Discuss the different components of glacial movement: plastic flow of ice and basal slip.
Discuss the different components of glacial movement: plastic flow of ice and basal slip.
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Question
Discuss the different components of glacial movement: plastic flow of ice and basal slip.
Expert Solution
Introduction
Glaciers are a form of cryospheric relief features on land, and it has great importance to Earth's hydrological and climatic process.
Explanation
Glaciers are not static. Like other hydrological forms on Earth, a glacier is dynamic and showcase movement. The process of displacement of glaciers is known as a glacial movement. It can be of two subtypes.
- Plastic flow of ice: It is a plodding type of movement of the ice in glaciers. It is similar to the movement of a stream of plastic. In this type, ice in a glacier is first internally deformed due to the build-up of stress by the accumulating ice on the glacier surface. Then, under the pull of gravity, the deformed ice move downward at two different rates. The upper layer of glacial ice moves faster while the lower layer moves too slowly, like slow creeps.
- Basal slip: It is a sliding of glacial ice at the base of the glaciers due to reduced friction between the ice and the glacier's solid bed due to the melting of ice. The slippery bed induces an entire layer of the glacier to slip off the surface of the bedrock. It is a rapid flow.
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