0:00 Hello there and welcome to the sleepy
0:03 science channel. Tonight we enter the
0:07 quiet and mysterious world of Glacias.
0:10 The ancient rivers of ice that patiently
0:13 and secretly shape our planet. These
0:16 frozen giants carry memories of longlost
0:19 worlds, preserve traces of distant
0:22 atmospheres, and carve entire landscapes
0:25 with strength and determination.
0:28 Within their deep blue layers rest
0:30 stories that stretch far beyond human
0:32 time, held in cold silence. Their
0:36 presence is immense yet calming. Light
0:40 dances softly across their surfaces and
0:43 cold air pools at their edges. Beneath
0:46 the ice, hidden worlds wait in darkness,
0:49 untouched for thousands of years.
0:52 Glacias reshape mountains, feed rivers,
0:55 and guide the slow pulse of water across
0:58 Earth. If you enjoy these gentle
1:01 journeys, I invite you to like,
1:03 subscribe, or share a thought below. It
1:07 helps others find their way here, too,
1:09 one sleepy soul at a time. But for now,
1:14 all you need to do is relax.
1:17 Allow your body to soften and let your
1:20 mind settle into stillness. Let's begin.
1:24 Some glacias hide entire mountain ranges
1:27 beneath them. Beneath certain polar ice
1:30 sheets, the surface looks deceptively
1:32 smooth, a gently rolling plane of white
1:36 that stretches to the horizon. Under
1:38 that calm exterior, radar instruments
1:41 have revealed rugged landscapes with
1:43 peaks, ridges, and deep basins
1:46 completely buried in ice. These hidden
1:49 mountains can rival well-known ranges in
1:51 height and complexity. Yet, they have
1:54 not seen open sky for an immense span of
1:56 time.
1:58 The ice above presses down with great
2:00 force, filling valleys and smoothing
2:02 sharp edges. But the stony skeleton of
2:05 the range still shapes how the ice
2:08 flows.
2:09 Subtle humps on the surface can mirror
2:11 towering peaks thousands of feet below.
2:14 Meltwater streams may be guided along
2:17 buried ridgeel lines, feeding secret
2:19 lakes that never feel the warmth of the
2:21 sun. In these concealed highlands,
2:24 geology and glaciology intertwine,
2:28 creating a world that modern instruments
2:30 are only beginning to map in detail.
2:33 There are glacias so clear they look
2:35 like frozen glass.
2:38 Most people think of glacia ice as white
2:40 or softly blue, but in some rare places,
2:44 the ice becomes astonishingly
2:46 transparent. Over time, layers of snow
2:49 are compacted so thoroughly that almost
2:52 all the tiny air bubbles are squeezed
2:54 out. The ice crystals grow larger and
2:57 more uniform, scattering less light and
3:00 allowing it to pass straight through.
3:03 When such ice is exposed in a broken
3:05 wall or along a polished surface, it can
3:08 resemble a window into the heart of the
3:10 glacia.
3:12 stones, trapped leaves, or small pockets
3:14 of older, cloudier ice appear suspended
3:17 in a clear medium as if held in a glass
3:20 sculpture. This clarity is not only
3:23 beautiful. It tells scientists that the
3:26 ice has experienced intense pressure and
3:29 careful, orderly growth deep within the
3:31 glacia. What began as fluffy, reflective
3:35 snowflakes has transformed into a dense,
3:38 luminous solid that reveals the patient
3:40 work of time and pressure. Ancient air
3:44 is trapped inside glacia ice. When snow
3:47 falls on a cold landscape and never
3:49 fully melts, each layer buries the one
3:53 before it. As the snow is compressed
3:55 into fern and then into solid ice, tiny
3:58 pockets of atmosphere become sealed
4:00 inside. These microscopic bubbles are
4:04 time capsules. They hold the very air
4:07 that once flowed around living creatures
4:10 over oceans and forests through storms
4:14 and quiet days long ago. By drilling
4:18 deep into thick ice and bringing long
4:20 cylinders of it back to the surface,
4:23 researchers can sample those bubbles and
4:25 measure the gases within. They can
4:28 detect changes in carbon dioxide,
4:30 methane, and other components that
4:32 reveal how the climate has shifted
4:34 through ages of ice and warmth. Each
4:37 depth corresponds to a different moment
4:40 in planetary history, stacked one upon
4:42 another in a frozen archive.
