Glacier. Aerial view of a glacier showing its annual growth curves, or ogives. These convex curves point towards the end of the glacier, as the sides

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Glacier. Aerial view of a glacier showing its annual growth curves, or ogives. These convex curves point towards the end of the glacier, as the sides move more slowly than the centre. They are made up of alternating dark and light bands where the Summer warmth melted some of the surface ice, and it accumulated dirt. When it re-freezes in the winter, it is darker because of the dirt. Growth in the winter, by contrast, produces only white areas. The dark bands running down the glacier are made up of material such as soil and rock. When this material is carried to the end of the glacier, it will be deposited as moraines. This is the Gilkey glacier, Alaska, USA.

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Size: 4716px × 4745px
Photo credit: © BERNHARD EDMAIER/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: alaska, carrying, curves, environment, gilkey, glacier, growth, moraine, ogive, ogives, surface