The Antarctic and the Greenland ice sheets are the only ones now. Glaciers of this kind are especially common in Alaska which has an area of approximately 3,900 km. The lower portion of this glacier is almost flat and is covered with so much soil and rock debris that it supports a thick forest. A glacier moves slowly at first catching onto anything it goes by . Twigs, leaves, rocks, and shrubs often get into a glacier.
Glaciers scratch lines along the mountain.
This is because of all the small, sharp things that are in a glacier, and as it moves along it leaves a trail. This is why you can tell where a glacier has been. Some of the rocks that are brought with it, break up into small little pieces until they are small particles, almost too small to see. The particles are called rock flour . The rock flour that is carried by the glacier ends up in rivers, ponds, lakes, and oceans.