4:45 It is as if the glacia carries a layered
4:47 record of breaths, storms, and seasons
4:50 from worlds that no human ever saw.
4:54 Glacias move like slow rivers of solid
4:56 ice. They appear frozen in place. Yet
5:00 their ice is always shifting, flowing
5:02 outward under its own tremendous weight.
5:05 Down at the crystal level, individual
5:08 ice grains creep past one another,
5:10 bending and deforming so that the whole
5:13 body of ice inches forward day after
5:15 day. Sometimes the surface carries long
5:18 dark stripes of rock and dust like
5:21 currents traced across a frozen stream,
5:24 revealing the paths that the ice has
5:26 followed for years.
5:28 Stakes placed on a glacia do not stay
5:30 put. They drift down slope, quietly
5:33 marking the passage of time in the
5:35 landscape. Where the ice is thickest or
5:38 where melt water lubricates the bed
5:40 beneath, the motion can become
5:42 surprisingly quick, enough to reshape
5:45 valleys and push rocky debris far from
5:47 its source. This movement is relentless.
5:52 Even in the coldest darkness of winter
5:54 nights, the ice keeps on going, carrying
5:57 the memory of snowfalls that fell long
5:59 before anyone was watching. Glacias can
6:02 flow uphill under the right conditions.
6:05 At first, that sounds impossible since
6:08 gravity pulls everything down slope. The
6:11 key is that ice behaves not only as a
6:13 solid, but also as a material that
6:16 responds to pressure differences in
6:18 surprising ways. When a glacia is thick
6:22 and heavy, the pressure at depth can
6:24 drive ice from regions of high pressure
6:27 to regions of lower pressure, even if
6:29 that path leads slightly upward over a
6:32 buried bump in the bedrock. From above,
6:35 the surface might still appear to
6:37 descend overall. Yet along the base, ice
6:41 can be forced up and over ridges before
6:43 continuing its journey downhill.
6:46 This process is guided by the total
6:48 energy of the system, not just the
6:51 steepness of the surface. Melt water
6:54 beneath the glacia can add to this
6:55 effect by easing the ice over obstacles.
6:59 In this way, these slow rivers of frozen
7:03 water can quietly climb over buried
7:05 hills as they continue their long
7:07 migration. Some glaciers make deep,
7:10 thunderous sounds when they shift. In
7:13 cold, quiet valleys, the apparent
7:16 stillness of the ice can suddenly be
7:18 broken by booming echoes that roll
7:20 across the landscape.
17:35 image of a glacia is that of a
17:37 motionless block of ice. Yet some move
17:40 at speeds that can be surprisingly quick
17:43 for such massive bodies. Their surfaces
17:46 may advance several feet in a single
17:48 day, driven by internal deformation,
17:51 basil sliding, and the steady addition
17:53 of new snow at high elevations.
17:57 When melt water trickles downward and
17:59 accumulates along the bed of the glacia,
18:02 it can act as a lubricant that reduces
18:04 friction, allowing the ice to glide more
18:07 easily over the rock below.
18:10 Warm summers, heavy snowfall, and
18:12 internal structural changes can all
18:14 increase motion. Creasses widen faster,
18:18 surface features migrate down slope, and
18:21 chunks of ice break away from the front
18:23 more frequently. Even though the speed
18:26 is slow compared with flowing rivers,
18:28 the movement is powerful enough to shift
18:30 boulders, alter landscapes, and reshape
18:33 entire valleys.
18:35 These faster moving glacias demonstrate
18:38 how dynamic ice can be when conditions
18:41 align. There are glacias that cav
18:44 icebergs taller than buildings. At the
18:47 ocean front of certain glacial systems,
18:49 enormous blocks of ice crack away from
18:52 towering walls and fall into the sea.
18:55 These events known as cving can produce
18:58 icebergs that rise far above the water
19:00 line. The process begins with tension
19:03 building deep within the glacia as it
19:05 flows outward toward the coast. Waves,
19:08 tides, and undercutting by warmer
19:11 seaater can weaken the base while the
26:08 through the glacia. When conditions are
26:11 just right, these small sources combine
26:13 into a shimmering soundsscape that
26:15 locals sometimes describe as singing.
26:18 Sensitive equipment placed on the
26:20 surface can capture a rich chorus of
26:23 pitches that human ears might not fully
26:25 detect. Each tone reflects the physical
26:29 state of the glacia, revealing changes
26:31 in temperature, pressure, and internal
26:34 flow. The effect is a reminder that
26:37 glacias are not silent at all.
