4.Glaciers

Passage 4 Glaciers

Glaciers are formedin places where the temperatures are extremely cold. This could even includeplaces that are at sea level, but are mostly places that are high up onmountains. In such cold places it snows most of the year. This snow will settledown and when it snows again the lower layer of snow gets compressed. Everytime it snows, the below layers will compress more, finally turning into hardice. This ice is what forms the glacier. When the temperature rises slightly, theouter edges of the formed glacier and fresh snow will melt. For a glacier toform and sustain itself it is of prime importance that the amount of snow thatfalls on it must be more than the amount of glacier that has melted. This isthe only way in which the glacier will be able to maintain itself and keepincreasing in size year after year.