Most movement is found to be caused by pressured meltwater or very small water-saturated sediments underneath the glacier.
Most activity seen from basal sliding is within thin glacier that are resting on a steep slope, and this most commonly happens during the summer seasons when surface meltwater runoff peaks.
[1] Factors that can slow or stop basal sliding relate to the glacier's composition and also the surrounding environment.
This can affect the amount of movement that is made by the glacier by a large percentage especially if the slope on which it lies is low.
The Great Lakes were created due to basal erosion as a result of sliding over relatively weak bedrock.