26:40 They hold a subtle acoustic life shaped
26:42 entirely by movement within frozen
26:44 walls. Glacial ice can be older than
26:47 human civilization.
26:49 Deep inside the thickest ice sheets,
26:52 layers of snow from distant ages have
26:55 been compressed into solid ice and
26:57 preserved far beyond the span of
26:59 recorded history.
27:01 Each layer represents a winter that fell
27:04 before cities rose, before written
27:06 languages formed, before agriculture
27:08 shaped human societies.
27:11 The deeper one goes, the further back
27:13 the record stretches, in some places
27:16 reaching into times when the planet
27:18 followed very different rhythms of
27:20 temperature and climate. These ancient
27:23 layers contain dust from volcanic
27:25 eruptions, traces of distant storms, and
27:28 even tiny bubbles of air that formed
27:31 long before any modern human breathed.
27:34 Scientists drill long cylinders of this
27:36 ancient ice and examine them carefully
27:40 to reconstruct environmental conditions
27:42 from ages beyond memory. In this frozen
27:46 archive, history is measured not in
27:48 centuries, but in enormous sweeps of
27:51 time, preserved with extraordinary
27:53 clarity within the depths of the glacia.
27:56 Some glacias feed rivers that travel
27:58 across continents.
28:00 In many regions, melt water that emerges
28:03 from a glacia becomes the headwater of a
28:05 river that flows for great distances.
28:08 As the glacia melts during warmer
28:10 seasons, clear, cold streams trickle
28:13 from beneath the ice and gather strength
28:15 as they move down slope. These streams
28:18 combine to form rivers that cross
28:20 plains, forests, and grasslands,
28:23 supporting countless ecosystems along
28:25 the way. Communities rely on this steady
28:28 supply of water for agriculture, daily
28:31 use, and hydro power. Even regions far
28:34 downstream feel the influence of glacial
28:37 melt. Since the timing and volume of
28:39 water can shape the rhythm of entire
28:42 watersheds,
28:43 long after the meltwater leaves the
28:45 shadow of the ice, it continues its
28:47 journey across varied landscapes,
28:50 linking distant environments to the high
28:52 frozen source where the river was born.
28:55 The glacia becomes part of a vast
28:57 network that sustains life far from the
29:00 cold world of its origin. There are
29:02 glacias hidden inside desert mountains.
29:06 It may seem unlikely that ice can
29:08 survive in regions known for heat and
29:10 dryness. Yet in certain high alitude
29:13 deserts, isolated glacias persist in
29:16 deep shadows where sunlight rarely
29:19 reaches. These glacias form in sheltered
29:22 ravines or circs where cold air sinks
29:24 and remains trapped. Snowfall, though
36:13 traces of vegetation carried from
36:15 distant places. The thickness of each
36:18 layer reveals how much snow fell in a
36:21 particular year. The composition of tiny
36:24 air bubbles tells how much carbon
36:25 dioxide and methane were in the
36:27 atmosphere. By examining these features,
36:30 researchers can reconstruct climate
36:33 patterns that stretch far beyond human
36:35 memory. Glacia ice becomes a silent
36:38 witness to Earth's shifting rhythms,
36:40 preserving each turn in the planet's
36:42 long environmental story. There are
36:45 glacias that form delicate needle ice
36:48 structures. On the surfaces of some high
36:50 altitude glacias, thin spires of ice can
36:53 rise from the ground like tiny
36:55 crystallin forests. These needle-shaped
36:59 formations grow when strong sunlight
37:01 warms the surface just enough to cause
37:03 slight melting, followed by rapid
37:06 freezing in cold air. The meltwater
37:09 evaporates upward, leaving behind narrow
37:12 ridges of ice that point toward the sky.
37:16 Over time, these ridges can sharpen into
37:19 intricate shapes that seem almost
37:22 impossible for nature to produce. They
37:24 form only under very specific conditions
37:27 where intense light meets extremely dry
37:30 air and strong temperature gradients.
37:33 Climbers sometimes find these fragile
37:35 spikes difficult to cross since the
37:38 spires can be sharp enough to cut fabric
37:40 or collapse unexpectedly beneath their
37:43 weight. Their presence reveals how
37:45 sunlight, wind, and cold interact in
37:48 rare combinations to create formations
37:50 as artistic as they are fleeting. Some
37:53 glacias stretch across multiple climate
41:11 slowly rises to meet the sky once more.
