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A hanging glacier originates high on the wall of a
A hanging glacier originates high on the wall of a glacial valley
U-shaped valleys, also called trough valleys or glacial troughs, are formed by the process of glaciation. They are characteristic of mountain glaciation in particular. They have a characteristic U shape in cross-section, with steep, straight s ...
and descends only part of the way to the surface of the main glacier and abruptly stops, typically at a cliff. Avalanching and icefall
An icefall is a portion of certain glaciers characterized by relatively rapid flow and chaotic crevassed surface, caused in part by gravity. The term ''icefall'' is formed by analogy with the word ''waterfall'', which is a similar phenomenon of t ...
s are the mechanisms for ice and snow transfer to the valley floor below.
Rock and icefall from a hanging glacier was responsible for triggering the Kolka-Karmadon rock ice slide in 2002, which killed 125 people.
References
Glaciology {{Glaciology-stub