Glaciers and Erosion

Despite being the largest pieces of ice on Earth, it also creates the larges and most numerous land-forms due to erosion. As a Glacier moves across a body of water, it also drags the minerals and materials that come in its way underneath. Over time, the movement will start to erode whatever is underneah, and in turn create a new land-form.

Common all over the world, glaciated valleys are probably the most readily visible glacial landform. Similar to fiords, they are trough-shaped, often with steep vertical cliffs where entire mountainsides were removed by glacial erosion. One of the most striking examples of glaciated valleys can be seen in Yosemite National Park, where glaciers literally sheared away mountainsides, creating deep valleys with vertical walls.

A Hang Valley in Yellowstone National Park

Fiords are long, narrow coastal valleys that were originally carved out by glaciers. Steep sides and rounded bottoms give them a trough-like appearance. Because the glacier has eroded the land surface below sea level, now that the glaciers are gone, sea water covers the valley floor.

The Kenai fiord in Alaska

 

 

What Are Glaciers? | How are they formed? | What are they Made of? | Where can they be found? | Erosion | The Ice Age | Famous Glaciers | Features | Glaciers and People | Interesting Facts | Bibliography