Just a hypothetical that caught my interest; What would happen if a river coming down, say, a mountain, traveled far enough to one of the poles that it hits a glacier? Would its momentum just disperse and turn into a pond until the water finds somewhere else to go? Would the water carve into the glacier, like those pictures of ice tunnels you can find on google?
In: Planetary Science
Glaciers are not just found at pole they are also high up on mountains. In general the glaciers are always higher than the rivers, when glaciers partially melt they create rivers.
Well the answer really is: “It depends.”
A flow of water meeting a glacier isn’t all that different to a flow of water meeting a rock face: the water will pool until it finds another route down hill. Where that route is will depend on the specific geography of the area. It might find a route under the glacier, it might flow along side it. It might form a lake that backs up, up stream and eventually overflows somewhere else.
Now chances are the water is warmer then the ice, so over time it’ll probably accelerate the glaciers melting where it meets the river, but again, what impact that will ultimately have on the flow of the river and the glacier will again depend entirely on the specific geography of the area.
dude that’s a cool question. i think the glacier would probably just chill there and the water would spread out a bit. but yeah over time it could carve into the ice like those tunnels. nature is wild like that. super interesting how rivers and glaciers interact for sure
dude that sounds super interesting. i think the river would melt some ice and maybe create those cool tunnels. it’s like nature’s own water park.
yo that’s a cool thought. the river would probably slow down and create some meltwater pools. but it won’t just be a pond. water could carve some neat tunnels too but glaciers are tough. nature’s a boss with that stuff.
man that sounds cool like an ice water slide. the river would probably slow down then spread out and maybe make some melt puddles. could even carve little paths like nature’s art. it’s wild to think how rivers change stuff you know.
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