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Studying glacial motion and the landforms that result requires tools from many different disciplines: physical geography, climatology, and geology are among the areas sometime grouped together and called earth science. During the Pleistocene (the last ice age), huge sheets of ice called continental glaciers advanced over much of the earth.
Glacial flow rate in the Antarctic ice sheet. The motion of ice in Antarctica. Even stable ice sheets are continually in motion as the ice gradually flows outward from the central plateau, which is the tallest point of the ice sheet, and towards the margins. The ice sheet slope is low around the plateau but increases steeply at the margins. [4]
Glacial plucking both exploits pre-existing fractures in the bedrock and requires continued fracturing to maintain the cycle of erosion. [4] Glacial plucking is most significant where the rock surface is well jointed or fractured or where it contains exposed bed planes, as this allows meltwater and clasts to penetrate more easily.
If the glacial action erodes through, a spillway (or col) forms; Horn: a sharp peak connecting multiple glacier intersections, made up of multiple arêtes. Valley step: an abrupt change in the longitudinal slope of a glacial valley; Hanging Valleys: Formed by glacial meltwater eroding the land partially, often accompanied by a waterfall. [2]
Bed softness may vary in space or time, and changes dramatically from glacier to glacier. An important factor is the underlying geology; glacial speeds tend to differ more when they change bedrock than when the gradient changes. [34] Further, bed roughness can also act to slow glacial motion.
Areas of study within glaciology include glacial history and the reconstruction of past glaciation. A glaciologist is a person who studies glaciers. A glacial geologist studies glacial deposits and glacial erosive features on the landscape. Glaciology and glacial geology are key areas of polar research.
Franz Josef Glacier in New Zealand Features of a glacial landscape. Glacier morphology, or the form a glacier takes, is influenced by temperature, precipitation, topography, and other factors. [1] The goal of glacial morphology is to gain a better understanding of glaciated landscapes and the way they are shaped. [2]
Basal sliding is the act of a glacier sliding over the bed due to meltwater under the ice acting as a lubricant.This movement very much depends on the temperature of the area, the slope of the glacier, the bed roughness, the amount of meltwater from the glacier, and the glacier's size.