Glaciated Landscapes: Glacier Types Flashcards
What the are two main types of glaciers?
Cold-based/polar glaciers and warm-based/temperate/alpine glaciers
Where are cold-based glaciers found?
At low altitude, high latitude locations (66.5 degrees north or south) - Antarctica and Greenland
What are the conditions and movement of a cold-based glacier?
Basal temperatures are below the pressure melting point, surrounding temperatures are below freezing year-round, precipitation is limited and movement is very slow, typically only a few metres/centimetres a year. These glaciers are not very dynamic.
How are the conditions and movement of a warm-based glacier?
Basal temperatures are above the pressure melting point, surrounding temperatures are below freezing in winter and warmer in summer, precipitation is common and movement is very fast, typically 20-200m a year. These glaciers are very dynamic.
Where are warm-based glaciers found?
At low latitude, high altitude locations
What is a niche glacier?
Small patches of glacial ice found on upland slopes, which are most prevalent on north-facing, northern hemisphere slopes and have relatively little effect on the landscapes topography
What is a corrie/cirque glacier?
Corries/cirques are ice masses on mountain slopes formed by nivation, which gradually form a corrie, leaving behind a tarn/corrie lake when they melt away
What is a valley glacier?
Large ice masses that follow river valleys, forming a u-shaped valley as they erode the valley sides
What is a piedmont glacier?
A large lobe of ice formed when a confined glacier reaches an unconfined space
What is an ice cap?
A huge flattened dome-shaped mass of ice that develops on plateaus. They are similar to ice sheets but are less than 50,000km^2 in area
What is an ice sheet?
An ice cap with an area of more than 50,000km^2
What is an ice shelf?
An extension of an ice sheet that reaches out over the sea, which can be up to 1km thick, however ice breaks off 500m from the edge, called calving, which forms icebergs
What is an example of a niche glacier?
Sphinx glacier in the Cairngorms in Scotland
What is an example of a corrie glacier?
Eel glacier in Washington in the USA, or Arcouzan glacier in the Spanish Pyrenees
What is an example of a valley glacier?
The Mer de Glace in the Alps in France
