Glacier [\'glā–shər]

Large body of slow moving ice

Glaciers are formed from snow and water that gets compressed together over long periods of time. They are made of up ice, snow, rocks, sediment and liquid ice. They move down a slope because of gravity and its own weight. Ancient glaciers carved out much of the Earth's landscape. Glaciers that remain today are lefts over from the Ice Age. Scientists study glaciers to see into the past and understand what may happen in the future. But many glaciers are melting because of climate change. That may one factor in the rise of global sea levels. The health of glaciers can tell us a lot about the health of our planet.

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