Glacial Processes and Landscapes Flashcards
What is a tarn?
A lake in a cirque
What glacial landform is a hollow with a steep back?
A cirque/corrie/cwm
What is a narrow, pointy mountain peak with ridges likely to be and how is it formed?
A pyramidal peak - where three cirques have been eroding backwards towards each other
What is a hanging valley?
A tributary valley at a higher relief than a larger valley which it feeds
At which glacial landform are waterfalls likely to form?
The exits of hanging valleys
What is the name for a knife-edged ride, and how does it form?
This is an Arête, and it forms when two or more cirques erode towards each other
What is a deep-sided U-shaped valley likely to be?
A U-shaped glacial trough - where a glacier has followed the path of a previous V-shaped river valley
Where might a cirque form?
Cirques form on mountain slopes facing away from the sun - in the UK, on slopes facing north-west to south-east. Wind can also affect the location of cirques.
How does a cirque form?
Rock on the surface is eroded by nivation, creating a shallow hollow.
When the hollow is large enough to contain a large ice mass and the ice begins to rotate through the hollow, plucking and abrasion speed erosion.
Water which trickles down Bergschrund crevasses at the head of the glacier heightens the effects of freeze-thaw.
Frost-shattering above the glacier provides it with extra mass.
What is a ribbon lake?
A long, narrow, deep lake formed after glacial retreat. Several tarns strung together form a type of ribbon lake.
What is the name for a ridge of land with the end cut off?
A truncated spur. This forms when a glacier cuts through an existing ridge.
What is a rock drumlin?
Similar to Roche Mountonnees, but with a smoother tail and less striations
What is Edinburgh Castle Rock?
A Crag and Tail formation - where a stross hard rock protects lee soft rock
What do Stross and Lee mean?
Stross = Upvalley Lee = Downvalley
What are parallel scratches in a rock surface called, and how are they created?
Striations - they are formed by abrasion from sharp sediment carried in a glacier
