Photograph courtesy of
Helene Stone
The picture you see above is a
glacier floating in Antarctica. Glaciers grew millions
of years ago in the south pole. They are made by more
and more snow falling. Then that snow turned to ice,
and the ice built up. Then thousands of years later it
formed a glacier. Really, glaciers are just made up of
ice, water, and air. That still happens today.
There are two kinds of glaciers:
continental and valley. Continental glaciers are also
known as ice caps, because they're very thick. Valley
glaciers are long and narrow, filling the valleys in
the mountains. They have different sizes, locations,
and shapes. The biggest glacier in the world is
210,000 feet thick. It's called an ice cap. That's
much bigger than the Sears Tower, which is ten tons!
Glaciers move 30 centimeters a
day. They cover most of Antarctica and hold 3/4 of the
world's water. Ice covers 98% of Antarctica, but all
glaciers eventually melt or reach the ocean. If the
glacier reaches the ocean it could crack and turn into
an iceberg. There is water under the glacier; if it
freezes it turns to ice. That is why Antarctica is
known as the Frozen Continent.
If
you would like to learn more about glaciers, go to
Glacier/ Invitation.com
