glaciation

Question 1

what causes an ice age?

Answer 1

• a change in the earths orbit around the sun

* change of angle in earths axis

Question 2

what are the processes of erosion in a glaciated landscape?

Answer 2

• plucking

* abrasion

Question 3

explain plucking

Answer 3

the bottoms of glaciers scraped along valley floors. this created friction which led to melting at the base of the glacier. the glacier then picks up rocks- the erosion and transport of rocks

Question 4

explain abrasion

Answer 4

when rock fragments within the glacier scratch the surface and the sides and further erode rock picking it up and adding to the load of the glacier

Question 5

what are the features of glacial erosion

Answer 5

• cirque
• pyramidal peak
• arête a
• glaciated u shaped valley
• hanging valley
• ribbon lake
• fjords

Question 6

what is a cirque

Answer 6

a hollow in a mountain with three steep sides and often contains a lake.

Question 7

what is a pyramidal peak

Answer 7

created when 3 or more cirques form back to back or side to side. what is left is a steep ridge or steep sided peak of the original mountain

Question 8

what is an arête

Answer 8

a narrow ridge that forms when two cirques form side by side or back to back. the land between the cirques became narrower as a result of erosion.

Question 9

what is a glaciated u-shaped valley

Answer 9

has a wide, flat floor with steep sides.

Question 10

what is a hanging valley

Answer 10

a small tributary glaciated valley that hangs above the main valley. rivers in hanging valleys often enter the main glaciated valley as waterfalls.

Question 11

what is a ribbon lake?

Answer 11

a long narrow lake found on the floor of a glaciated U-shaped valley.

Question 12

what is a paternoster lake?

Answer 12

a number of ribbon lakes joined by a river stream

Question 13

what is a fjord?

Answer 13

a drowned glaciated U-shaped valley. formed as a result of the melting of glaciers.

Question 14

what is an ice age

Answer 14

a period of time when large parts of several continents were covered by ice sheets

Question 15

what are the features of glacial deposition ?

Answer 15

• erratic
• boulder clay plain
• drumlin
• moraines

Question 16

what is an erratic?

Answer 16

a huge boulder transported and deposited by a glacier. it is a different rock type to other rocks.

Question 17

what is a boulder clay plain?

Answer 17

an area covered in boulder clay. formed when ice sheets melted and deposited their load.

Question 18

what is a drumlin?

Answer 18

formed when the glacier that deposited the boulder clay moves forward and smoothens and rounds the boulder clay.

Question 19

what is moraine?

Answer 19

deposited material found in the lowlands of glacial valleys.

Question 20

what are the features of meltwater deposits

Answer 20

• esker

* outwash plain

Question 21

what is an esker?

Answer 21

a long narrow ridge of sand and gravel that winds its way across lowland areas. formed because of friction between the bottom layer of the glacier and the ground over where it travelled melted.

Question 22

what is an outwash plain ?

Answer 22

a low flat area of sand and gravel that is found at the front of terminal morraine. formed when a glacier melted it deposited its material over the low lying area

Question 23

what are the advantages of glaciation ?

Answer 23

• tourism
• generation of HEP
• fertile land
• routeways
• resources for construction industry
• recreation

Question 24

what are the disadvantages of glaciation ?

Answer 24

• unfertile land
• poor drainage
• flooding