Glaciers

 

A glacier is a large body of ice. Glaciers transport materials such as rocks and carves the land beneath them. They move by the heavy weight and the downward slope. A glacier’s weight combined with gradual movement can drastically change the landscape. Over many years, glaciers have changed the earth’s surface into something totally different. The ice erodes the land surface and carries broken rocks.
There are a few types of glaciers such as:

• Alpine glaciers - they form the crests and slopes of the mountain and are also known as ' mountain glaciers', 'niche glaciers' or 'cirque glaciers.
• Valley glacier - this is an Alphine glacier that fills a valley
• Ice cap - also known as an ice field, these are large blocks of ice that can cover an entire mountain
• Continental glaciers - even larger than an ice cap, it can cover over 50, 000 km squared

Glaciers form where the accumilation of snow and ice exceeds albation. As the snow and ice layer up, at a certain point the snow and ice start to move, forming a glacier.
The location where the glacier starts is called the glacier head. The glacier stops at the 'glacier foot' or 'terminus'.