Types of Glaciers & Geographic distributions Flashcards
What is a valley glacier?
Streams of flowing ice confined within steep walled valleys, often following the course of a river valley.
Valley glaciers carve the valley into a broad U shape through erosive action.
How do valley glaciers differ from river valleys in terms of shape?
Valley glaciers create a broad U shape, unlike the steeper V-shape produced by rivers.
This difference is due to the erosive action of ice compared to flowing water.
What defines an alpine glacier?
Glaciers that form at high elevations within mountains.
If an alpine glacier increases in size and flows down the valley, it becomes a valley glacier.
What is a cirque?
An amphitheatre-like valley formed by glacial erosion.
The concave shape is open on the downhill side, with a steep cupped section.
What characterizes a hanging glacier?
Originates high on the wall of a glacial valley and descends only part of the way to the surface of the main glacier.
It typically stops abruptly at a cliff.
What is a piedmont glacier?
A valley glacier that spills out of the mountains onto the flat foreland, spreading out.
This type of glacier transitions from a confined valley to a broader area.
Fill in the blank: A _______ is an amphitheatre-like valley formed by glacial erosion.
cirque
True or False: A hanging glacier descends all the way to the surface of the main glacier.
False
A hanging glacier only descends partway and stops typically at a cliff.
What happens when an alpine glacier increases in size?
It becomes a valley glacier if it begins to flow down the valley.
This transition is based on size and movement.
