Glacial Erosion Flashcards
What do glaciers do?
They erode the landscape as they move.
The weight of the ice in the glacier makes it do what?
Move downhill eroding the landscape as it goes.
The moving ice erodes the landscape in which 2 ways?
Plucking.
Abrasion.
When does plucking occur?
When meltwater at the base, back or side of a glacier freeze onto the rock.
During plucking as the glacier moves forward what happens?
It pulls pieces of rock out.
What is abrasion?
Its where bits of rock stuck in the ice grind against the rock below the glacier, wearing it away.
What happens at the top of the glacier?
The ice doesn’t move in a straight line.
It moves in a circular motion.
What is the circular motion called?
Rotational slip.
What can rotational slip do?
Erode hollows in the landscape and deepen them into bowl shapes.
What happens to the rock at the top of the glaciers?
Its weathered by the conditions around glaciers.
What does the term weathered mean?
Broken down where it is.
What is freeze-thaw weathering?
Where water gets into cracks in the rocks.
Water freezes and expands putting pressure on the rock.
The ice then thaws, releasing pressure.
What happens if freeze-thaw weathering was to be repeated?
It would make bits of rock fall off.
How many different land forms does glacial erosion produce?
7.
