Supraglacial melt stream on the Mer de Glace

Supraglacial melt streams drain meltwater from the ablation zone of glaciers, often into a supraglacial pond or an opening in the glacier (e.g. a moulin or crevasse). The channels form when water is able to thermally erode a channel faster than the surrounding ice is melting. Melt streams also develop meanders similar to river channels, although the formation processes and timescales are different.