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GLACIER TERMINOLOGY:
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TO ENLARGE |
Moraine: Debris (including
large boulders, gravel
and sand) that has been deposited by the glacier in
various ways.
Lateral: Lining both sides of the glacier,
lateral
moraines run parallel to ice flow. Lateral
moraines are generally created by two
processes: 1) a build up of debris between the
sides of the glacier and the bases of surrounding
mountains from rockslides off mountain
slopes and 2) the dumping of rocks and
other debris off the sides of the ice.
Medial: Created as two ice flows merge. As
the glaciers meet, a pile of debris is pushed up
in between them. The medial moraine may be
recognized as a 'ribbon' of black material running
down the center of the glacier.
End or Recessional: The terminus (or end) of
the glacier is marked by this moraine.
Generally lying perpendicular to ice flow, the
end moraine is created as the ice melts and
deposits rock and debris.
Vent: An opening in the ice through which water
exits the glacier, draining the subglacier and
englacial conduits. The subglacial water discharged
from this vents is occasionally supercooled
(in a liquid state although the temperature is below
the freezing point), leading to 'Vrazil' ice growth, and
formation of terraces and rims surrounding vents.
Basal Ice: The debris rich ice layer at the bottom
of the glacier. This ice is easily visible in several
places at the terminus. Most sediment comprising
the moraines is first transported in the basal ice.
Debris Flow: A small scale avalanche of rock,
debris, and water.
Moulin: A wide vertical shaft connecting the
ice
surface to the glacial conduit system. Moulins are
created by meltwater and can be hundreds of feet
deep.
Crevasse: A large crack in the ice that may be
up
to several hundred feet deep and several feet wide,
caused by differential speeds in the ice movement.
Serac: Large, towering blocks of ice. Also created
by differential speed in ice movement.
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GLACIER
FACTS |
The Matanuska
Glacier is a large ice flow, 24 miles long and 4 miles wide
at the terminus, averaging approximately 2 miles in width.
This glacier is a valley glacier; it exists on a valley
floor. The majority of glaciers in Alaska today are smaller
alpine glaciers which hang off mountain slopes.
The Matanuska is an active glacier which advances at one
foot per day. It takes approximately 250 years for the ice
to form upglacier and advance to the terminus. The ice of
an active glacier always moves forward due to gravity; like
water in a river, the ice will flow downvalley. When ice
melts at a higher rate than snow accumulates, the glacier
margin 'recedes'. (The
term 'receding' does not refer to the ice actually travelling
back up the valley.)
A frequently asked question
concerns the cause of the blue ice. The density of glacier
ice allows the entire spectrum of light to be absorbed with
the exception of the blue light which is reflected, and
can therefore be seen by your eye.
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