Glacier, Svalbard - 20 - Terminal Moraine

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Glacier, Svalbard - 20 - Terminal Moraine


A lateral moraine forming on a glacier, this is near the front (snout) of the glacier. dark rocky debris attracts the sun and so causes melting. I wasn't terribly comfortable with walking along this area as it wasn't obvious whether you were on ground or ice covered in rock. The holes in the ice disappeared into caverns that were of indeterminate depth and often had the sound of running water coming from them.

Maybe I was overthinking this but I could imagine an easy slip into a hole in the ground where I could maybe see some light but maybe not and be immersed in icy cold water while having no chance of climbing back up steep hard ice slopes. Not to worry though, I was ok in the end.



Photo; © Paul Ward - These are pictures from a cruise around Svalbard inside the Arctic Circle in high summer.