glacier table
a rock that resides on a pedestal of ice; formed by differential ablation between the rock-covered ice and surrounding bare ice.
Image
glacier_table.jpg

Talefre Glacier on Mont Blanc Massif in the European Alps sported a prominent glacier table when this undated photograph was taken. The rock protected the ice directly below it from melting, resulting in the characteristic pedestal that remains after the surrounding ice melts. For scale, note the man standing behind and to the left of the pedestal.

Cairrar, archived at the World Data Center for Glaciology, Boulder, CO
Topic(s):
glaciers