 Middle latitude glaciers are located either between the Tropic of Cancer and the Arctic Circle , or between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Antarctic Circle . Both areas support glacier ice from mountain glaciers , valley glaciers and even smaller icecaps , which are usually located in higher mountainous regions . All are located in mountain ranges , notably the Himalayas ; the Alps ; the Pyrenees ; Rocky Mountains and Pacific Coast Ranges of North America ; the Patagonian Andes in South America ; and mountain ranges in New Zealand . Glaciers in these latitudes are more widespread and tend to be greater in mass the closer they are to the polar regions . They are the most widely studied over the past 150 years . As with examples located in the tropical zone , virtually all the glaciers in the mid @-@ latitudes are in a state of negative mass balance and are retreating . 
