How does a glacier form?

Snow builds up and compresses into ice over many years

Glaciers Quiz: 10 Questions That Test What You Know

This glaciers quiz covers how glaciers form, ice sheets in Antarctica and Greenland, valley glaciers, crevasses and moraines, icebergs, the last Ice Age and how fast glaciers are melting today. Ten questions test what you know about rivers of ice.

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🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Form
How does a glacier form?
Largest
Where is the largest ice sheet on Earth?
Move
Do glaciers move?
Cracks
What are deep cracks in a glacier called?
Debris
What are ridges of rock left by glaciers called?
Valley
What shape of valley do glaciers carve?
Iceberg
About how much of an iceberg lies underwater?
Ice Age
When did the last glacial maximum peak?
Blue
Why does glacier ice often look blue?
Melting
What happens to sea level if glaciers melt?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: How does a glacier form?
Answer: Snow builds up and compresses into ice over many years
It must last through summers.
Q2: Where is the largest ice sheet on Earth?
Answer: Antarctica
It holds about 60% of Earth's fresh water.
Q3: Do glaciers move?
Answer: Yes, they flow slowly downhill
Some move meters per day.
Q4: What are deep cracks in a glacier called?
Answer: Crevasses
They are dangerous for climbers.
Q5: What are ridges of rock left by glaciers called?
Answer: Moraines
They mark where glaciers once reached.
Q6: What shape of valley do glaciers carve?
Answer: U-shaped
Rivers carve V-shaped valleys.
Q7: About how much of an iceberg lies underwater?
Answer: About 90%
Only the tip shows.
Q8: When did the last glacial maximum peak?
Answer: About 20,000 years ago
Ice covered much of North America and Europe.
Q9: Why does glacier ice often look blue?
Answer: Dense ice absorbs red light
Old ice has few bubbles.
Q10: What happens to sea level if glaciers melt?
Answer: It rises
Land ice adds water to oceans.

Glaciers Quiz – Rivers of Ice

Glaciers are huge masses of ice that form where snow builds up year after year, compressing into dense ice. They flow slowly under their own weight, from mountain valley glaciers to vast ice sheets covering Antarctica and Greenland.

Glaciers shape landscapes dramatically. They carve U-shaped valleys, fjords and cirques, and leave behind moraines, drumlins and lakes. During the last Ice Age, about 20,000 years ago, ice sheets covered much of North America and northern Europe.

Today glaciers store about 69% of Earth's fresh water, but most are shrinking as temperatures rise. Melting glaciers raise sea levels and threaten water supplies for millions of people who rely on meltwater rivers.

What This Quiz Teaches

This quiz is for students learning about glaciers.

How glaciers form
Where the largest ice sheet is
What crevasses and moraines are
How icebergs float
Why melting matters

Did You Know?

Glacier National Park has lost many glaciers.
Some glaciers surge suddenly.
The Lambert Glacier is among the largest.
Ice cores record past climates.
Glaciers cover about 10% of land.