Prince William Sound, Alaska
Prince William Sound is known for its high concentration of glaciers and deeply carved fjords. There are over 100 named glaciers in Prince William Sound. There are different kinds of glaciers…
Glaciers are rivers of moving ice. Glaciers slide and grind their way down mountains sculpting the fjords and valleys by the forces of gravity.
Calving: A word meaning to break off or "calve".
Alpine or Hanging Glaciers are the smaller glaciers that are literally hanging on the side of a mountain.
Piedmont Glaciers from the French word "pied" meaning foot and "mont" meaning mountain, are glaciers that rest at the base of a mountain.
Tidewater Glaciers terminate at the ocean’s edge. As the glacier moves into the ocean, pressured by its own weight from behind, it is weakened by the warming action of the water and giant slabs of ice break away and calve into the sea.