41:15 There are glaciers that trap entire
41:17 forests beneath them. In some regions,
41:20 advancing ice sheets have swept over
41:22 valleys filled with trees and
41:24 vegetation, burying them beneath tons of
41:27 ice. The cold temperatures under the
41:30 glacia preserve the organic material in
41:32 remarkable condition. Roots, branches,
41:36 bark, and even leaves can remain intact
41:38 for long periods, protected from decay
41:41 by the freezing environment. When the
41:43 glacia melts or retreats, it may reveal
41:46 these ancient forests, offering a
41:48 glimpse into ecosystems that existed
41:51 before the ice swept through.
41:54 Scientists study the preserved wood to
41:56 understand what species lived there, how
41:59 the climate differed from today, and how
42:02 landscapes changed as glaciers advanced.
42:05 These fossilized forests provide an
42:08 intimate view of a world that vanished
42:10 under ice, yet left behind clues that
42:13 help reconstruct the past with unusual
42:15 clarity. Some glacias creep through
42:18 dense mountain passes. When a glacia
42:21 encounters a narrow gap between
42:23 mountains, the pressure of the ice
42:25 behind it forces the mass into the
42:27 constricted space. The ice adjusts by
42:31 stretching, folding, and deforming to
42:34 fit the shape of the terrain. Large
42:37 creasses may open as the glacia squeezes
42:39 into the pass, while the sides can
42:42 scrape along steep rock walls. This
42:45 movement creates spectacular flow
42:47 patterns that resemble frozen waves
42:49 captured in mid-motion.
42:51 Even though the passage may be tight and
42:53 steep, the glacia continues forward,
42:56 guided by gravity and the slow
42:58 deformation of ice.
43:01 Over time, the glacia widens the pass,
43:04 smoothing sharp points and grinding away
43:07 loose rock. These narrow channels bear
43:10 the marks of the glacia's slow
43:12 persistence,
43:14 showing how frozen water can navigate
43:16 and reshape even the most confined
43:18 landscapes.
43:20 Glacias can split into multiple ice
43:22 streams. Although a glacia may begin as
43:25 a single mass of accumulated snow and
43:27 ice, its flow can divide into separate
43:30 branches as it moves across uneven
43:32 terrain.
43:34 Valleys, ridges, and variations in
43:36 bedrock shape can direct the ice into
43:39 distinct channels that act like
43:41 independent rivers within the same
43:43 glacia. Each stream may move at a
43:46 different speed or follow a unique path
43:49 depending on the slope, thickness, and
43:51 underlying conditions.
43:53 Where the streams rejoin, they may form
43:56 dramatic folds or twisting patterns that
43:59 reveal how the ice converged again.
44:02 These divisions show the complexity of
44:04 glacial motion and how sensitive the ice
44:06 is to changes in topography. By studying
44:10 how these ice streams behave,
44:12 researchers gain insight into the forces
44:14 that control glacial flow from the
44:16 smallest creasse to entire frozen
44:19 basins. Some glacias create deep
44:22 creasses wide enough to swallow houses.
44:25 The surface of a glacia is constantly
47:47 sheets stacked one upon another. When a
47:49 glacier encounters an obstacle such as a
47:52 buried ridge or a sudden change in
47:54 slope, the lower ice can be forced
47:57 upward. The intense pressure can fold
48:00 the layers, twisting them until the
48:02 older sections lie on top and the newer
48:05 sections lie below. These overturned
48:08 layers may appear along cliffs or
48:10 creasse walls as colorful stripes of
48:12 blue, white, or gray.
48:15 Each stripe represents a different time
48:17 in the glacia's past. The folding
48:20 process can occur slowly or during
48:22 periods of rapid movement when the
48:24 glacia flows faster than usual.
48:27 Scientists read these layers to
48:29 reconstruct the glacia's history,
48:31 learning how it advanced and retreated
48:33 long before modern observers took note.
48:36 The ice becomes a physical record of its
48:38 own journey written in folds created by
48:41 enormous subterranean force.
48:44 Some glacias hold hidden rivers rushing
48:46 beneath them. Far beneath the quiet
48:49 surface of a glacia, water can flow in
48:52 powerful streams created by melting at
48:54 the base. Pressure from the weight of
48:57 the ice lowers the melting point,
49:00 allowing liquid water to appear even in
49:02 freezing temperatures.
