What are the physical effects of glaciers?

of the moving glacier is to scour and grind the bedrock surface over which it travels as it advances, and then to redeposit vast quantities of sand, gravel and silt as it retreats. Further advances and retreats of subsequent ice sheets continue to rework these accumulated glacial sediments.

of glaciation can be seen everywhere in Vermont. Since Vermont was completely overridden by successive ice sheets, no portion of the state escaped. In the higher mountain regions, such as here atop Mt. Hunger or on the summit of towering Mt. Mansfield, we find glacial polish, striations, roches moutonnees (plucking on the backside of mountains and ridges) and an occasional perched erratic boulder. In the valleys and lowlands we find sand and gravel deposits from ancient river beds and deltas, nea r-ice deposits like moraines, kames, eskers and kettle holes, and the extensive clays and silts and yearly varves that accumulated at the bottoms of ancient glacial lakes.

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