Accumulation + Ablation + Plucking ❄️ Flashcards
What does the balance between inputs + outputs lead to?
Accumulation and Ablation
In the winter, what happens to a glacier?
More snow/ice is added than is lost from the glacier
Finish the word equation
Ablation = ______ >_______
Ablation = inputs > outputs
What happens to a glacier during the summer/lower altitudes?
More snow/ice is lost from a glacier system than is added
What are the 3️⃣ main processes that operate in the glacier system?
- frost shattering ❄️
- abrasion
- plucking 🤏
What is abrasion?
Abrasion is the process of scraping or wearing something away
What does frost shattering describe? ❄️
Frost shattering describes the action of glacial meltwater on joints, cracks and hollows in the rock
What happens to a glacier when the temperature outside reaches freezing point?
The water inside the glacier then cracks, freezes and expands causing the cracks to widen
What happens to the inside of a glacier when the temperature outside rises?
The water inside the glacier, thaws and contracts. This eventually causes the cracks to break up the glacier
The ______ is sometimes frozen into the valley
The moraine is sometimes frozen into the valley
What does the moraine do?
It scours the valley sides and base.
What happens when the moraine scours the valley sides and base?
It creates a sandpapering effect. 🏖️
This is similar to corrosion by a river, but this is on a far larger scale 🌊
What happens to the water at the the bottom of the glacier during plucking?
The water at the the bottom of the glacier freezes onto the rock at the valley base
What happens when the glacier moves away during plucking?
When the glacier moves away, the rock is pulled away from the valley base
When does plucking usually occur?
When the rock is well jointed 🪨
