Glacier shape factors (area, length, and thickness), climatic factors (annual temperature and precipitation), mass balance, and other influence factors, of the Qiyi glacier velocity and their intensity were analyzed with the application of the path analysis method during 1958–2007. Results indicate that glacier velocity was mainly influenced by glacier shape, followed by mass balance and climatic conditions. Among the influence factors, glacier area and thickness are most significant, and direct and indirect path coefficients are respectively 6.56, 4.71, 19.29 and 13.57. This research provides information for further understanding glacier velocity and its influencing factors.

Glacier flow velocity was influenced synthetically by glacier shape, mass balance, climatic conditions and other factors of both internal and external ice. It was found by path analysis towards flow velocity of Qiyi Glacier that path coefficients affecting glacier flow velocity whether directly or not, glacier shape (area, thickness and length) ranked most effective for flow velocity, followed by mass balance, and finally climatic conditions (temperature and precipitation).This is mainly the result of various factors connected with glacier flow velocity in different ways, which lead to different effects towards glacier flow velocity.This study built a linear formula of flow velocity in relation to glacier shape and mass balance by regression analysis,which revealed a positive analysis of glacier flow velocity.Nevertheless, further research is needed because of insufficient long term data, and the relative influence of other factors not considered in terms of glacier flow velocity.

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Diagram of path for glacier velocity