The Beauty of Glacial Flour
Looking down on the iconic, colorful glacial waters that make Lake Louise so beloved, and special.
"The reason for the difference? The turquoise lakes are fed by rivers where active glaciers are pushing through rocky valleys upstream. The glaciers function like bulldozers, grinding away and pulverizing rocks along valley floors and walls. The process produces a fine-grained powder of silt and clay—glacial flour—that is picked up by meltwater streams. Also known as rock flour or glacial silt. Since the particles are so fine, they are slow to sink to the bottom, remaining suspended in the water column instead."
earthobservatory.nasa.gov
Thank you for taking time to take a look!
Have a wonderful Spring weekend!
The Beauty of Glacial Flour
Looking down on the iconic, colorful glacial waters that make Lake Louise so beloved, and special.
"The reason for the difference? The turquoise lakes are fed by rivers where active glaciers are pushing through rocky valleys upstream. The glaciers function like bulldozers, grinding away and pulverizing rocks along valley floors and walls. The process produces a fine-grained powder of silt and clay—glacial flour—that is picked up by meltwater streams. Also known as rock flour or glacial silt. Since the particles are so fine, they are slow to sink to the bottom, remaining suspended in the water column instead."
earthobservatory.nasa.gov
Thank you for taking time to take a look!
Have a wonderful Spring weekend!