Monday, February 20, 2017

Glacier Terminology



Before we delve into Alaska's Flora and Fauna...I found this fascinating.

It seems Alaska's Rivers of Ice have a language (terminology) all their own.
Who knew, right?

Arete:  Sharp narrow ridges formed on a mountain by a glacier.





Bergschrund: The crevasse that separates the stagnant headwall ice from the flowing ice of the glacier.





Calving:  When an iceberg breaks away from the glacier.


Crevasse: An open crack in the glacier's surface.





Erratic:  A boulder swept down a glacier and deposited elsewhere. Some erratics can weigh tons.




Firn or Neve:  The area of a glacier covered with snow throughout the entire year.




Ice Fall:  The Jumbled and broken ice which occurs when the glacier flows over a steep drop-off.




Kettle: A huge block of ice left behind as a glacier receded. Filling an area with water it sometimes becomes a lake. Mirror Lake in Alaska is what remains of an enormous Kettle.

                                                         Mirror Lake



and an example of a smaller Kettle.

Nunatak: Mountain  tops or ridges poking through the glacier and forming small islands.




Seracs:  jutting blocks of ice from the surface of the glacier...sometimes hundreds of feet tall.

                              The areas between the seracs are also crevasses.

Outburst Flood or Joklhlaup:  A tremendous release or flood of water that was trapped beneath or behind a glacier.




 Glacial Flour and Glacial Silt: The finely ground rock that is left behind where a glacier has passed over an area.


                                                      Glacial Flour



                           The coloration of this lake due to Glacial Silt.





Ice Geyster or Bubbling Pond: Glacial meltwater that comes up through the surface of the glacier. Usually liquid. Some refreezes like this example.





Ice Quake: The sound of muted thunder. Sounds like it is miles away. Ice shifting and grumbling within the glacier itself.

https://youtu.be/-1cciMTWKHA

The Sounds of an Ice Quake.
(yeah...my ass would be outta there)

And another Interesting Ice Sound

https://youtu.be/b6AZZtpJc7M

Ice Sizzle:  As an iceberg melts there is a sizzling or popping sound like Rice Krispies. This is caused by the release of the trapped gasses inside.

Example

https://youtu.be/Ny2LBXWs_P0

Ice Worm:  3 mm long and brownish-black. These are the only worms known to inhabit ice. They feed off the red algae that grows on glaciers.






Moulin (or Glacial Mill):  Channels of water that plunge through channels and down holes deep into the middle of the glacial ice. Known for their sound.


Example
https://youtu.be/isqqFlt4Lvc

Glacial slide: A short period when meltwater causes a glaicer to move 100x faster than it normally would. Results in Calving at the edge.

Example with Sound

https://youtu.be/ElvSYfGMGvM

Sun Cup:  The short textured cupping on the surface of the glacial from sun and wind erosion.

                                                         Sun Cups.



A nice side adventure...and proof that you can learn something new every day!

More Anon...