Dr. Gabrielle Walker of BBC Earth Lab captured a gorgeous timelapse footage of a glacier as it moved downhill, flowing like a river through a frozen valley. Dr. Walker also explained how glaciers are able to move, what forms they take and what exactly keeps them moving.
It’s the phenomenal weight of this enormous ice pack over nine kilometers long and up to five hundred meters deep – millions of tons of ice flowing through this valley. Built up from layer upon layer of fresh snow, this monumental river of ice is constantly being topped up by fresh snowfall, and that keeps it flowing downhill. It makes very slow process.
In a separate video, Dr. Walker explains why glacial ice appears to look blue.
