Glaciers are slow-moving "rivers of ice," found in polar regions and mountains on every continent except Australia.

Glaciers cause weathering, erosion, and deposition too, but people rarely notice because glaciers move extremely slowly and form in remote, sparsely populated areas.

Forming a glacier takes decades to centuries: snow piles up, and the weight of upper layers compresses lower layers into ice, eventually creating masses thousands of feet thick and miles long.

Gravity pulls glaciers downhill; speed depends on slope, temperature, and slipperiness — most move just a couple hundred feet a year, though some can move up to 100 feet a day.

Near the bottom, glacier ice is extremely hard and, combined with gathered rock debris, carves the land — often creating distinctive U-shaped valleys with steep sides and flat/rounded bottoms.

The Activity: Students build a model glacier to see how it reshapes landforms as it moves.

Please RSVP by contacting us so we can prepare your child’s materials. We also ask that you complete and sign the waiver before arriving for class.