A glacier is a giant mass of ice that flows under the influence of gravity in high mountain areas and is pressure dependent on ice thickness in plains. It is formed by the accumulation of snow and ice on the mountain slopes over many years, forming permafrost, and is often formed during the Ice Age.
The largest Potanin glacier in Mongolia is a mountain glacier. It was discovered by G. Potanin, a Russian researcher who visited every place in Mongolia between 1876 and 1899,- and registered it under his name in world geography. It originates from the Tsagaan river area of the Altai five bogd and is 20 kilometers long and 5 kilometers wide. It was formed two million years ago during the Quaternary period. The total area of the glacier is 659 square kilometers, and the number of glaciers is 262. In 2005, a study conducted in the Potanin Glacier found that 378-242 centimeters of ice melted from the bottom up.