Glacier Landforms

Question 1

What are crevasses?

Answer 1

Cracks in the ice, extremely dangerous

Question 2

What is a Corrie and give an example of one in N.I.

Answer 2

Steep sided hollow at head of a valley/mountainside
E.g SPERRINS

Question 3

How is a Corrie formed?

Answer 3

Snow accumulates in north/east facing hollows
Snow is compacted into ice + moves downhill
Frost shattering and plucking creates steep sided backwall
Abrasion deepens hollow to form a rock basin
Rock lip is left where rate of erosion has decreased

Question 4

What is an arête?

Answer 4

‘Knife edged’ ridges formed between two corries

Question 5

How is an arête formed?

Answer 5

When two corries form back to back, they both erode backwards until they create a narrow ‘knife edge’ between them.

Question 6

What is a pyramidal peak?

Answer 6

Formed when 3 or more corries cut backwards into the same mountain eg matterhorn (located in Switzerland/Italy)

Question 7

What is a u-shaped valley/glacial trough? give an example in ni.

Answer 7

A type of valley with a broad floor and steep walls produced by glacial erosion.
E.g MOURNES, NEWCASTLE

Question 8

What is a moraine? Give an example in ni.

Answer 8

Material (till), that an advancing glacier pulls out of the mountain & deposits. Deposited at end of snout and sides of a glacier. Made up of unsorted angular rocks.
E.g ANNALONG

Question 9

How many different types of moraine are there? Name them.

Answer 9

Lateral, Medial, Ground, Recessional, Terminal

Question 10

what is lateral moraine?

Answer 10

Produced from frost shattering of valley sides. Carried to sides of a glacier.

Question 11

What is medial moraine?

Answer 11

Found in centre of glacier

Question 12

What is ground moraine?

Answer 12

Dragged beneath a glacier. Forms a part of the valley floor.

Question 13

What is recessional moraine?

Answer 13

Marks interruptions from retreat of a glacier.

Question 14

What is terminal moraine?

Answer 14

Found at snout. (Maximum advance of a glacier)

Question 15

What are drumlins? Give an example in Northern Ireland.

Answer 15

Formed of till (eroded material). Elongated (stretched) features that can reach a km or more in length, 500m or so in width and over 50m in height. Common to find several together.
E.g COUNTY DOWN

Question 16

What is a collection of drumlins called?

Answer 16

Swarm

Question 17

What are erratics? Give an example in ni.

Answer 17

Large boulders that have been carried by the glacier and then deposited in an area of different rock type, so that they look completely out of place. Erratics can have originated from hundreds of miles away.
E.g ROSTREVOR

Question 18

How are u-shaped valleys formed?

Answer 18

Start off as v-shaped valleys
Glacier is strong enough to go straight down valley, so erodes the valley making it a ‘u’ shape.

Question 19

What are depositional landforms?

Answer 19

Sediment and rock debris deposited at snout. From the snout, this material can be placed directly from the ice onto the land. (Forms depositional landforms)