Comment: 06:38 - 07:38 (01:00)
Source: Annenberg/CPB Resources - Earth Revealed 23. Glaciers
Keywords: glacier, "valley glacier", "ice sheet", mountain, valley, "glacial flow", landmass, continent, polar, Greenland, Antarctica, "continental glacier", dome, snowfall
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Our transcription: There are two common types of glaciers.
In mountainous regions at high altitudes, glaciers fill stream valleys.
Their movement down-slope is confined by the paths of the valley, so these rivers of ice are known as "valley glaciers."
On landmasses near the poles, such as Greenland and Antarctica, single giant glaciers cover vast regions.
These glaciers are called "continental glaciers" or "ice sheets."
Ice sheets are actually spread across the continent like broad domes.
The thickest part of the dome is at the center of the glacier where the greatest snowfall takes place and causes ice to build up to its greatest thickness.
The weight of this thicker central region forces the glacier to radiate in all directions, as opposed to the relatively straight downhill movement of the valley glacier.
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Geology School Keywords
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