Glaciers

Chapter 8 Section 4
Kinds of Glaciers
 Glacier- any large mass of ice that moves
slowly over land
 Valley glacier- a long, narrow glacier that forms
when snow and ice build up high in a
mountain valley
 Continental glacier- covers much of a continent
or large island; much larger than valley
glaciers

 How Glaciers Form &


Ice Ages

Move

 Ice ages- times in the  Glaciers form in an

past when scientists area where more
believe continental snow falls than
glaciers have melts
covered large parts  The pressure of the
of Earth’s surface weight of more and
 more snow
compacts the snow
into ice
 Valley glaciers move
slowly while surging
glaciers can move
several miles a year
Glacial Erosion
 Glacial Deposition


 The movement of  When a glacier melts, it

deposits the sediment it
glaciers changes eroded from the land,
the land beneath it creating various
landforms
 Plucking- process in  Till- mixture of sediments
which a glacier of clay, silt, sand,
gravel, and boulders
flows over the land that a glacier deposits
and picks up rock directly on the surface

 Moraine- the ridge formed
at the edge of a glacier
as till is deposited

Glacial Deposition
 Retreating glaciers create kettles
 Kettles are small depressions that form when a
chunk of ice is left in glacial till
 Kettles often fill with water to create lakes

Review
 How are valley glaciers and continental glaciers
different?
 Valley glaciers are found in high mountains,
and the sides of the mountains keep these glaciers
from spreading out. Continental glaciers cover
much of a continent or large island.
 What are two types of glacial erosion?
 Plucking and abrasion
 Describe three features formed by glacial
deposition.
 Moraine, prairie pothole, kettle, drumlin, or
glacial lake
 Driving through the countryside in Michigan, you
and your family come upon a series of small,
round lakes. Explain the process that formed
these features.
 These lakes are kettle lakes, which form when
a chunk of glacier is left behind in glacial till. When