Glaciers are often found in areas with extreme temperatures
illustration of a glacier (unsplash.com/@sophiasimoes)
Glaciers are chunks or ice deposits that are very large to thick, and are usually found in places with quite extreme temperatures. Actually these glaciers can appear and form above ground level in a very long period of time.
If you look at the current condition of the Earth, it turns out that there is eternal ice that already dominates 10 percent of the land on Earth and there are definitely glaciers in it. To get to know the glacier more closely, then consider some of the following facts.
1. The history of the existence of glaciers
glacier illustration (unsplash.com/@jeremybishop)
The existence of a glacier that you can directly enjoy right now certainly did not form suddenly, because there was a long process that started until this glacier was formed. Every glacier that is scattered throughout the Earth certainly has a different process of formation, so that it still exists even in the midst of an unpredictable climate.
Reported National Geographic Society, most of today’s glaciers are actually the remnants of large ice sheets dating back to the Ice Age. Precisely the Ice Age period ended more than 10 thousand years ago through a colder period when the glaciers formed and a warmer period when the glaciers melted.
Also Read: No Polar Bears in Antarctica? Here’s Why!
2. Total glaciers that cover the Earth
glacier illustration (unsplash.com/@henriquesetim)
Do not imagine that the glaciers that are scattered on Earth have a small size, because it turns out that the size of these glaciers is very large. One area of glaciers alone has a large size, especially when combined with all the glaciers on Earth.
Reported NSIDC, Glaciers that exist today actually already dominate about 10 percent of the land area on Earth. Even if all the glaciers on Earth are totaled, the number could touch 15 million square kilometers or 1.8 million square miles.
3. Antarctica is actually a glacier
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glacier illustration (unsplash.com/@mlenny)
You are certainly familiar with the title Antarctica Continent, because this continent is the fifth largest continent in the world with a ratio of two times the size of the continent of Australia. Maybe no one would have thought that it turns out that the continent of Antarctica is actually a giant glacier.
Reported AntarcticGlaciers.org, Unlike the Arctic, which is the most fragile sea ice that melts and freezes every year, Antarctica is actually a layer of solid ice that can be stepped on. Antarctica is a remote and isolated place, but actually it is a very influential glacier for the world because of its enormous size.
4. The average thickness of a glacier
illustration of a glacier (unsplash.com/@sophiasimoes)
Glaciers that are spread all over the Earth’s surface do have very varied sizes, so they can differ from one to another. However, there is an average thickness to be found in a glacier, which affects its position.
Reported USGS.gov, The thickness of the glacier is estimated to be half the width of the surface of the glacier, which could be from tens of meters for small glaciers up to 1,500 meters thick for the largest glaciers currently in Alaska. The thickness of this glacier indirectly determines the age and temperature that is there.
Also read: 5 Unique Facts of the Tundra Biome, an Area in the Poles with Minimal Life!
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2023-07-20 07:55:00
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