Glaciers are large bodies of packed ice and snow that are constantly moving under their own pressure, albeit often too slowly for the naked eye to perceive.
They are found in vast ice sheets near the north and south poles, or at high altitude in mountain ranges around the world.
Mountaineers and adventurers have often been drawn to glaciers, their alluring beauty masking the danger from landslides and frozen temperatures.
More recently, glaciers have also been associated with a more nefarious danger — global warming.
According to the US government, 2.1% of the Earth’s water is frozen in glaciers. Rising temperatures each year are causing these vast ice sheets to melt, pouring large volumes of water into the ocean and causing rising sea levels across the globe.
But for now, breathtaking glaciers can still be found around the world, often nestled in remote locations.
From the picturesque Fay Glacier, which feeds Moraine Lake in Canada, to the Jade Dragon Glacier high in China’s Yunnan province, here are some of the world’s most stunning glaciers and icebergs.
More from The National:
Swiss glaciers in retreat as scientists say volume has halved in 90 years
Plane wreckage from 1968 crash found on Swiss glacier
Melting glacier is moving the Italian-Swiss border in the Alps
Earth's shrinking glaciers contain less ice than previously thought, study shows
