravity. While streams and rivers cut narrow channels across the land, glaciers have the ability to level entire continents! Explain why glaciers are called “rivers of ice.” Compare the erosion of rivers to that of glaciers.
Two Types of Glaciers –There are two basic types of glaciers, valley glaciers and continental glaciers. –A valley glacier forms in the high altitudes of mountain ranges where snow accumulates in valleys. –The second type of glacier, the continental glacier, is much larger then a valley glacier. A continental glacier is a slow moving sheet of ice may lie over land or water.
How Glaciers Form As the weight of the snow builds up, the material at the bottom of the pile is turned to ice. Slowly, the ice begins to flow downhill under the weight of the entire mass, and as it flows, it picks up any loose rock in its way. Describe how glaciers form.
Glaciers Cause Erosion Glaciers can pick up and carry sediment that ranges in size from sand grains to boulders bigger than houses. Moving more like a conveyor belt than a bulldozer, a single glacier can move millions of tons of material! Why do you think glaciers are able to level entire continents?
Glacial Deposition Glacial Deposition Glacial ice deposits are very different from stream (water) deposits. Glacial deposits of gravel, boulders, and sand are unsorted with no even layers as in graded bedding. Explain one difference between glacial deposits and stream deposits.
Glacial Deposition Till which is the accumulation of sediments carried by a glacier is very sharp like broken glass. Again this is very different from stream sediments which are usually round and smooth due to abrasion. Describe till and explain how it is different from stream sediments.
Glacier ErosionStream Erosion Draw a double-bubble map to compare and contrast glacier erosion to stream erosion.