Glaciology

Deposition is the process by which water vapor in the atmosphere directly transforms into ice crystals without passing through the liquid phase.

A piedmont glacier is formed when multiple valley glaciers merge together and spread out at the base of mountains, resembling a fan shape.

Glacial flow is the movement of glaciers down a slope due to the force of gravity, which causes the ice to deform and move.

A crevasse is a deep crack or fissure that forms in a glacier due to the movement and stretching of the ice.

Ablation is the process of ice loss from a glacier through melting, evaporation, or sublimation.

An ice cap is a dome-shaped ice mass that covers a large area and flows outward in all directions.

Calving is the process by which a large piece of ice breaks off from a glacier and falls into the sea.

A valley glacier is formed in a valley and flows down a mountain slope.

Accumulation is the process of snow and ice accumulation on a glacier.

A continental glacier is the largest type of glacier and covers an entire continent.

A moraine is a mixture of rocks, sediment, and ice that is carried by a glacier.

A tidewater glacier is formed when a glacier flows into the sea and ends in a cliff.

An icefall is a steep slope or cliff at the edge of a glacier where ice breaks off and falls.

A piedmont glacier is formed when a glacier flows over a relatively flat surface and spreads out.

Ablation is the process of ice melting and forming meltwater on a glacier.