How Glaciers Carve and Shape Land — Reading Comprehension

Glaciers are huge, slow-moving rivers of ice. They form in places where the snow never completely melts, even in summer. Over many years, the snow piles up and gets pressed into thick ice. When the ice becomes heavy enough, it starts to move slowly downhill.

As a glacier moves, it acts like a giant bulldozer. It picks up rocks, soil, and even boulders, carrying them along. This process is called erosion, which means wearing away or breaking down the land. The glacier scrapes and grinds the ground underneath, making deep grooves and scratches in the rock.

When glaciers move through mountains, they carve out wide, U-shaped valleys. These valleys are different from the narrow, V-shaped valleys made by rivers. The U-shaped valley is one of the clearest signs that a glacier was once there. The glacier can also leave behind piles of rocks and dirt called moraines.

Some famous places, like Yosemite Valley in California and the Great Lakes in North America, were shaped by ancient glaciers. Even though many glaciers have melted, the landforms they created are still easy to see today. Glaciers continue to shape the land in places like Alaska, Greenland, and Antarctica.

Meltwater from glaciers can create new rivers and lakes. Sometimes, as glaciers melt, they leave behind large chunks of ice. When these melt, they form small lakes called kettle lakes. Glaciers are powerful forces of nature that change the Earth's surface in slow but amazing ways.

Interesting Fact: Some glaciers are so big that they can move rocks as heavy as cars for many miles!

What is a glacier?

What shape valley do glaciers make?

What is left behind by glaciers?

How do glaciers move rocks?

What can meltwater form?

Which place was shaped by glaciers?

Glaciers move quickly down mountains.

What is erosion?