Glacial Landscapes In The UK Flashcards
What is a Glacier?
A huge mass of ice that moves slowly over land.
What is abrasion in Glaciers?
Bits of rock stuck in the ice grind against the rock below the glacier, wearing it away.
What is plucking in Glaciers?
Meltwater at the base, back, or sides of a glacier freezes onto rock. As the glacier moves forward it pulls out pieces of rock.
What is rotational slip?
Ice at the top end of a glacier moves in a circular motion. This can erode hollows in the landscape and deepen them into bowl shapes.
What is freeze-thaw weathering?
Water gets into cracks in rocks, freezes, and expands which puts pressure on the rock. The ice then thaws, releasing the pressure. If this process is repeated it can weaken the rock - leaving it more vulnerable to erosion.
What is the unsorted mixture of material moved in transportation called?
Till.
What is transportation in glaciers?
Glaciers move material (such as sand, clay, and rocks) over very large distances.
What is bulldozing?
When glaciers push loose material ahead of them.
What is an arête?
A narrow, steep-sided ridge formed when two glaciers flow in parallel valleys.
A sharp knife edged ridge between two corries. Formed as two corries are eroded and weathered backwards.
Example - Striding Edge, Lake District.
What is accumulation?
The amount of ice gained.
What is ablation?
The melting of ice (loss).
What is are crevasses?
The cracks formed on the surface from the glacier moving.
What is a pyramidal peak?
A pointed mountain peak with at least 3 sides. Formed when 3 or more back-to-back glaciers erode a mountain.
Example - Snowdon, Snowdonia.
What are truncated spurs?
Cliff-like edges on the valley side formed when ridges of land (spurs) that stick out into the main valley are cut off as the glacier moves past.
What are hanging valleys?
Valleys formed by small tributary glaciers that flow into a main glacier.
