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Geography A Level > Glaciation > Flashcards

Glaciation Flashcards

1
Q

What is Neve?

A

Granular snow consisting of low density ice crystals

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2
Q

What is sensible heat?

A

The amount of heat energy that occurs when an object is heated

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3
Q

What is sublimation?

A

The transition of ice to water vapour with the liquid stage

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4
Q

What is accumulation?

A

The addition of snow or ice to a glacier

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5
Q

What is ablation?

A

The natural removal of snow or ice from a glacier

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6
Q

What is the accumulation zone?

A

The area of net gain in a glacier

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7
Q

What is the ablation zone?

A

The net area of loss in a glacier

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8
Q

What is Paleoclimatic?

A

Climatic conditions in the geological past reconstructed from a data source

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9
Q

What is the Pleistocene Era?

A

The first epoch of the quaternary period

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10
Q

What is altitude?

A

The hight of land in relation to sea level

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11
Q

What is latitude?

A

The distance North or south of the equator

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12
Q

What is permafrost?

A

Areas of permanently frozen ground

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13
Q

What is the Thermohaline System?

A

Part of the ocean circulation caused by different water densities due to salinity and temperature

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14
Q

What are Ice lenses?

A

Formed when moisture, diffused with soil or rock accumulates

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15
Q

What is soil?

A

Any loose material at the surface of the Earth capable of supporting life

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16
Q

What is Cryohydration?

A

Individual particles in the soil are split as a result of the freezing and contracting of water on the surface of the mineral particle

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17
Q

What is the Glacial Period?

A

A time period when ice masses develop and advance to lower altitudes, characterised by a sustained decline in temperature and the formation of continental ice sheets

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18
Q

What is the interglacial period?

A

A time period when ice cover retreats to the polar regions

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19
Q

What is a crevasse?

A

A deep fissure or fracture in a glacier

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20
Q

What is basal sliding?

A

Large scale movement of ice as a result of subglacial meltwater

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21
Q

What is the pressure melting point?

A

The temperature at which ice under pressure melts

22
Q

What are seracs?

A

Steep faults in the surface of the glacier

23
Q

What is extensional flow?

A

Ice is moving faster at the front of the glacier resulting in crevasses

24
Q

What is compressional flow?

A

Ice is moving slower at the front resulting in a build up of ice

25
What are glaciomarine sediments?
Matter deposited in a marine setting by a combination of glacier and marine related processes
26
What is rock flour?
Very fine rock particles caused when rocks are ground down by glacial erosion
27
What is abrasion?
Rubbing together of rocks
28
What are striations?
Caused by large rocks cutting grooves in bed rock
29
What is scree?
A mass of small loose stones covering a slope
30
What is a tarn?
A small mountain lake
31
What is nivation?
The erosion of the ground and side of a hollow as a result of continued freeze thaw
32
What is a bergschrund?
A crevasse at the top of a glacier between the back wall of the corrie and the glacier
33
What is moraine?
Rocks and sediment carried and then deposited by a glacier
34
What does supraglacial mean?
On the surface of the glacier
35
What does englacial mean?
Inside the glacier
36
What does subglacial mean?
Underneath the glacier
37
What is a sandur?
A glacial meltwater out wash plain
38
What are the characteristics of polar environments?
Temperature can reach below -50c Small amount of precipitation Large expanses of sea ice Large snowy areas
39
What are the characteristics of alpine environments?
Temperature below 10c Heavy snow in winter Summer temperatures above 15c High altitude
40
What are the characteristics of Glacial Environments?
Mountainous regions Heavy snow in winter Warm summers promote meltwater Ice is the main transport process
41
What are the characteristics of Periglacial environments?
On the edge of glacial and polar regions Presence of permafrost Short summers allow small amounts of surface thaw Located in Greenland, Russia and Canada
42
What is glacial budget?
Difference between total accumulation and total ablation for one year
43
What is the active layer?
A layer of material that is melted during the summer with the permafrost below it. It varies in thickness depending on latitude and vegetation cover
44
What is a nunatak?
Exposed summit of a ridge Undergoes heavy frost shattering due to proximity to ice Located within an ice field or glacier
45
What is solifluction?
The slow downslope creep of fine-textured soils
46
What is the process of solifluction?
Active layer thaws in summer Excessive water reduces friction between soil particles Parts of the active layer move down slope Lobate shaped debris masses form These are rounded, tongue like features forming terraces
47
What is the first step of the process of frost heave?
As the active layer starts to refreeze, ice crystals begin to develop. They increase the volume of the soil and cause an upward expansion in the soil surface
48
What is the second step of the process of frost heave? After: As the active layer starts to refreeze, ice crystals begin to develop. They increase the volume of the soil and cause an upward expansion in the soil surface
Within the fine-grained material there are larger particles which, because of their lower specific heat capacity, heat up and cool faster than the surrounding finer material
49
What is the third step of the process of frost heave? After: Within the fine-grained material there are larger particles which, because of their lower specific heat capacity, heat up and cool faster than the surrounding finer material
The soil immediately beneath a stone is likely to freeze and expand before the other material, pushing the stone upwards until it reaches the surface
50
What is the final step of the process of frost heave? After: The soil immediately beneath a stone is likely to freeze and expand before the other material, pushing the stone upwards until it reaches the surface
On small domes, the larger particles move outwards, rolling downhill, effectively sorting the material, which when viewed from above forms patterned ground

Geography A Level (3 decks)

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