3.3 Erosion and Deposition of Ice

Done By: Laura, Elizabeth, Erin, and Gabby

Questions to Ponder

• Describe continental glaciers. Give details!

• How does glacial erosion affect us personally?

THE DIFFERENT KINDSThere are two kinds of common glaciers

Continental - one of the largest kinds of glaciers, which can cover whole country!

Alpine – valley glaciers are a very common type of Alpine Glacier. They shape valleys into “U” shapes and are usually near mountains.

Continental GlaciersHOW THEY’RE FORMED & WHERE THEY’RE FOUND

•Cover all of Greenland

•Covered many parts of North America 10,000 years ago

•Form at high altitudes where temperatures are low enough to allow snow and ice to accumulate all year round

•Only contains fresh water

Alpine GlaciersHOW THE’RE FORMED AND

WHERE THEY’RE FOUND

•When snow falls on floors of valleys in high mountain regions, it accumulates because the rate of melting in summer is slower than the rate at which it falls

Glacial Deposits

• Till – unsorted rock material that is deposited directly by the ice when it meltsMost common is moraines, they generally form

ridges along the edges of glaciers• Stratified drift – a glacial deposit that is sorted into

layers based on the size of rock materialOutwash plain – the area in front of the glacier

where streams carry material and sort it. Then it is deposits it in front of the glacier

Kettle – when ice melts and sediment builds up around the block of ice and a depression forms

Glacial Erosion and Us!Some glaciers can erode away land to form wide flat spaces. A few of these spaces may even have a slight dip in the land. As glaciers melt, they get stuck in these dips to form lakes. Years later, houses are built near these lakes for recreation.

FUN FACTS

Glaciers can cover the entire parts of continents.

Glaciers store up to 75% of our world’s fresh water.

The largest glacier is 840 square miles. 100 feet per day is the fastest a glacier

can move. 10% of earth’s land is covered by

glaciers. If all of the glaciers were to melt then

sea level would rise 230 feet.

-Glaciers can erode land to form flat land. Some of these places can be used as a form of entertainment, such as lake houses near a lake formed from a glacier.

Describe continental glaciers. Give details!

-Continental glaciers only contain fresh water, they can cover whole countries, they once covered most of north America, and form at high altitudes.

How does glacial erosion affect us personally?