Glacier terminus meltwater. Glaciers are rivers of ice that form when compacted snow from high ground turns into ice and flows downhill under its own weight. In warm weather, the terminus of a glacier is where water from the melting ice forms streams and waterfalls. If the ice melts at a faster rate than it advances, the glacier is said to be retreating. This is part of the terminus of the Gepatschferner, a glacier located in the Alps, near Kaunertal, Austria.