Basal deformation was studied in tunnel 2 in the east tributary of Ürümqi Glacier No. 1, Tien Shan mountains. Beneath the tunnel there is an ice-laden till layer, about 11 m thick and at a sub-freezing temperature. This layer is deformable and provides a significant part of the overall surface motion. The basal velocity in the tunnel gradually decreases from the back wall towards the entrance, with a compressive strain rate ranging from −0.579 to −5.739 × 10−2 a−1. The inclination of the principal strain rate to the horizontal gradually decreases from the back wall towards the tunnel entrance. The study provides data on the longitudinal compression and vertical uplift in the basal ice and ice-laden till layer resulting from interaction of glacier with recently exposed proglacial deposits.