Ice Flow, Glacial Landforms & Cryosphere Science
Glaciers are rivers of ice that sculpt landscapes over millennia. They advance and retreat in response to climate, deform under their own weight according to Glen’s flow law, and leave behind moraines, U-shaped valleys, and other dramatic landforms. These 10 interactive simulations explore the physics of ice flow, the mechanics of crevasse formation, the grandeur of calving events, the slow rebound of Earth’s crust after deglaciation, and the orbital cycles that drive ice ages. Adjust parameters, watch glaciers grow and shrink, and discover how ice has shaped our planet.
How glaciers move under their own immense weight—from viscous flow laws to dramatic surge events.
Visualize how ice deforms as a non-Newtonian fluid. Adjust stress exponent n, temperature, and watch velocity profiles evolve across a glacier cross-section.
A 1D shallow-ice model driven by snowfall and temperature. Watch the glacier tongue grow downhill and retreat as climate warms.
Model a glacier that alternates between slow creep and rapid surges. Observe velocity spikes, surface crevassing, and post-surge thinning.
When ice breaks—crevasses rip open under tension, and icebergs calve from tidewater glaciers.
Watch crevasses open where tensile stress exceeds ice strength. Toggle water fill to see how hydrofracture deepens cracks through the full ice thickness.
A tidewater glacier terminus where crevasses propagate and massive ice blocks break free. Watch icebergs splash into the fjord.
The marks glaciers leave on the landscape—moraines, rebounding crust, and layered ice records.
Watch a glacier carry debris and deposit lateral, medial, and terminal moraines as it advances and retreats over centuries.
Earth’s crust sinks under ice sheets and rebounds after they melt. Visualize mantle flow, forebulge formation, and post-glacial uplift.
Drill into an ice core and read 800,000 years of climate history. Layers reveal temperature, CO₂ levels, volcanic eruptions, and dust storms.
The grand cycles that build and destroy continental ice sheets over hundreds of thousands of years.
Explore how Earth’s orbital eccentricity, axial tilt, and precession combine to drive ice ages on 100,000-year timescales.
A 2D ice sheet model on a continental scale. Watch ice accumulate, flow outward, and respond to temperature forcing over glacial cycles.