Abstract
When we think of high mountains, we have mostly glaciated peaks and mountain ranges in mind. And indeed there are many glaciers in high mountains of our globe as a significant landscape element. Many high mountains got their present appearance first in the recent geological time by flowing ice. In the Pleistocene, which began about 2.6 million years ago and ended about 11,600 years ago, ice age glacier streams have led to enormous changes. They gnawed on mountains, abrased the bottom of the valleys, and deposited large amounts of debris. Glaciers are a huge water reservoir for people who live in high mountains; their dammed meltwater supplies energy to millions, and without glaciers, high mountains would lose their charm and fascination for mountaineers, hikers, and nature lovers.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2015 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Stahr, A., Langenscheidt, E. (2015). Glaciers. In: Landforms of High Mountains. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-53715-8_7
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-53715-8_7
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-53714-1
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-53715-8
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)