49:04 That water collects in channels that
49:07 twist and branch through the darkness,
49:09 sometimes forming networks that rival
49:11 surface rivers in complexity.
49:14 These subglacial rivers can move with
49:16 surprising speed as gravity and pressure
49:19 push the water through narrow passages.
49:22 Some of the channels remain stable for
59:29 meltwater shaped terrain long after the
59:32 ice has retreated, leaving behind
59:34 sprawling zones created entirely by the
59:37 steady release of sediment from the
59:39 glacia's edge. Some glacias carry
59:42 massive boulders called erratics.
59:45 Large stones that rest on glacia
59:47 surfaces can be transported across long
59:50 distances as the ice moves. These rocks
59:53 may fall onto the glacia from
59:55 surrounding cliffs. or be plucked from
59:57 the bedrock below and lifted upward
1:00:00 through ice flow. Once on the surface,
1:00:03 they travel quietly, carried far from
1:00:06 their original source. When the glacia
1:00:09 melts, the stones are left behind in
1:00:11 strange and often isolated positions,
1:00:14 sometimes perched in open fields or on
1:00:17 hillsides where no similar rock exists.
1:00:20 Their size can be imposing with some
1:00:22 reaching the scale of small buildings.
1:00:25 These misplaced giants tell the story of
1:00:27 the glaciius path and the distance the
1:00:30 ice traveled. Their unusual locations
1:00:32 help researchers trace ancient glacial
1:00:35 roots, revealing how ice once moved
1:00:37 across landscapes now free of snow. Each
1:00:41 boulder is a marker of past motion
1:00:43 delivered by the slow but relentless
1:00:45 transport of ice. Glacias can turn rocks
1:00:49 into fine silt called rock flour. When
1:00:52 glacias drag stones across their beds,
1:00:55 the grinding action reduces larger
1:00:57 fragments into extremely fine particles.
1:02:30 for vast distances inside the glacia.
1:02:34 When exposed along creass walls or
1:02:36 polished ice cliffs, the folded layers
1:02:39 create stunning patterns that resemble
1:02:41 ribbons trapped in frozen motion.
1:02:44 Scientists examine these folds to
1:02:46 understand how the glacia once moved and
1:02:49 how pressure changed the structure of
1:02:51 the ice. The patterns serve as a visible
1:02:54 memory of the glacia's shifting journey
1:02:56 across its landscape. There are glacias
1:02:59 that collapse in towering ice falls. In
1:03:02 steep mountain areas, glaciers can
1:03:04 descend over abrupt drops or cliffs
1:03:06 where the ice breaks apart into chaotic
1:03:09 towering masses. These ice falls
1:03:12 resemble frozen waterfalls with blocks
1:03:15 and columns stacked at impossible
1:03:17 angles. The ice fractures as it moves
1:03:20 over the sudden slope change, creating
1:03:22 deep creasses, jagged ridges, and
1:03:25 unstable towers.
1:03:27 The constant motion prevents the
1:03:29 formation from ever settling into a
1:03:31 stable shape. New cracks appear
1:03:34 frequently as the glacia flows, causing
1:03:36 pieces to topple or split without
1:03:38 warning. The sound of ice shifting
1:03:41 echoes across the valley as the glacia
1:03:44 navigates this dramatic transition.
1:03:47 Though dangerous and unpredictable,
1:03:49 these ice falls provide insight into how
1:03:52 glaciers respond to steep terrain. They
1:03:55 reveal the raw power of frozen water
1:05:28 thin, dark lines inside the glacia. Each
1:05:31 line marks a specific eruption,
1:05:34 providing a precise record of volcanic
1:05:36 activity that can be traced through
1:05:38 time. Scientists drill into the glacia
1:05:41 and analyze the ash to determine the
1:05:44 strength and origin of past eruptions.
1:05:47 These layers also reveal how atmospheric
1:05:49 currents carried the ash across
1:05:51 continents.
1:05:52 The glacia preserves these events with
1:05:55 remarkable accuracy, storing evidence of
1:05:58 distant volcanoes in immaculate frozen
1:06:01 layers. Each dark band becomes a time
1:06:04 stamp, linking the history of fire to
1:06:07 the slow accumulation of ice. Some
1:06:09 glacias move over lands that rise after
1:06:12 ice melts. Under the immense weight of a
1:06:15 glacia, land can be pressed downward.
