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Lateral moraine on a glacier joining the Gorner Glacier, Zermatt, Switzerland. The moraine is the high bank of debris in the top left hand quarter of the picture. For more explanation, click on the picture.
Lateral moraine on a glacier joining the Gorner Glacier, Zermatt, Switzerland. The moraine is the high bank of debris in the top left hand quarter of the picture. For more explanation, click on the picture.

Glaciology (from Middle French dialect (Franco-Provençal): glace, "ice"; or Latin: glacies, "frost, ice"; and Greek: λόγος, logos, "speech" lit. grc-Latn Logos (ˈloʊːgɒs ( Greek, logos) is an important term in Philosophy, Analytical psychology, Rhetoric and Religion "to talk about ice") is the study of glaciers, or more generally ice and natural phenomena that involve ice. "Glacial" and "Glaciation" redirect here For the geological periods see Glacial period. Ice is a Solid phase, usually crystalline, of a Non-metalic substance that is liquid or gas at Room temperature, such as Ammonia

Glaciology is an interdisciplinary earth science that integrates geophysics, geology, physical geography, geomorphology, climatology, meteorology, hydrology, biology, and ecology. Earth science (also known as geoscience, the geosciences or the Earth Sciences) is an all-embracing term for the Sciences related to the planet Geophysics, a major discipline of Earth sciences, is the study of the Earth by quantitative physical methods especially by seismic, electromagnetic Geology (from Greek γη gê, "earth" and λόγος Logos, "speech" lit Physical geography (also known as geosystems or physiography) is one of the three major subfields of Geography. Geomorphology (from Greek: γη ge, "earth" μορφή morfé, "form" and λόγος Logos, "knowledge" Climatology (from Greek grc κλίμα klima, "region zone" and grc -λογία -logia) is the study of Climate, scientifically Meteorology (from Greek grc μετέωρος metéōros, "high in the sky" and grc -λογία -logia) is the Interdisciplinary Hydrology (from Greek Yδωρ hudōr, "water" and λόγος logos, "study" is the study of the movement distribution and quality of Foundations of modern biology There are five unifying principles Ecology (from Greek grc οἶκος oikos, "house(hold" and grc -λογία -logia) is the scientific study of The impact of glaciers on humans adds the fields of human geography and anthropology. Human geography is a branch of Geography that focuses on the study of patterns and processes that shape human interaction with the environment with particular reference to Anthropology (/ˌænθɹəˈpɒlədʒi/ from Greek grc ἄνθρωπος anthrōpos, "human" -λογία -logia) is the study of The presence of ice on Mars and Europa brings in an extraterrestrial component to the field. TemplateInfobox Planet.--> Europa (jʊˈroʊpə; or as

Contents

Overview

Areas of study within glaciology include glacial history and the reconstruction of past glaciation. A glaciologist is a person who studies glaciers. Glaciology is one of the key areas of polar research.

Types

There are two general categories of glaciation which glaciologists distinguish: alpine glaciation, accumulations or "rivers of ice" confined to valleys; and continental glaciation, unrestricted accumulations which once covered much of the northern continents.

