How Glaciers Change Our Earth

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Thinking About GlaciersGlaciers cover about one-tenth of the Earth’s surface. Most of the fresh water found on the Earth is frozen in glaciers.

Glaciers move very slowly and can cause very slow changes to the Earth’s surface.

What are glaciers? How do glaciers form? How do glaciers change our Earth?

Words to Know• Glacier—a large body of moving ice that stays frozen all

year• Iceberg—a large mounded mass of ice that has broken

away from a glacier and floats in the sea• Moraine—a ridge of rocks left by a glacier• U-shaped valley—low-lying area of land surrounded by

higher ground formed by the movements of a glacier

What are Glaciers?Glaciers are large areas of ice and snow that move very slowly.

Where are Glaciers?Some glaciers are in mountains. Some glaciers hang on mountains. Some glaciers are in cirques, areas in mountains rubbed away by glaciers.

Hanging Glacier

Cirque Glacier

Where are Glaciers?

Some glaciers are in mountain valleys. These glaciers look like rivers of ice and snow.

Valley GlaciersValley glaciers move down mountains. As they move over the Earth’s surface, rocks and dirt break off and are picked up by the glacier. The rocks and dirt become part of the glacier.Some glaciers are in mountains. Some glaciers hang on mountains. Some glaciers are in cirques, areas in mountains rubbed away by glaciers.Some glaciers are in mountain valleys. These glaciers look like rivers of ice and snow.