Movement and change define a glacier's life. As they flow downhill, like giant bulldozers, they carve new features as they wear away the landscape on either side and underneath, changing the scene through their erosive powers.
Glaciers are permanent bodies of ice and they are found on every continent except Australia. While there are different kinds of glaciers around the world, the two main types of glaciers are valley or alpine glaciers and continental glaciers (known as ice sheets).
During the last Ice Age (2 million to 10,000 years ago) one third of the world and most of Britain was covered in ice. Today, ice and snow still permanently covers one-tenth of the Earth’s total surface, but as glaciers grow and shrink with changing climates, they leave lasting evidence of their work as the power of moving ice has sculpted many of our mountain ranges and valleys.
Aletschglerscher Glacier
So why are glaciers important? Glaciers have had the greatest influence on our planet’s surface and by monitoring glaciers around the world and over time, scientists are able to build valuable records of glacial activity and construct an understanding of global processes and change.
Glaciers & Glaciation
