GL20 & HW Snowdonia Case Study Introduction Flashcards
What is Snowdonia?
Snowdonia is a landscape associated with the action of valley glaciers in North Wales.
What did Charles Darwin say about Snowdonia?
Charles Darwin said, ‘I cannot imagine a more instructive and interesting lesson for anyone who wishes (as I did) to learn the effects produced by the passage of glaciers’ following a fieldtrip to Snowdonia in 1842.
What are the three main mountain ranges in Snowdonia?
The three main mountain ranges in Snowdonia are the Snowdon massif, Glyderau, and Carneddau.
What are the generic landforms in Snowdonia?
The generic landforms in Snowdonia are truncated spurs, hanging valleys, arêtes, ribbon lakes, corries, tarns, glacial troughs, terminal moraines, and nunataks.
How did climate influence the formation of glacial landforms in Snowdonia?
Over the last 1.6 million years, the British Isles experienced 20 glacial periods, and the most recent glacial period was the Devensian, which lasted from 110,000 to 10,000 years ago, and was at its maximum extent 18,000 years ago. During the LGM, the large Welsh (Merioneth) Ice Cap coalesced with other ice caps to form the southwestern portion of the British Ice Sheet, and during the late glacial period, cirque glaciers fed valley glaciers, which occupied Nant Ffrancon. After the last breaths of the Devensian glaciation, the present-day landscape emerged.
What was the landscape like during the Last Glacial Maximum in Snowdonia?
When the ice was at its maximum extent 18,000 years ago during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), the large Welsh (Merioneth) Ice Cap, which was up to 1 km thick, coalesced with other ice caps to form the southwestern portion of the British Ice Sheet. During this time, the Ice Sheet would have ridden over the Snowdon plateau, escaping over cols (low areas between ranges). Here, the force of the ice would have been concentrated, and its extra erosive power eroded the glacial outlet troughs of Nant Ffrancon and the Llan Beris Pass.
What was the landscape like during the Late Glacial period in Snowdonia?
During the late glacial period in Snowdonia, cirque glaciers fed valley glaciers, which occupied Nant Ffrancon. After that, the last breaths of the Devensian glaciation in the form of the Loch Lomond Readvance lasted from 11-10 kya, which resulted in the deposition of the hummocky moraine that can be seen today.
What is the present-day landscape like in Snowdonia?
The present-day landscape in Snowdonia is clear and distinct, and the glacial features are relatively recent. There is no ice left, but the distinctive shapes of the nine cirques and other landforms remain.
How can you create a map of former glaciers in Snowdonia?
You can create a map of former glaciers in Snowdonia by using Digimap (http://digimapforschools.edina.ac.uk/) and Figure 9(b) to show the extent and location of former glaciers in the Glyderau and Nant Ffrancon. You can add labels with details for the landforms and located photographs of key landforms.
