Dirt cone

[2] Dirt, dust, or moraine deposit material will fall into the crevasse in the glacier and build up over time.

The rest of the glacier continues to lower as the material mound grows higher and taller.

Any ice, snow, or firn trapped under the material will be insulated and protected from erosion.

It begins forming a conical shape as the sides steepen to an angle that is unstable.

Over time, it becomes a cone with a layer of material on the outside and a core of ice, snow, or firn on the inside.

During extreme wind events, this sand or organic matter is carried onto the snow patch.

The snow not protected by a layer of sand or organic matter begins to erode through ablation.

The dirt cones in Antarctica are formed from the moraine deposit material left behind when a glacier retreats.

Both sorted and unsorted moraine material is used in Antarctica to make dirt cones.

As an ice sheet or glacier melts and retreats, the cones on the surface are brought together and eventually fuse together.