A quick shot of a bit of calved glacier from Alaska’s Tracy Arm fjord:
The charcoal gray stuff is rock flour, the remains of rock that’s been pulverized to the consistency of a fine powder by the grinding action of glacial erosion. Normally you only see it in streams, being carried away from a glacier in meltwater. In this case, a calved chunk of a glacier brought some rock flour out in a more-or-less dry form for handy inspection from our cruise ship.
Possibly related posts (auto-generated list):
- The scientific tourist #179 — glacial polish
- The scientific tourist #144 — Newspaper Rock National Historical Site
