Glaciation - Key words

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  • Created by: SianSmith
  • Created on: 01-03-17 12:09
The loss of ice from a glacier due to surface melting (Summer Months)
Ablation
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The wearing away of rocks by the action of water, ice or wind moving debris
Abrasion
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A sharp ridge of rock formed by two cirques meeting back to back.
Arete
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The crevasse which forms at the back of the glacial ice where it meets the cirque backwall.
Bergschrund
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It is formed as the ice moves down and away from the rock wall
Bergschrund
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Glacial moraine consisting of thick clay with angular rocks
Till
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A steep armchair shaped hollow formed by the erosion of the rock by snow and ice. The rotational movement of the ice within hollows out the base creating a depression.
Cirque
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An erosional feature produced when ice moved over a layer of hard rock. The hard rock protected the softer rocks behind it forming an outcrop with a steep side facing the ice flow and a gentle slope on the down stream side.
Crag and Tail
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A vertical crack in the glacial ice. It may be formed when a glacier begins to move down a steep slope, when it is forced to make a sharp turn.
Crevasse
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Elongated oval hills made of till. The long axis is parallel to the flow of the original glacier with the steeper end facing towards to flow of the ice. They are a depositional feature.
Drumlins
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Large blocks or rock which were picked up by a glacier then deposited, sometimes hundreds of miles from their source, when the ice melted.
Erratics
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A long and narrow ridge of sand and glacial debris which is raised above the surrounding land. It was once the bed of a stream that flowed beneath a glacier, and was left behind after the ice melted
Esker
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These are created where smaller valleys meet the main glaciated valley.
Hanging Valleys
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Vast areas of ice which can cover much of a continent
Ice Sheet
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Moraine which forms along the sides of a glacier
Lateral Moraine
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Moraine which collects at the end of a glacier
Terminal Moraine
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Moraine underneath the glacier
Ground Moraine
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A band of moraine along the centre of the glacier formed when two glaciers join, their lateral moraines meeting to form the central band of debris.
Medial Moraine
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Material from a terminal moraine washed down stream may be deposited as an...
Outwash Plain
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An erosional process. Ice freezes to rocks surrounding the glacier. As the glacier moves the rocks are pulled with the ice to which they are attached. This results in the pieces or rock being pulled away from the bed and sides of the valley.
Plucking
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A pyramid shaped peak formed when cirques develop all around a mountain. As the cirques erode backwards and meet each other a very sharp and jagged peak is formed.
Pyramidal Peak
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The rocks are smooth on the upstream side and have rough, plucked surfaces on the downstream side. The upstream surface is often marked with striations
Roches Mountonee
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Scratch marks found on rocks which were eroded by glaciers. These are parallel to the direction of ice movement.
Striations
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A lake which forms in the hollow base of a cirque
Tarn
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A river cut spur cut off by glaciation of a former river valley. Usually has an abrupt and near vertical end
Truncated Spur
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Glacial Valleys have a particular shaped cross section due to downward erosion across the entire valley floor,
U Shaped Valley
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A glacier that originates high up on a mountain and then flows down a valley. This is the usual type of glacier
Valley Glacier
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

The wearing away of rocks by the action of water, ice or wind moving debris

Back

Abrasion

Card 3

Front

A sharp ridge of rock formed by two cirques meeting back to back.

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

The crevasse which forms at the back of the glacial ice where it meets the cirque backwall.

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

It is formed as the ice moves down and away from the rock wall

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
View more cards

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