Glacation Flashcards
Name 3 causes of ice ages
Earths orbit and axis
Earths atmosphere
Ocean currents
What is plucking
As a glacier moves, there’s friction between the glacier and the ground beneath it. This friction causes the bottom of the glacier to melt. The melt water makes its way into cracks in the rocks underneath glacier. The meltwater then refreezes around the rocks. When the glacier moves it plucks the frozen melt water on the rocks from the ground. The rocks are then carried away with the glacier
What are striatons
These are scratch marks left behind on the rocks and tell us which direction the glacier moved
Give me a description of a cirque
A cirque is a base shaped hollow in a mountain. It looks like an armchair it has three steep sides and often contains a lake. A cirque was the birth of a glacier.
Give me an example of a cirque
Devils punchbowl Co Kerry
What are the processes involved in cirque’s
Abrasion and plucking
Give me an explanation on how a cirque is formed
When snow accumulates in a hollow hole high up in the mountain, the snow is compressed to form ice. The ice plucks rocks from the side of the mountain as it begins to move. These rocks make the hollow deeper through the process of abrasion. The ice eventually overflows from the hollow and gravity causes the ice to move downhill. The ice that is left behind melts and forms a lake in the hollow. This lake is called a Tarn.
Give me two benefits of glaciation
tourism :it produces beautiful landscapes, e.g. gap of Dunlow in county Kerry
Industry : sand and gravel are used for buildings
Give me two negatives of glaciation
Poor drainage: drumlins can lead to poor drainage causing bogs
Flooding: ice melts and floods downhill ruining land
What is a ribbon lake?
A ribbon Lake and a long no lake on the floor of the U-shaped valley
What is a U shaped value?
u shaped Valley has a wide flat floor and steep sides
What are Boulder clay Plains?
A boulder clay plane is a lowland area that is covered in layer of boulders clay sand stones called Boulder Clay
What are drumlins?
Drumlins are oval shaped pills made of boulder clay
What are erratics?
Erratics are large boulders that were transported from their original location by a glacier and then deposited in an area where the rock type is different. For example, there are boulders of granite in the Burren, Co. Clare, where the local rock type is limestone.
