Glaciers are large masses of slowly moving ice. They form in areas where it is cold enough for snowfall to stay year-round. As the layers of snow build up, the pressure breaks the snow crystals into smaller, denser grains. These new tiny crystals are the start of glacier ice and they continue to get bigger and denser over the years.
As the ice becomes really dense, it squishes out the little air pockets stuck inside the ice. Getting rid of most the translucent air bubbles, allowing the glacier to show its natural deep blue color. This unique color glaciers have comes from the relationship between the electrons in H2O and the photons of light. Different elements’ atoms absorb and emit different colors of the visible light spectrum. A characteristic of ice is that it absorbs the red colors and reflects the blues.
There are two types of glaciers: continental and alpine. Continental glaciers flow from a central spot out horizontally, are dome shaped, and are mostly unaffected by the geography of the land. Alpine glaciers follow the land, flowing down valleys and natural topography. Piedmont is when two glaciers connect and join to form one glacier as it continues on. If that same glacier flows all the way to the sea it is now known as a tidewater glacier. Glaciers cover 10% of the Earth’s surface, and during the ice age they covered over one third of the Earth. It is estimated that 69% of the fresh water on our planet is stored in glacier ice. Glaciers are found in every continent expect Australia, and over 45 different countries. They can be all different sizes. Anywhere from the size of a football field to more than 100 miles long. Glaciers can move over 50 feet per day, and their individual glacier ice crystals can grow to the size of a baseball.