I understand they’re big ol’ chunks of ice, but are they one solid mass? What is defined as the “border” of a glacier? I’ve seen discussions of the dangers of underground glacial rivers, what’s the deal with those?
In: Planetary Science
A giant frozen river.
Think of the water cycle – water evaporates, condenses into clouds, precipitates, and then makes its way (rivers and streams) back into the ocean.
Glaciers follow the same process: water evaporates, condenses into clouds, and precipitates as snow. The places glaciers form tend to be colder, so the snow never melts. It is compacted by more snowfall and eventually becomes ice. This ice slowly makes its way down into the ocean. Look up glacier flow videos on YouTube at fast speed – you will see the flow.
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