GeoLog

ice melting

Imaggeo On Monday: A meander in the meltwater valley

December 27, 2021
Imaggeo On Monday: A meander in the meltwater valley

At the edge of the Greenland Ice Sheet, surface melt releases old layers of dust, that have travelled thousands of years into the ice. Under sunny weather, the dust heats up with radiation, melts the ice underneath, and thus accumulates in tiny potholes and meltwater creeks. However, this photo was taken after a rainy day. …[Read More]

Imaggeo On Monday: Contorted Streams on the Gates Glacier

December 20, 2021
Imaggeo On Monday: Contorted Streams on the Gates Glacier

Annual ridges and troughs (called wave ogives) are formed as the ice of the Gates Glacier (in Alaska’s Wrangell Mountains) flows through a steep icefall. Down-glacier, as the ice melts, the rushing meltwater is funnelled into streams, carving ice canyons as it flows, but ultimately directed by these topographic constraints.   Description by Allen Pope, …[Read More]