GEOLOGICAL WORK
OF GLACIERS
GLACIERS
Glaciers are rivers of ice which flow out under the influence of gravity.
Geologists define a glacier as a moving body of ice on land that flows
downslope or outward from an area of accumulation. The glaciers
move from fraction of a centimeter to several meters in a day.
Snow line is the lowest line of permanent ice or snow. It is the line up
to which snow melts in the summers whereas above the snow line ice
is present in all seasons.
DISTINGUISH BETWEEN ICE
AND SNOW
Snow is newly fallen dry snow which is feathery, light and porous.
The snow flakes change into granular ice mass, known as ‘nèvè’ in
French and ‘firn’ in German. When the body of granular snow become
is so compact that it is impermeable to air then it is said to be ice.
Formation of glaciers takes place under the influence of temperature,
pressure and moisture. As snow continues to fall and gather,
thickness of snow field increases and this causes more pressure upon
the lower layer of snow. The ice becomes thick and moves outward or
downhill. The movement is greater in the central partthan at the
sides.
TYPES OF GLACIERS
Mountain / Valley glacier:
They are also known as Alpine
glaciers, they occupy pre-
existing valleys and are
present above the snow line.
Hanging glaciers are snow
tributaries which do not meet
the main
glacier at the same level and
remain overhanging
PIEDMONT GLACIERS:
Piedmont glaciers: These are those which
are formed near or at foot of the
mountains. They are formed when two or
more valley glaciers meet together.
Ice sheets and ice caps: They are huge
covers of ice and are also
known as ‘continental glacier’ or ice
sheets. They are vast, covering
at least 50,000 km2 area, and are
unconfined by topography; that is,
their shape and movement are not
controlled by the underlying
landscape. Sometimes ridges and rocks
project through ice, referred as nunataks.
EROSIONAL PROCESSES
As the glacier moves, it erodes the underlying bedrock. By rubbing
and grinding, the rocks are scratched, striated and grooved. Glacial
erosion is influenced by the following factors:
a. thickness of ice;
b. amount of rock material carried or transported by it;
c. velocity of glacier; and
d. nature of bedrock.
THE TWO MAIN PROCESSES
OF GLACIAL EROSION)
i)Plucking occurs when melt water beneath the glacier penetrates
fractures and crevices and holds the associated rocks firmly, while
glacier in motion exerts pressure and tears/plucks off the grippped rock
mass. The process is termed as plucking and is unique to temperate
region.
ii) Abrasion is breaking away of rocks by rubbing action. As they grind and
pulverise the bedrock beneath a glacier, carving scars termed as glacial
striations are developed. Pulverised rock is known as rock flour.
EROSIONAL LANDFORMS
Cirque: It is a bowl-
shaped amphitheater
like depression formed
by glacial plucking and
abrasion at the glacier
head. Cirques mark the
birth place of valley
glaciers where
conditions are
favourable for perrenial
snow accumulates
‘U’ shape valleys or Striations: As a Fjords (pronounced as
Horn or pyramidal glacial trough: As glacier glacier drags fiords): Submerged glacial
peak: It is a pyramid flows down from its rocks along its valleys are known
like sharp peak cirque, it excavates a new base, which when as fjords. These are
formed when valley or deepens an harder geomorphic features
existing stream valley, scratch and developed at or near the
three or more cirques shaping into characteristic groove the coast
meet The most ‘U’ shape valley. U-shaped bedrock beneath, where marine waters enter
majestic of all glacial trough is one of the abrasions inland through oversteeped
most distinctive features of produced are glacial valley with
mountain peaks are the valley glaciation. called high walled rocks. The
horns, steep-walled, as striations. conditions necessary for fjord
Hanging valleys:
pyramidal peaks When the ice melts, Glacial formation are
formed by headward the tributary valley is stairways: These highlands-mountains or
erosion of cirques. left as a are large step like plateau
For a horn to form, a hanging valley- features produced intense glaciations
mountain peak must positioned above the by deep –stream like valleys
have at least three main valley floor (Fig. glacial erosion
cirques on its flanks, 8.7). After ice
all of which erode melts streams occupy
headward. valley and junction is
marked by the water
fall.
ROCHE MOUTONNEES:
Roche
Moutonnees: They
consist of
asymmetrical
mounds of rock of
varying size, with
a gradual smooth
abraded slope
(called as stoss
side) on one side
and steeper
rougher slope on
the other side
(known as lee
side)
CRAG AND TAIL:
Crag and Tail: These
are formed when hard
vertical rock such as
dyke obstructs the
moving glacier
passage. Crag faces
boldly in the direction
from which glacial ice
advances. Tail is
formed as gentle slope
on the opposite side
where the sediments
are protected because
of crag’s obstruction
Glacial table: If sand or rock pebbles fall on some part of glacier, they
protect glacial ice from melting. So sometimes huge blocks of ice are
seen standing in the glacial fields. They stand over a pedestal of snow
and are known as glacial tables.
Kettle: Ice of glaciers is sometimes burried under glacial drift. After
sometime ice melts and collapse of the roof takes place giving rise to
basin like depressions which are called kettles.
Glaciomarine drift: It is glacial deposit which forms when glaciers reach
to a ocean or lake. Stratified drift are deposits left by streams or pools
of glacial melt water that are sorted and layered according to size. Till
are unsorted and unlayered drift deposited directly by glacial ice. It ranges
in size from clay-sized to huge boulders, even to the size of truck.
