Glaciers

A glacier is a mass of dense ice that constantly moves under its own weight. It forms where the accumulation of snow is greater than the melting over many years, usually centuries. There are different kinds of glaciers. They are:

Piedmont Glacier

Hanging Glacier

Valley Glacier

Tidewater Glacier

A piedmont glacier is a glacier that has spread out over a wide area like a fan. A hanging glacier is a glacier that hangs on the wall of a glacial valley. A valley glacier is a glacier that flows through the middle of a valley. A tidewater glacier is a glacier that flows down to the ocean and breaks off into icebergs, which we will hear about now.

Icebergs

An iceberg is a big chunk of ice that breaks off a glacier and floats in the ocean. They’re usually found in cool water near the North or South Pole. 90 % of an iceberg is underwater. The icebergs can drift in the sea for years before they have melted completely.