* Louis Agassiz (1807-1873): A Swiss naturalist who was a pioneer in the study of glaciers. He proposed that glaciers were responsible for the formation of many geological features, including valleys and mountains. He also observed that glaciers move, but his explanation for the movement was based on the idea that they melted and refroze, causing them to slide downhill.
* James Forbes (1809-1868): A Scottish physicist who conducted extensive experiments on glaciers. He measured the speed of glacial movement using stakes and found that it was much faster than what Agassiz had predicted. Forbes also proposed that glaciers moved as a viscous fluid, flowing downhill under the influence of gravity.
* John Tyndall (1820-1893): An Irish physicist who studied glaciers and their relationship to climate change. He observed that glaciers moved more rapidly during the summer months when they were melting and that they moved more slowly during the winter months when they were frozen. Tyndall also made important contributions to understanding the physics of ice flow.
* R.A. Bagnold (1896-1990): A British scientist who developed a mathematical model of glacier flow based on the principles of fluid dynamics. He showed that glaciers move as a result of the internal stress and strain within the ice.
While Agassiz was a pioneer in glacial studies, it was Forbes who was the first to develop a more accurate and scientific explanation for how glaciers move. His work was further developed and refined by Tyndall and Bagnold.
Therefore, while James Forbes is often credited with being the first to discover how glaciers move, the process was a collaborative effort that involved many scientists and decades of research.
