Story: Glaciers and glaciation
The Dart Glacier in western Otago is the largest glacier feeding into the Dart River, and from there into Lake Wakatipu. A thick snowfield (called the névé) builds up on the upper mountain slopes, and is compacted to ice which gradually flows downhill. The glacier picks up debris in its path, and also carries fallen rock from landslides. This shows up as dark material on the surface as the ice melts.
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GNS Science
Reference: CN10414/37
Photograph by Lloyd Homer
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