Gravity pulls it twords the earth, and it melting may have something to do with it.
God luck out there. ;)
A glacier is always moving forward (downhill). In the winter, the glacier usually isn't melting and its front edge (or "toe") will advance downhill. In the summer, the toe of the glacier usually melts faster than the glacier is moving forward, causing the front edge of the glacier to recede. If the recession in the summer is greater than the advance in the winter, then the glacier as a whole is receding and will eventually disappear. That is what is currently happening to most of the glaciers in North America and many other places around the world.
An extensive pile of till (loose debris & rocks) called an end moraine can build up at the front of the glacier and is typically crescent shaped. Two kinds of end moraines are recognized: terminal and recessional moraines. A terminal moraine is the ridge of till that marks the farthest advance of the glacier before it started to recede. A recessional moraine is one that develops at the front of the receding glacier; a series of recessional moraines mark the path of a retreating glacier.
The accumulation or snowfall rate needs to exceed the ablation which is the snow or ice melting rate in order for a glacier to advance or move forward. ~hope I'm right!
The ridge at the end of a glacier is called a terminal moraine. It forms when debris and sediment that were carried by the glacier accumulate and are deposited at the glacier's snout as it melts and retreats. Terminal moraines can help mark the furthest extent of a glacier's advance.
A terminal moraine marks the farthest advance of a glacier.Locally, we have some terminal moraines of hundreds of thousands of years old, and ranging down to about 18 000 years.
A terminal moraine marks the furthest extent of a glacier's advance. It is a ridge of unsorted glacial debris that accumulates at the terminus of the glacier as it melts and retreats.
A moraine is a low ridge of rocks, sand, and soil that is deposited by a glacier as it advances and retreats. It can be found at the edges or terminus of a glacier, marking the furthest extent of the glacier's advance.
Plucking can still occur even if a glacier is not advancing. Plucking is more influenced by the presence of meltwater and the freezing and thawing of water in crevasses than the overall advance or retreat of the glacier.
Terminal moraines are ridges of glacial debris deposited at the furthest point reached by a glacier. They mark the end of a glacier's advance and can be seen as a line of debris and rocks left behind as the glacier melts and retreats. These moraines are called "terminal" because they are found at the glacier’s terminus.
A Glacier will advance when the snow deposited in the collection zone exceeds the rate of melting at the terminus. There will be some time delay between these events, even a steep glacier will take a few years between the events.
Glaciers advance when snow accumulation exceeds melting and sublimation. This typically happens during periods of increased snowfall or decreased temperatures. As more snow accumulates, it compresses into ice and causes the glacier to move forward.
The fox glacier has been retreating for most of the last 100 years but started advancing in 1985. In 2006 the advance rate was 1 metre a week.