Glacial Geomorphology

Ice has advanced and retreated across

continental land many times throughout
geologic history. The processes and the
evidence are the basis for this lecture.
NA Glaciation The Pleistocene
The Basics
More snow falls than
melts. As depth of snow
increases, the weight of
the overlying snow
creates ice. The
pressure plus influence
of gravity causes the ice
to move.
The glacier ends at the
point melting exceeds
rate of supply.
Think of how a conveyor
belt moves material in
one direction.
Snow to Ice
Snow piles up during the winter and if it
does not all melt, it can accumulate from
year to year.
To become ice, you must have 150-200
feet of snow compressing itself, squeezing
out the atmospheric gases to form ice.
Ice is a crystalline substance, in essence it
is a rock.
Glacier motion caused by
Gravity
Rate of motion thickness of the ice and slope
of the land surface
Continental and Alpine Glaciers
Continental glaciers formed over large
regions like the Hudson Bay and grew
to great depths and extended for miles
in all directions.
Alpine glaciers formed in mountain
ranges. Extent was a function of the
valley system around each glacier.
In both systems, advance and melt
(retreat) are totally controlled by climate
and associated characteristics.
Glaciers Impact the Surface
Ice is a geomorphic agent forms of
erosion and deposition are evident after
ice has moved over the surface.
Some evidence is subtle, striations left in
bedrock, whereas U-shaped valleys and
moraines are features easily observed.
>14,000 ft. of ice exerts tremendous
pressure on the surface. Bedrock is
depressed by the weight and rebounds
when the ice is removed.
Snowball Earth
750,000,000 years ago Earth was totally
covered by ice!
Remember, continents were in very
different positions than today.
Evidence proves that ice covered all
land.
Impact on plants and animals???
Can it happen again???
Land 750,000,000 years ago
Evidence Erosion by Ice U Shaped
Huerfano River, CO
Norway
Wyoming
Evidence grooves and erosion
Svartisen Glacier, Norway
A Groove Caused by Ice
Glacier du Bosson, France 15K feet
down to 3K a river of ice!
Glaciers and People
The European Alps are accessible to many people for
skiing, hiking, and climbing. Glaciers are dangerous
because they are in constant motion. Steep slopes in the
Alps mean ice can fall long distances. Alpine Institute in
Grenoble plot on maps where people die if their bodies
are not recovered.
Key Terms
Erosion U-shaped valley; arete
knife-like ridge between two glacial
valleys; col, tarn and horn also .
Deposition rock debris is called till;
the landform composed of till is a
moraine.
A moraine can be lateral (side),
terminal (end), medial (in the middle
formed when two glaciers merge), or
ground. Till is the term that describes
the material in the moraine.
Till rock material of different texture
Colorado
France
Alaska
Alpine Glaciation Teton Glacier
The remnant of the
Teton Glacier, WY is
fast disappearing.
The U shape is a col,
meaning that the ice
moved over this ridge
in two directions. The
glacier once
descended to the
Snake River plain.
Debris on the Teton Glacier contributed
by freeze-thaw activity
Views on the Teton Glacier
Mt. Moran, Teton N.P., WY
Grinnell Glacier about 20 years of ice left
Grinell Glacier, Lake and Moraine, G.N.P.
Patterns in Snow over Moving Ice
Snow and Ice, G.N.P., MT
Snow and Ice, G.N.P., MT
Iceberg Lake in a Cirque, G.N.P., MT
Iceberg Lake, G.N.P., MT
Snow, Ice and
Rock in G.N.P.,
MT
Snow, Ice, Crevasses in G.N.P., MT
Snow, Ice, Moraine in Glacire N.P. MT
Medial Moraine, Glacier N.P, MT
Goats along
trail in
Glacier N.P.
Uinta Mts, Utah
Evidence of
glacial erosion
and deposition of
talus.
Mt. Rainier, WA
Nisqually Glacier
Nisqually Glacier, Mt Rainier, WA
The ridge of rock
debris is the moraine
left as the glacier
disappears.
A volcanic event can
convert this glacier
into a huge debris
flow.
Position of the ice has
been monitored for
years.
The Nisqually Glacier In Retreat
Terminus is noted on Maps: Nisqually Glacier, Mt.
Rainier, WA
Debris transport varies by glacier.
The Svartisen glacier in
Norway is relatively clean
ice because it once
covered the entire upland
and rock fall onto it was
minimal.
Remove Ice Deposits Left Behind
From the sediments deposited,
geomorphologists can recreate the past.
Continental Glaciers Covered the Landscape
Acadia National
Park in Maine was
over-ridden by ice
many times. The
rounded topography
reflects erosion and
the stepped
topography
represents plucking.
Moraines landforms of deposition
Fremont Lake, WY reveals
a stepped moraine formed
as ice melted.
The size of boulders in till
can vary tremendously.
Hummocky Landscape
As glaciers melted,
rock debris once
incorporated into
the ice is left
behind. Most of the
deposits are not
sorted by size, a
key indication of
deposition by ice.
(Ex. from So. Dak.)
Direction of Ice Movement
Drumlins are
streamlined shaped
forms that indicate
direction of ice
movement.
Moraine once worthless land
This moraine in NW Indiana was not suitable for
crops, hence worthless. But with expressways to
Chicago, commuters now live on wooded acreage.
Variability from the Presence of Ice
Iowa
Illinois
France
Glacial Deposits
Maps abound about the
deposits and how they
impact human activity.
Glacial Ice
The future may
reflect the past in
that glaciers can
expand beyond
current limits.

The future is linked
to natural climatic
change.
Antarctica The Ice Continent
Antarctic Peninsula Ice Melting
Ernest Shackleton 1914-1916 Explorer
Read Endurance for his story.
South Georgia a glaciated island
Population 20 people
Ice and snow dominate the South Georgia Landscape
A River of Ice to the sea South Georgia
Melting Glacier rock debris on top and a beach full of
penguins and seals.
King penguins and chicks (fed by parents for 18 months)
Elephant seals 2,000 pounds and more dominate the beach.
Antarctic Peninsula dominated by glaciers
Glaciers from land into the sea; Antarctic Peninsula
Glaciers reach the sea and form icebergs fantastic
colors and shapes.
Ice, crevasses rocky slopes and contact with the sea. Ice
is dynamic!
Crevasses indicate downslope motion as the ice is pushed
into the sea.
Classic crevasse pattern on moving glacial ice.
Glaciers represent an accumulation of
snow over millenia, or longer. With
changing temperatures on Earth,
glaciers can grow or recede depending
upon what is occurring in the local
environment. Do not confusion Global
Warming with every place warming.
Antarctica is getting more ice on the
main landmass.


In Conclusion:
Glaciation has modified the surface again and again.
If Snowball Earth happened, it can happen again.
Evidence to support a quick return to glaciation is
lacking.
The next advance of ice is unknown at this time.