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
To add to what has already been posted the glacier normally forms higher up in a depression called a corrie. As snow consistently fills this depression it compresses to form ice, when it cannot possibly hold anymore it starts to overfill the edge of the corrie and gravity makes it slowly slide downhill. Natural springs and ground temperature can cause a stream to form beneath it, cutting a tunnel through the bottom of it. As the glacier flows downhill crack open up, crevasses.
Latest Answers