| Summary: | Glacier caves, created when streams flowing down the adjacent valley side continue beneath the ice, tend to be elongate tunnels of approximately circular cross-section, sloping down towards the centre of the glacier. Caves formed as glaciers lose contact with an irregular surface over which they are sliding are particularly common where the bed gradient increases: many are found against rock steps, and their length and cross-sectional form depend on the height of the up-glacier wall, the gradient of the floor along the ice flow direction, and the rate of sliding. Water within the caves may freeze onto cold rock surfaces. -from Author
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