Final answer:
Valley glaciers develop individually in the mountains, flowing down between valley walls, and are distinctly different from continental glaciers, ice caps, and ice shelves.
Step-by-step explanation:
Glaciers that develop individually high in the mountains are called valley glaciers. These glaciers typically form in a cirque at the head of a mountain valley or in a plateau ice cap, and they flow downward between the walls of a valley. The process of glacial action involves erosion, creating distinctive U-shaped valleys. In contrast, continental glaciers are massive ice sheets that cover vast areas of land, such as those found in Antarctica and Greenland. Ice caps are smaller than continental glaciers but still cover large areas and usually have a smooth dome shape. Lastly, ice shelves are thick slabs of ice that are attached to the coastline but float on the ocean's surface.
When considering the landscapes within Glacier National Park (GNP), the glaciers form when winter snowfall exceeds summer melting and move under their own weight. These dynamic glaciers are responsible for a variety of alpine landforms and can leave behind large mounds of rock and soil called moraines. We find that during the Little Ice Age, GNP saw substantial growth in its glacier sizes.