Science · 6 pages · 12 min
Why glaciers flow
Glacier ice is a solid that creeps under its own weight, and it sometimes slides.
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From the opening
A glacier flows because ice under sustained stress deforms, even though it is solid. The weight of the ice itself supplies that stress, so the mass creeps downhill over long spans of time rather than sitting as a rigid block. The opening covers creep inside the ice crystals, sliding where the bed is wet, and why the surface cracks.
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Inside
- Creep inside the ice crystals
- Sliding where the bed is wet
- Why the surface cracks
- Retreat is not a full stop
- Where the idea stops applying
- A distinction worth keeping
Sources
- Glen's flow law for the creep of polycrystalline ice
- Basal sliding and deformation beneath a glacier