How Do Glaciers Move?

Glaciers move like big, slow rivers made of ice. When snow falls and stays for a long time, it turns into ice, and that ice starts to slide, sometimes slowly, sometimes faster. It’s like when you push your feet on the ground and glide across the floor.

What Makes Glaciers Move?

Snow becomes ice, and ice can flow like water.
Gravity helps glaciers move down mountains or hills.
Ice inside a glacier can also creep, it moves slowly from one place to another, like a big, thick slushy drink.

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Examples

A glacier is like a big, slow-moving slushy, when it gets warm enough at the bottom, it can slide more easily.
Imagine pushing a heavy block of ice across a wet floor, that's how glaciers move on soft ground.
Glaciers can sometimes move faster if there’s water underneath them, just like a car moves faster on an icy road.

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Categories: Environment · glaciers· ice movement· environment science · Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.