Glacier terminus

A glacial terminus
Satellite view of changing glacier termini in the Bhutan-Himalaya, showing glacial lakes formed by the retreating termini on the surface of the debris-covered glaciers over the last several decades.

A glacier terminus, toe, or snout, is the end of a glacier at any given point in time. Although glaciers seem motionless to the observer, in reality they are in endless motion and the glacier terminus is always either advancing or retreating. The location of the terminus is often directly related to glacier mass balance, which is based on the amount of snowfall which occurs in the accumulation zone of a glacier, as compared to the amount that is melted in the ablation zone. The position of a glacier terminus is also impacted by localized or regional temperature change over time.[1]

  1. ^ "All About Glaciers - Glacier Terminus". National Snow and Ice Data Center. Archived from the original on 2007-12-21. Retrieved 2007-11-25.