What are glaciers? Interesting facts about Glaciers
The hydrosphere covers about 71% of the Earth's surface. Of all this amount of water on Earth, about 97% of it is in the form of oceans.
There are glaciers, rivers, ponds, lakes and underground water on about 2.7% of the earth and this water is our drinking water.
Of all the fresh water or potable water available on Earth, about 3 quarters of it is in the form of glaciers.
Glaciers are the largest stock of fresh water on Earth. These glaciers are the source of Himalayan rivers like Ganga in India.
Most glaciers on Earth are found in polar regions, such as Antarctica, Greenland and the Arctic. 91% of the Earth's glaciers are in Antarctica and 8% in Greenland.
Lambert Glacier located in East Antarctica is considered the largest glacier in the world. It is about 80 kilometres wide, 400 kilometres long and about 2500 meters deep.
According to an estimate, the most ice is found in the Himalayas after the polar regions. There are more than 10,000 glaciers in India.
The Gangotri Glacier, one of the largest glaciers in the Himalayan Mountains, is the source of the Ganges River. The Ganges River is the most important source of fresh water and electricity in India and Bangladesh.
Siachen is the largest glacier in India. It is about 78 kilometres long. It is located near the Indo-Pak Line of Control (LoC) in the eastern Karakoram range of the Himalayas.
Glaciers are formed in those places where snowfall is high, but the rate of melting of snow is very low.