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Geology & Earth Sciences vocabulary · Landforms & Surface Processes

Glacier

Meaning in geology & earth sciences, with examples

/ˈɡleɪʃər/nounCore term

In geology & earth sciences, glacier means: A large, slow-moving mass of ice formed from snow that builds up over many years and flows downhill under its own weight.

In Turkish: buzul

How it is used

Glaciers erode, carry and deposit rock, leaving U-shaped valleys, cirques and moraines. They advance or retreat, and most are retreating today as the climate warms. Ice sheets are glaciers that cover huge areas, such as Antarctica.

Example sentences

  1. The glacier has retreated almost a kilometre in the last century.

  2. This U-shaped valley was carved by a glacier during the last ice age.

Common collocations

  • glacier retreat
  • valley glacier
  • glacial erosion
  • melting glaciers
  • ice ageA long period in Earth's history when global temperatures were low and large ice sheets covered parts of the continents. The last glacial period ended about 11,700 years ago.
  • erosionThe removal of soil and rock fragments from one place and their transport to another by water, wind, ice or gravity.
  • depositionThe process by which sediment carried by water, wind or ice is dropped and builds up, for example when a river slows down.
  • climateThe typical weather of a region over a long period, usually averaged over 30 years, including temperature, rainfall and wind.

More terms: Landforms & Surface Processes

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