1-C Glacial Landscapes

Question 1

What were glaciers like in the UK in the last ice age?

Answer 1

• They covered most of the UK.
• In places, it was 3 km thick.
• 10,000 years ago, as the ice melted, it produced steep peaks and sharp ridges.

Question 2

Describe freeze-thaw weathering

Answer 2

• Water in cracks of rock surface
• Water freezes at temperature falls at night
• Water expands (10%), which cracks the rock / causes more cracks
• Ice melts and freezes again. Process cycles.
• Over time, large pieces of rock can be shattered

Question 3

What are the two main processes of ice erosion?

Answer 3

Plucking and Abrasion

Question 4

What is plucking?

Answer 4

Water freeze in the cracks of the rocks. Due to meltwater from above and due to pressure melting. Water freezes and as the ice moves, it plucks the rocks.

Question 5

What is abrasion?

Answer 5

Rocks and boulders embedded in the base of the glacier cause erosion. Large boulders can cause striations

Question 6

How can a glacier move and transport material?

Answer 6

By rotational slip and bulldozing

Question 7

What is bulldozing?

Answer 7

When the snout of the glacier pushes material with it

Question 8

What is rotational slip?

Answer 8

When the ice moves around a point on the base of a corrie. Imagine like a child on a swing.

Question 9

What is glacial outwash?

Answer 9

Meltwater of the glacier can create streams. These streams can carry large amounts of sediment - glacial outwash. They are rounded and reduced in size due to attrition.

Question 10

What is glacial till?

Answer 10

Till is sediment transported by ice and deposited beneath, at the side or at the toe of the glacier. Glacial till tends to be unsorted as the glaciers carry all shapes of rocks.

Question 11

What is a corrie and how do they form?

Answer 11

A corrie is a deep hollow found on the flank of a mountainside. This is where glaciers begin.

As snow forms and compresses to ice, freeze-that weathering occurs. Plucked material is embedded in the base of the ice and abrasion occurs. This makes a hollow steep.

Question 12

What is an arête?

Answer 12

When two corries develop side by side or back to back, an arête appears

Question 13

What is a pyramidal peak?

Answer 13

When three or more corries develop side by side, a pyramidal peak appears

Question 14

How are glacial troughs or U-shaped valleys created?

Answer 14

Before glaciation, a river valley is V-shaped. However, during glaciation, the rock in the valley sides is torn away (plucking and abrasion), which results in a glacial trough.

Question 15

What are the characteristics of a glacial trough?

Answer 15

They are very steep, almost vertical sides lead down to a straight and wide valley floor

Question 16

What is a hanging valley and how are they formed?

Answer 16

Tributaries used to flow down the river valley sides. However, glaciers caused these sides to be cliff-like and waterfalls are formed. The remaining portion of the original tributary valley is called a hanging valley.

Question 17

What are truncated spurs and how are they formed?

Answer 17

Previously, the river meanders around spurs of land. However, ice has the power to remove any obstacles in its path. Truncated spurs are found along the sides of a glacial trough - the cliff-like walls on the side of the valley.

Question 18

How are depositional landforms created?

Answer 18

They are produced when a glacier loses the ability to carry material

Question 19

What are moraines?

Answer 19

Moraines are accumulations of rock debris that have distinct shapes.

Question 20

What are the four types of moraine and give a brief description of each one.

Answer 20

Lateral Moraine - on the side of the valley and the glacier, which is caused by freeze-that weathering of the valley

Medial Moraine - where two glacial tributaries meet, two lateral moraines form to become a medial moraine. They run down the middle of the new glacier

Ground Moraine - material that has been lodged and deposited underneath the glacier.

Terminal Moraine - enormous ridge of material that gets bulldozed by the snout. Using this, we can work out how far a glacier has travelled to

Question 21

What are drumlins and how are they formed?

Answer 21

Drumlins are egg-shaped hills composed of mounds of till.

They are formed by:

• material is deposited underneath a glacier as ground moraine
• movement of glaciers sculpt the ground moraine

Question 22

What do drumlins show?

Answer 22

The direction of the movement of the glacier.

Where the glacier started - the type of rock the drumlin is made of

Question 23

What is an erratic and what does it show us?

Answer 23

A large boulder that stands out in the landscape - composed of rock that is nowhere else to be seen.

They show us the path of ice movement

Question 24

What landforms of ice erosions can be seen in the Lake District?

Answer 24

There are 214 significant peaks

Testaments to erosion that occurred there:

• A corrie lake called Red tarn
• An arête called Striding Edge
• Keswick town is situated on the floor of a glacial trough

Testaments to deposition that occurred there:

• Swarms of drumlins in Swindale in the northeast Lake District
• Clear signs of glacial erratics shows that the glacier came from Scotland

Question 25

How is extensive agriculture used in the glaciated areas?

Answer 25

Animal grazing is well suited in these areas. Crop farming is difficult due to the steep slopes, low temperatures and soils with limited fertility

Forestry is also well suited. Most of the coniferous woodland are in the upland areas.

Question 26

How is tourism used in the glaciated areas?

Answer 26

Tourism is often the biggest industry in these areas. They attract many environment-loving visitors. Also, the Lake District is easily accessible and is warmer than other upland areas.

Question 27

How is quarrying used in the glaciated areas?

Answer 27

Upland areas tend to be composed of tough, resistant rocks that are not found in lowland areas. The rock types found also have high economic value (e.g. Lake District slate is used for roofing and decorative material)

Upland areas tend to have a lack of populations, which means fewer dangers.

Question 28

Why do conflicts arise in glaciated areas and what do they tend to be for?

Answer 28

Conflicts arise as two different groups of people wish to perform activities that are incompatible with another’s. These groups tend to be between conservation/recreation groups and development/exploitation groups.

Some high conflict activities:

• Military Training: some walkers object to the engine noise
• Reservoirs: some locals may be forced to relocate
• Wind Turbines: some tourists and walkers object to it as they believe it to be visual pollution

Question 29

How can development and conservation needs be balanced?

Answer 29

By allowing some development to take place, but adopting strict management to make sure permanent damage does not occur.

For example, maximum visitor numbers, signing, seasonal closure and restricted activities.

Question 30

What are the tourist attractions in the upland Isle of Arran, Scotland?

Answer 30

• Goatfell Mountain - it is flanked by many more dramatic mountains and one can see Ireland on a clear day
• A’Chir ridge - a knife-edge glacial arête that divides two corries
• Many Activities: climbing, running, biking, paragliding and abseiling

Question 31

What are the negative impacts of tourism on Arran?

Answer 31

• Footpath erosion on ‘honeypot’ sites. Matters are made worse by steep slope angles, relief rain and more soil erosion. E.g. North Goatfell Ridge route.
• Congestion is caused in popular times due to narrow, single-track roads.
• Injuries and fatalities are frequent, due to tourists that underestimate the challenge.

Question 32

What are the positive impacts of tourism on Arran?

Answer 32

• Tourism as an industry has grown. The island gets 200,000 visitors a year.
• More jobs are created due to tourism. Tourism generates around 30 million pounds annually. For example, recently a new whisky visitor center was opened at the village
• The ageing population issue is tackled as young families move to the landscapes.

Question 33

What are some strategies used to tackle the problems that tourists bring in Arran?

Answer 33

• There is a mountain path team that restores mountain paths by applying paving stones on the path. They raise money through the Footpath Fund Appeal
• The Arran Mountain Rescue Team was formed. It is funded by grant aid and public donations. All members are experienced hill-walkers who knows the area well.
• Purpose-built visitor attractions encourage people to visit the island in winter. This means that the tourist related jobs of the locals are not seasonal.