Erosional land forms

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Aretes

Two corries formed on a round hill back to back. Eroding away leaving a ridge between the corries.

Rounded hill with two corries forming, repeat plucking abrasion and freeze-thaw. Continues doing this until a ridge is formed between them from the backwalls.

Arete: knife-edge ridge that forms from 2 corries. 

(http://revisionworld.com/sites/revisionworld.com/files/rw_files/pyramidal%20peak_0.jpg)

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Pyramidal Peak

  • 3 corries

Erosion on the backwall, (plucking, abrasion, freeze-thaw) forming corries and aretes between the corries.

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Glacial Trough - formation

Similar to the U-shaped valley. Erosion such as plucking, abrasion and freeze-thaw causes it to grow in size - getting wider and deeper. 

Ice just 'powers' through meaning it is straight and doesn't have interlocking spurs

Truncated spur was an interlocking spur that the ice was destroyed (plucking and abrasion)

Hanging Valley is a tributary valley with the floor at a higher relief than the main channel into which it flows.

Ribbon lake - found at the bottom of a glacial trough

  • resistant rock

Ribbon lake is formed where the soft rock is and leaves the hard rock (resistant rock) on either side - wide, flat valley floor

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Factors & Processes

Factors:

  • Heavy snowfall
  • Katabatic wind
  • Orographic rainfall
  • Gravity
  • Climate
  • Geology  e.g. rock type
  • Albedo effect
  • Lattitude
  • Altitude

Processes: 

  • Erosion - abrasion and plucking
  • Weathering - freeze-thaw and chemical weathering
  • Transportation
  • Deposition
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Landforms

Erosional landforms:

  • Cirques
  • Aretes
  • Pyramidal peaks
  • Roche mountonnee

Weathering landforms:

  • Scree

Fluvio-glacial landforms (meltwater):

  • Outwash plains
  • Eskers
  • Kames

Deposition (ice)

  • Moraines
  • Drumlins
  • Erratics
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Meltwater landforms

How are meltwater landforms distinguinshable from ice contract features?

Because they comprise sediment such as clay, sand and gravel this is layered or stratified

Subraglacial- surface of the glacier

Englacial - tunnels within the glacier 

Subglacial - at the base of the glacier

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Meltwater

Meltwater streams often high energy and the capacity to transport large sediment loads. How does their discharge vary? 

Their discharge is highest in late spring and summer when ablation is highest. Dishcarge also fluctuates daily, reaching a peak in mid-afternoon and minimum at highest when temperatures often below freezing. 

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