Glacial geosystems: Principles of self-organization

The self-organization processes of glacial geosystems are considered by using ice sheets as an example. The conveyor type of movement, i.e. the movement of the surface brittle layer due to the viscoplastic diffluence of the lower layer, has been identified and characterized for the first time. In this case, the movement of ice can also proceed across the horizontal surface through a decrease in its thickness, with an invariable volume of the lower-lying layers of ice under a pressure sufficient for viscoplastic deformation.