Glacial movement

• What is basal slip?

  The jerky movement of ice along the base of a temperate glacier, caused by meltwater which acts as a lubricant for the ice
• What is regelation creep?

  The movement caused by the process of ice freezing and melting under pressure
• How does regelation creep occur?

  When a glacier encounters an obstacle, the resistance to movement on the upslope side of the glacier leads to pressure melting to allow the glacier to move over the obstacle, before the meltwater refreezes on the downslope side where pressure is reduced
• What is inter granular movement in internal deformation?

  The movement where individual ice crystals slide over each other
• What is intra granular movement in internal deformation?

  The movement where individual ice crystals become fractured due to the stresses within the ice, before the mass of ice deforms and moves downslope
• How does altitude affect the rate of glacial movement?

  Different precipitation and temperature affected by altitude changes the glacial mass balance
• How does gravity/gradient affect the rate of glacial movement?

  Gravity causes the ice to move, so the steeper the gradient, the faster the rate of movement
• How does meltwater affect the rate of glacial movement?

  It lubricates the base of the ice, enabling it to travel downslope
• How does the ice temperature affect the rate of glacial movement?

  The colder the ice, the more likely it will be frozen to bedrock and therefore the slower it will move