Onset of Glacier Tables

A glacier table consists of a rock supported by a slender column of ice and form naturally on glaciers. We investigate the onset of their formation at a smaller scale in a controlled environment. Depending on the size and thermal conductivity of a cap, it can either form of a table standing on an ice foot, or sink into the ice block. A one-dimension conduction model shows that the differential ice melting is controlled by a competition between two effects: a geometrical amplification, and a heat flux reduction due to the higher temperature of the cap as compared to the ice. Our model captures the transition between the two regimes and identifies a dimensionless number which controls the onset of glacier tables formation.

Automated summary

The formation of glacier tables depends on the size and thermal conductivity of the cap, which can either stand on an ice foot or sink into the ice block. A one-dimensional conduction model shows that the competition between geometrical amplification and heat flux reduction controls the differential ice melting process. Additionally, a dimensionless number identified by the model controls the onset of glacier tables formation.