The incomartability of the theory of quaternary continental glaciation with the physical properties of ice sheets

The subject of research is the glacial theory, the only one of the global geological ideas put forward at the dawn of science (in the first quarter of the 19th century) that has survived to this day. According to this theory, in the recent geological past, a significant part of the mainland was covered by glaciers, whose geological activity was reflected in the structure of the relief, the upper part of the sedimentary cover, and the distribution of near-surface deformation structures. Since the practical needs of geology outpaced the development of glaciology as a science, the main provisions of the emerging glacial theory were based on postulates with phenomenological justification at the level of geological science of the second and third quarters of the 19th century. Important details of the physical properties and the true cause of the movement of glacial ice were established by glaciologists only in the middle of the 20th century, when geological glacial theory received almost unconditional recognition by the sciences of the Earth. As a result, the compatibility of the postulates of glacial theory with the basic propositions of modern glaciology was not verified (inertia of thinking). The proposed article is devoted to this verification. Information is provided on the crystal lattice and physical properties of glacier ice, which cause its spontaneous movement and ability of the bedrock to resist this movement. Contemporary Russian and foreign scientific communities fully and unconditionally support the glacial theory, which is firmly established in all Earth sciences. Based on the existing paradigm of the Quaternary period, paleogeographic concepts are formed, geological mapping and landscape zoning are carried out, and scenarios for changes in the natural environment under various climate change trends are developed. Meanwhile, the existence of the lateral component of gravitational pressure of a glacier postulated by glacial theory and, as a result, the movement of the basal layers of the glacier along the planes of thrust faults, their large-scale sliding relative to the surface of the glacial bed, as well as any manifestations of glaciotectonics with the formation of dislocations and allochthonous blocks of bedrock (detachments) contradicts the physics of glacial ice. A glacier does not deform or destroy obstacles in its path, but flows around them. The spontaneity of glacier ice flow is the main reason for its limited ability to erode deeply, which boils down to smoothing out the unevenness of the bed relief with polishing and hatching of its surface.

glacier, glacial theory, glaciology, physical properties of ice, energy, cause of glacier movement, stress relaxation, deformation, advance, glacial erosion