Glacier morphology, or the form a glacier takes, is influenced by temperature, precipitation, topography, and other factors. The goal of glacial morphology is to gain a better understanding of glaciated landscapes and the way they are shaped. Types of glaciers can range from massive ice sheets, such as the Greenland ice sheet, to small cirque glaciers found perched on mountain tops. Glaciers can be grouped into two main categories:Ice flow is constrained by the underlying bedrock topography
Ice flow is unrestricted by surrounding topography
Franz Josef Glacier in New Zealand
Vatnajökull ice cap in Iceland
Southern Patagonia Ice Field from ISS, astronaut photo. North is to the right.
Grosser Aletschgletscher, Bernese Alps, Switzerland
A moraine is any accumulation of unconsolidated debris, sometimes referred to as glacial till, that occurs in both currently and formerly glaciated regions, and that has been previously carried along by a glacier or ice sheet. It may consist of partly rounded particles ranging in size from boulders down to gravel and sand, in a groundmass of finely-divided clayey material sometimes called glacial flour. Lateral moraines are those formed at the side of the ice flow, and terminal moraines were formed at the foot, marking the maximum advance of the glacier. Other types of moraine include ground moraines and medial moraines.
The snow-free debris hills around the lagoon are lateral and terminal moraines of a valley glacier in Manang, Nepal.
Moraine in Rocky Mountain National Park, taken by Ansel Adams in 1941.
Moraines around the Icy lake (2709 m), just below Musala peak (2925 m) in Rila Mountain, Bulgaria.
Lateral moraines of a retreating glacier in Engadin.