ICE SCULPTURESoriginal text by Stephen Whitt adapted by Jessica Fries-Gaither

AUGUST 2009

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Jessica taught elementary and middle school in Memphis, TN and Anchorage, AK.

Copyright August 2009 - The Ohio State University

Supported by the National Science Foundation

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

http://beyondpenguins.nsdl.org

Issue 15: Icebergs and Glaciers (August 2009)

Glaciers are also found in the Arctic and in Antarctica. They press and grind the land below as they move.

Glaciers are also found in the Artic and in Antartica. Photo courtesy of Alaskan Dude via Flickr.

Find this story and others at:

http://beyondpenguins.nsdl.org/information.php?topic=stories

Jessica Fries-Gaither

Elementary Resource Specialist, The Ohio State University

Stephen Whitt

Director of Experience Programs Teaching and Learning COSI

Stephen Whitt has been with COSI since 1993, performing shows and demonstrations, writing exhibit signs and show scripts, and co-directing COSI’s f loor faculty. He has written over 40 articles for children’s science magazines, and his first book, called The Turtle and the Universe, was published by Prometheus Books in 2008.

Licensed under a Creative Commons license.http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

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Glaciers shaped the rocks in the Kalahari Desert. Photo courtesy of Martin Heigan via Flickr.

The glacier becomes so heavy that it slowly moves down the mountains. The glacier scrapes and shapes the mountains’ sides as it moves.

The Malaspina Glacier in Alaska. Photo courtesy of Image Science and Analysis Laboratory, NASA-Johnson Space Center.

Glaciers also covered most of the northern United States. Here they formed the Great Lakes and left grooved rocks behind.

Glaciers lef t grooves in rocks. Photo courtesy of Valeehill via Flickr.

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You probably know that wind and water can shape Earth’s land. But did you know that glaciers can too?

Glaciers are made of ice. Ice is a solid. But glaciers are so large and heavy that they can flow like a river.

Glaciers have shaped the world in surprising ways. Millions of years ago, glaciers covered the desert of South Africa. The glaciers slowly moved, scraping across the desert’s rocks. Today, we see f lat, polished rocks and know that glaciers were once there.

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Glaciers, as they move, scrape and shape the sides of mountains. Photo courtesy Dru! via Flickr.

Even though many of these glaciers are long gone, we can see their sculptures all around us.

GLOSSARY

fjord - a deep valley filled with water

glacier - a large mass of ice that slowly moves

Glaciers also covered the country of Norway. As the glaciers slowly moved, they scraped the sides of the mountains there. Today, we see deep valleys filled with water. We call these valleys fjords and know that glaciers made them too.

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Glaciers are found on high mountains. It is cold there, so snow doesn’t melt. Instead, the snow piles up and gets squished together, forming ice. Over many years, the ice builds up and forms a glacier.

The snow on mountain tops does not melt. It collects and compresses until it forms a glacier. Photo courtesy of Jesse Varner via Flickr.

The Geiranger fjord in Norway. Photo courtesy of Geir Halvorsen via Flickr.