Top Ten Most Amazing Glaciers in the World
The huge mass of ice formed by the accumulation of snow are known as glaciers. Glaciers take long time to form, some of them only earn their final size after 30 thousand years! The largest glacier in the world is Antarctica, occupying an area of 14 million km. It is there that concentrate 90% of the ice on the planet – another 6% are in Greenland, 3% in the Arctic islands and 1% in the cold mountains of the globe. Glaciers can occur near the poles or in the form of huge rivers of ice that move slowly through the valleys, flat areas. This ability to move, incidentally, is a characteristic of all glaciers. The Glaciers never stop nor descend downhill by gravity or spread the ground with the force of its weight. On the way they pass, the glaciers erode the rocks as if sandpaper, and strength faster than water. Following are the top ten most amazing glaciers across the globe:
1. Perito Moreno Glacier: This glacier is in Patagonia and is the only glacier of the region which, if not removed, will increase in size, despite the effects of global warming. It was named after Francisco Moreno, who has studied the region in the 19th century. It has a length of over 30 kilometers and is the third largest source of freshwater in the world.
2. The Fox and Franz Josef glaciers: These glaciers are also one of the most amazing in the world. These twin glaciers have such a unique feature as it extends down the mountain in a tropical forest. Because of the heavy rainfall in the area, they are advancing rapidly. Tourists can explore the glaciers on helicopter rides or walking.
3. Hubbard: Located between Alaska and the Yukon Bay, Canada, Hubbard is one of the largest glaciers in the world. Extends 7.5 miles in length and moves as fast as 100 feet per day. Was advancing toward the Gulf of Alaska since it was mapped in 1895. This is really an amazing glacier in the world.
4. Vatnajökull: This is the largest glacier in Iceland, which covers 8% of the territory of the country. It is located in the southeast of the island and has an area of 8100 km. It is the largest ice cap in Europe by volume (3100 km ³) and like most of the glaciers of Iceland has volcanoes under the ice cap. In the cave of the glacier, tourists can admire the hot springs.
5. Jostedalsbreen: With over 60 miles long, this is the largest glacier in continental Europe. It is located in Southern Norway and is part of the Jostedalsbreen Glacier National Park, covering almost 50% of the surface of the park. Jostedalsbreen has a total area of 487 km. Unfortunately, like other glaciers, this one too is slowly diminishing.
6. Harker: It was first mapped by the Swedish Antarctic Expedition (1901-1904), this glacier was remapped in 1912 by David Ferguson and was renamed by Alfred Harker, an English geologist. Because of global warming, Hawker over the decades wore on the bay, but still, is the most impressive and imposing glacier on the east side of Cumberland Bay.
7. Aletsch: It is the largest glacier in the Alps, with a length of 23 km and an area of 120 square kilometers. Aletsch is formed by three smaller glaciers, United Concordia, a large flat area of snow and ice. The ice thickness is estimated at one kilometer. The entire area, including other glaciers is part of the Jungfrau-Aletsch Protected Area, which was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2001.
8. The glaciers of Kilimanjaro: This is an amazing place for adventure and many people admire the Kilimanjaro, despite losing more than 80% of its surface in the past century. According to the predictions of the past, scientists say these glaciers will disappear completely around the year 2020. This is also one of the amazing glaciers of the world.
9. The glaciers of Antarctica: Antarctica is home to numerous glaciers and is a popular destination, the number of tourists increased to 35,000 per year. The International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators was formed in 1991 with the goal of establishing guidelines for responsible tourism to Antarctica. The glaciers of Antarctica is one of the largest glaciers of the world which is a great source of tourism in the country.
10. Baltoro: With a length of 62 km, Baltoro is the largest glacier outside the polar regions. It is located in Pakistan. The glacier has carved striations on the surrounding country rocks. The highest mountain in the region is the K2 (8611 meters, 28,251 feet). This is also one of the most amazing glaciers across the globe.
