GEOL 101 Chapter Notes - Chapter 14: Headward Erosion, Glacial Striation, Outwash Plain
Document Summary
Ice sheets- regionally continuous masses of ice. Valley glaciers- glaciers that ow down valleys. Piedmont glacier- ice sheets ow out of the mountains. Zone of accumulation- upper part of glacier or ice sheet. Sublimation- loses more and more ice and snow by melting, by wind and erosion, and by loss of ice molecules directly to the air. Equilibrium line- losses of ice and snow exactly balance amount of accumulation. Glaciers move downhill because the ice is not strong enough to support its own weight against the relentless downward pull of gravity. Calving- large blocks of ice to collapse off the front of the glacier. Icebergs- when blocks of ice fall onto the water and oat: as much as 90% is below the water. Ice shelf- large quantities of ice that oat on seawater. Snow elds- accumulations of snow and ice that never move. Sea ice- when upper surface of lake or sea freezes.
