9.36 Glacier Facts

Glaciers are giant ice sheets that have been around for thousands of years. Learn about glaciers, including their types, sizes, where to find them, their formation, and other fun facts.

What Are Glaciers?

Glaciers are huge blocks of ice and snow that are found in mountains and in colder regions. Many are left over from the last ice age, which means they are thousands of years old. Glaciers often appear to be bright blue in places. This is because the ice is compacted so tightly.

Great! Let’s dive into the text about glaciers.

1. Main points:

Glaciers are large, ancient blocks of ice and snow, often found in cold regions and mountains, and can appear bright blue due to tightly compacted ice.

2. Questions:

• Content Analysis: What are glaciers made of and where can you usually find them?
• Contextual Analysis: How old are many glaciers and why do they appear bright blue in some places?
• Linguistic Analysis: What words in the text describe the size and age of glaciers?

3. Further Discussion:

If you could visit a glacier, what would you like to see or learn about it?

4. Answers:

• Glaciers are made of "huge blocks of ice and snow" and are typically found "in mountains and in colder regions."
• Many glaciers are "thousands of years old" because they are "left over from the last ice age," and they appear bright blue in places because "the ice is compacted so tightly."
• The text describes glaciers as "huge" in size and "thousands of years old" in age.

Remember, glaciers are not just ice; they’re like frozen rivers of history, carrying secrets from thousands of years ago! Isn’t that fascinating?

How Are Glaciers Formed?

Glaciers are formed over thousands of years. They begin in places that have snow all year long. When it begins to snow again, some snowflakes melt and then are frozen into ice. Layers of ice and snow start to build up and press together. These layers of snow and ice are called glaciers. They can slide and move, so they can be dangerous to plants and animals that get in their way.

Alright, let’s analyze this new text about how glaciers are formed.

1. Main points:

Glaciers form over many years in places with year-round snow, through a process of melting and refreezing snowflakes, leading to layers of ice and snow that become glaciers, which can move and be hazardous.

2. Questions:

• Content Analysis: What process leads to the formation of glaciers?
• Contextual Analysis: Why does the ability of glaciers to slide and move make them dangerous?
• Linguistic Analysis: What words in the text indicate the gradual development of glaciers?

3. Further Discussion:

How do you think the movement of glaciers affects the landscape around them?

4. Answers:

• The formation of glaciers involves snowflakes that "melt and then are frozen into ice," leading to "layers of ice and snow" that "build up and press together."
• Glaciers can be dangerous because they "can slide and move," potentially affecting plants and animals in their path.
• Words like "thousands of years," "build up," and "press together" indicate the gradual development of glaciers.

It’s pretty amazing how something as simple as snow can transform into these massive, moving ice structures over time, right? What do you think about that?

Where Are Glaciers Found?

Glaciers can be found on every continent except Australia, so they are found in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Antarctica. They are found in the coldest parts of these continents, usually where there are mountains or in the northern regions. Did you know that you can find glaciers in 47 different countries? Even so, most of the world’s glaciers, about 99% of them, can be found in Antarctica and the country of Greenland.

Glaciers cover about 10% of the Earth’s surface, but during the last ice age they covered about one-third of the Earth. The world’s smallest glacier is about the length of a football field, and the largest glacier is the Lambert Glacier in Antarctica. It’s a mile and a half deep and almost 250 miles long.

Let’s explore this fascinating text about the distribution and size of glaciers around the world.

1. Main points:

Glaciers are present on all continents except Australia, predominantly in Antarctica and Greenland, covering 10% of Earth’s surface today, contrasting with one-third during the last ice age. The smallest glacier is as long as a football field, while the largest, Lambert Glacier, is extremely vast.

2. Questions:

• Content Analysis: Where are glaciers predominantly found and what percentage of the Earth’s surface do they cover?
• Contextual Analysis: How has the coverage of glaciers on Earth’s surface changed since the last ice age?
• Linguistic Analysis: What words or phrases describe the size and distribution of glaciers?

