There are two primary types of glaciers: Continental: Ice sheets are dome-shaped glaciers that flow away from a central region and are largely unaffected by underlying topography (e.g., Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets); Alpine or valley: glaciers in mountains that flow down valleys. read more
There are only two major continental glaciers on the Earth, located in Greenland and Antarctica. The Greenland ice sheet covers more than 650,000 square miles of land. The Antarctic ice sheet is much larger, covering about 5.4 million square miles of land. read more
Malaspina Glacier in Alaska is one of the most famous examples of this type of glacier, and is the largest piedmont glacier in the world. Spilling out of the Seward Icefield, Malaspina Glacier covers about 3,900 square kilometers (1,500 square miles) as it spreads across the coastal plain. read more