Zones of glaciers

Movement

Ablation 
wastage of the glacier through sublimation, ice melting and iceberg calving. Ablation is defined as the removal of material from the surface of an object by Vaporization, Chipping, or other erosive processes
Arête 
an acute ridge of rock where two cirques abut. This article is about a glacial landform See Arete for other meanings
Bergshrund 
crevasse formed near the head of a glacier, where the mass of ice has rotated, sheared and torn itself apart in the manner of a geological fault. A bergschrund is a Crevasse that forms where the moving glacier ice separates from the stagnant ice above
Cirque, corrie or cwm 
bowl shaped depression excavated by the source of a glacier. A cirque ( French for " Circus " is an Amphitheatre -like Valley, or valley head formed at the head of a Glacier by A cirque ( French for " Circus " is an Amphitheatre -like Valley, or valley head formed at the head of a Glacier by
Creep 
adjustment to stress at a molecular level. Creep is the tendency of a solid material to slowly move or deform permanently under the influence of stresses It occurs as a result of long term exposure to levels of Stress is a measure of the average amount of Force exerted per unit Area. In Chemistry, a molecule is defined as a sufficiently stable electrically neutral group of at least two Atoms in a definite arrangement held together by
Flow 
movement (of ice) in a constant direction. Fluid mechanics is the study of how Fluids move and the Forces on them
Fracture 
brittle failure (breaking of ice) under the stress raised when movement is too rapid to be accommodated by creep. A fracture is the (local separation of an object or material into two or more pieces under the action of stress. It happens for example, as the central part of a glacier movinges faster than the edges.
Horn 
spire of rock formed by the headward erosion of a ring of cirques around a single mountain. A pyramidal peak, or sometimes in its most extreme form called a glacial horn, is a Mountaintop that has been modified by the action of Ice during Headward erosion is a Fluvial process of Erosion that lengthens a Stream, a Valley or a Gully at its head and also It is an extreme case of an arête.
Plucking/Quarrying 
where the adhesion of the ice to the rock is stronger than the cohesion of the rock, part of the rock leaves with the flowing ice. Plucking, in the sense relating to Glaciers is when a glacier erodes away chunks of Bedrock to be later deposited as Glacial erratics Glacial plucking Adhesion is the tendency of certain dissimilar molecules to cling together due to Attractive forces.
Tarn 
a lake formed in the bottom of a cirque when its glacier has melted. A tarn (or corrie loch) is a mountain Lake or pool formed in a Cirque excavated by a Glacier.
Tunnel valley 
The tunnel is that formed by hydraulic erosion of ice and rock below an ice sheet margin. A tunnel valley is a deep but narrow Valley with a 'U' shaped cross-section and frequently a 'U' shaped plan which is usually found filled with glacial Till The tunnel valley is what remains of it in the underlying rock when the ice sheet has melted.

Glacial deposits

Stratified

Outwash sand/gravel 
from front of glaciers, found on a plain
Kettles 
block of stagnant ice leaves a depression or pit
Eskers 
steep sided ridges of gravel/sand, possibly caused by streams running under stagnant ice
Kames 
stratified drift builds up low steep hills
Varves 
alternating thin sedimentary beds (coarse and fine) of a proglacial lake. A kettle (or kettle hole) is a shallow sediment-filled body of water formed by retreating glaciers or draining floodwaters An esker is a long winding ridge of Stratified Sand and Gravel, examples of which occur in glaciated and formerly glaciated regions of A kame is a geological feature an irregularly shaped Hill or Mound composed of Sand, Gravel and Till that accumulates A varve is an annual layer of Sediment or Sedimentary rock. The word 'varve' is derived from the Swedish word varv whose In Geology, a proglacial lake is a lake formed either by the Damming action of a Moraine or Ice dam during the retreat of a melting glacier or Summer conditions deposit more and coarser material and those of the winter, less and finer.

Unstratified

Till-unsorted 
(glacial flour to boulders) deposited by receding/advancing glaciers, forming moraines, and drumlins
Moraines 
(Terminal) material deposited at the end; (Ground) material deposited as glacier melts; (lateral) material deposited along the sides. Till is unsorted glacial sediment Glacial drift is a general term for the coarsely graded and extremely heterogeneous Sediments of glacial origin Moraine refers to any glacially formed accumulation of unconsolidated glacial debris (soil and rock which can occur in currently glaciated and formerly glaciated regions such as those
Drumlins 
smooth elongated hills composed of till. A drumlin (Irish droimnín, a little hill ridge is an elongated whale-shaped Hill formed by glacial action
Ribbed moraines 
large subglacial elongated hills transverse to former ice flow.

References

See also

Irish Sea Glacier

External links

This is a list of Glaciers. Due to somewhat sparse information some glaciers especially those in the tropics may no longer exist as listed It is known that during the Ice Age, probably on more than one occasion a huge Glacier referred to as "The Irish Sea Glacier " flowed southwards from

Dictionary

glaciology

-noun

  1. The study of ice and its effect on the landscape, especially the study of glaciers.
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