3. Further Discussion:

Why do you think glaciers are more common in some countries than others?

4. Answers:

• Glaciers are "found in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Antarctica," mainly in "Antarctica and the country of Greenland," covering "about 10%" of the Earth’s surface.
• During the last ice age, glaciers "covered about one-third of the Earth," compared to 10% today.
• Phrases like "99% of them," "the length of a football field," and "a mile and a half deep and almost 250 miles long" describe the size and distribution of glaciers.

Isn’t it amazing how glaciers can be both incredibly large and found in so many different places around the world? What do you think about that?

Types of Glaciers

There are two main kinds of glaciers: alpine glaciers and continental glaciers. Alpine means in the mountains, so alpine glaciers are found high up in the mountains where it’s cold. Alpine glaciers often move down through valleys. Alpine glaciers can even be found on mountains right near the equator. That’s because they are very high up, where it’s cold.

Continental glaciers spread out and cover large areas of most continents, or large land masses on Earth. They exist in the regions far away from the equator, where it’s colder.

Let’s break down this text about the two main types of glaciers.

1. Main points:

There are two types of glaciers: alpine glaciers, located in high mountain areas and capable of moving through valleys, and continental glaciers, which cover large land areas, primarily in regions far from the equator.

2. Questions:

• Content Analysis: What are the main differences between alpine and continental glaciers?
• Contextual Analysis: Why can alpine glaciers be found near the equator?
• Linguistic Analysis: How does the text describe the locations and characteristics of the two types of glaciers?

3. Further Discussion:

How do you think the presence of glaciers affects the landscape and environment of a region?

4. Answers:

• Alpine glaciers are found "high up in the mountains where it’s cold" and often move "down through valleys," while continental glaciers "spread out and cover large areas of most continents."
• Alpine glaciers can be found near the equator because they are "very high up, where it’s cold."
• The text describes alpine glaciers as being in "the mountains" and moving "down through valleys," and continental glaciers as covering "large areas of most continents" and existing "far away from the equator, where it’s colder."

Isn’t it interesting how glaciers can be so different yet share the same basic composition of ice and snow? What are your thoughts on that?

Fun Facts About Glaciers

• The water that comes from melting glaciers is really good quality water. In fact, about 75% of the world’s freshwater is stored in glaciers!
• Did you know that Alaska has about 100,000 glaciers? Many of them do not have names.
• One ice crystal from a glacier can grow to be as big as a baseball!

Let’s explore and understand this text about glaciers and their impact.

1. Main points:

Glacier meltwater is of high quality, with glaciers holding about 75% of the world’s freshwater. Alaska alone has about 100,000 glaciers, many unnamed, and a single ice crystal from a glacier can grow to the size of a baseball.

2. Questions:

• Content Analysis: How much of the world’s freshwater is stored in glaciers and how large can an ice crystal from a glacier grow?
• Contextual Analysis: Why is it significant that many glaciers in Alaska are unnamed?
• Linguistic Analysis: What descriptive words are used to emphasize the importance and size of glaciers and their components?

3. Further Discussion:

If glaciers store so much freshwater, what impact might their melting have on the world’s water supply?

4. Answers:

• About "75% of the world’s freshwater is stored in glaciers," and an ice crystal from a glacier "can grow to be as big as a baseball."
• The fact that many of Alaska’s "100,000 glaciers" are unnamed suggests their vast number and possibly unexplored nature.
• Descriptive words like "good quality water," "75%," "100,000 glaciers," and "as big as a baseball" are used to highlight the significance and scale of glaciers and their components.

Glaciers are not just icy landscapes; they’re vital to our planet’s water supply and ecosystem. Isn’t it amazing how something so cold can be so essential to life? What do you think?

Lesson Summary

Glaciers are huge blocks of ice and snow that are formed when layers of snow and ice build up and press together. There are two main types of glaciers: alpine glaciers, which are found in mountains, and continental glaciers, those that spread out and cover large areas of land. Glaciers can be found on all continents except Australia, but most of them are in Antarctica and Greenland.