Glaciers are one of the many amazing landforms on this Earth. They affect many things in many different ways. Glaciers also form in a unique way.
Certain things must occur in order for a glacier to form. Glaciers for where there are many large snowfalls and the temperatures remain very cold all year. They form in high mountains where the snow that falls in the winter does not completely melt in the summer, while other glaciers form in the Polar Regions or the world. The snow builds up over the years and then gradually turns to ice. Repeated thawing and refreezing first transforms the snowflakes into a mass of small ice granules called firn or neve. As more snow piles on top of it, the firn becomes more and more tightly packed. Eventually, the weight and pressure becomes so great that the ice begins to ooze slowly down slope, or, in the case of an ice sheet, to spread outward on all sides.
You may not be aware of it, but glaciers are in movement all the time. When glaciers move, the movement is barely perceptible, with the ice averaging less that a foot a day. Some glaciers maintain a steady pace of about 50 feet or more. A glacier may undergo a "surge" sliding forward for several miles at a rate of 300 feet or more a day. Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve is a famous Glacier park. It is located in Southeastern Alaska. It was established in 1925, and redesignated as a National Park in 1980. This park is noted for its great tidewater glaciers and lofty peaks. The highest peak is Mount Fairweather, which is 4,663 meters tall. The peak's important for scientific research on the formation and the movement of glaciers and the conditions existing after glacieral retreat. The landscapes ranges from rocky ice-swept terrain, to lush forests of spruce and hemlock. Wildlife found at the park includes mountain goats, seals, sea lions, whales, puffins, eagles, and cormorants.
A glacier is one of the most powerful agents of erosion.