1:06:19 When the glacia retreats, the relieved
1:06:22 ground begins to rise slowly. This
1:06:25 uplift can continue for many centuries,
1:06:27 reshaping coastlines, altering river
1:06:30 paths, and changing the slope of entire
1:06:32 regions. Glacias that move over such
1:06:35 rising land experience shifts in their
1:06:38 flow because the landscape is changing
1:06:41 beneath them.
1:06:42 Slight tilts can influence how melt
1:06:45 water drains or how the glacia
1:06:47 distributes its weight. These
1:06:49 interactions reveal a dynamic
1:06:51 relationship between ice and bedrock
1:06:54 where each affects the other across long
1:06:56 spans of time. As the land rises, it
1:07:00 carries with it the memory of the
1:07:01 glacia's presence, showing how the
1:07:04 ground itself responds to the eb and
1:07:06 flow of ice. There are glacias that
1:07:09 break apart in slow spiraling patterns.
1:07:12 Certain glacias develop unusual
1:07:15 rotational movements when ice flows
1:07:17 unevenly across complex terrain. One
1:07:21 side may move faster than the other, or
1:07:23 subtle shifts in underlying rock may
1:07:26 create curved pathways within the ice.
1:07:29 Over time, the surface features of the
1:07:32 glacia begin to twist, forming graceful
1:07:35 spirals or arcs that drift down slope.
1:07:38 Debris carried within the ice becomes
1:07:41 arranged in looping stripes that reveal
1:07:43 the rotational flow. These slow spirals
1:07:47 form over many seasons and can continue
1:07:50 evolving as the glacia changes shape.
1:07:53 They demonstrate how sensitive glacias
1:07:56 are to tiny differences in slope,
1:07:58 pressure, and inner structure.
1:08:01 The patterns remain visible reminders of
1:08:04 the glacia's internal choreography, a
1:08:07 slow turning dance created by the
1:08:09 movement of frozen water across shifting
1:08:11 land. Some glacias form stacked layers
1:08:15 of ancient winters.
1:08:17 Every winter adds a fresh blanket of
1:08:19 snow to a glacia and each summer
1:08:21 compresses it beneath the weight of new
1:08:23 snowfall. Over centuries, these layers
1:08:27 transform into bands of ice that remain
1:08:30 distinct from one another. Each band
1:08:32 preserves tiny hints of the season in
1:08:35 which it formed. Some contain faint dust
1:08:38 from distant storms. Others hold clearer
1:08:41 ice from particularly cold years when
1:08:44 snow compacted more efficiently.
1:08:47 Viewed in cross-section, these layers
1:08:50 appear as subtle stripes of differing
1:08:52 brightness, texture, or clarity. They
1:08:56 can stretch deep into the glacia,
1:08:58 forming a chronological staircase of
1:09:00 ancient winters stacked one upon
1:09:02 another. Scientists can trace these
1:09:05 bands back through tremendous spans of
1:09:08 time to study snow patterns, atmospheric
1:09:11 changes, and environmental shifts that
1:09:14 took place long before recorded history.
1:09:17 The glacia becomes a vast frozen
1:09:19 archive, storing the passage of seasons
1:09:22 with extraordinary precision.
1:09:25 Placias can cool entire regions around
1:09:27 them. A glacia's massive surface
1:09:30 reflects sunlight and emits cold air
1:09:33 that flows down slope. As this chilled
1:09:36 air spreads into nearby valleys, it
1:09:39 lowers local temperatures and creates
1:09:41 microclimates that would not exist
1:09:43 without the presence of the ice. Plants
1:09:46 that normally grow at higher elevations
1:09:48 can survive at lower levels thanks to
1:09:50 the cooling effect. Animals adjust their
1:09:53 habitats accordingly, relying on the
1:09:55 glacia's influence to maintain stable
1:11:26 rates and how microorganisms adapt to
1:11:29 extreme conditions. The glacia becomes a
1:11:32 living canvas marked by organisms that
1:11:34 flourish in one of the coldest habitats
1:11:36 on Earth. There are glacias that slide
1:11:39 on cushions of pressurized water. At the
1:11:42 base of some glacias, melt water
1:11:45 accumulates under such intense pressure
1:11:47 that it acts as a thin, slippery layer
1:11:49 between the ice and the rock beneath.
1:11:52 This pressurized water reduces friction
1:11:55 dramatically. As a result, the glacia
1:11:58 can glide over the ground more easily
1:12:00 than it would otherwise.
1:1