2 - Extreme environments processes & terminology

Question 1

Glacial erosion

Answer 1

Processes like plucking and abrasion that shape glacial landscapes.

Question 2

Glacial transport and deposition

Answer 2

Movement and dropping of sediment by glaciers.

Question 3

Cirques/Corries

Answer 3

Bowl-shaped hollows formed by glacial erosion at the head of a valley.

Question 4

Pyramidal peaks/Horns

Answer 4

Sharp mountain peaks formed by erosion from multiple glaciers.

Question 5

Arêtes

Answer 5

Narrow ridges between two cirques or glacial valleys.

Question 6

Glacial troughs

Answer 6

U-shaped valleys formed by glacial erosion.

Question 7

Moraines (lateral, medial, terminal)

Answer 7

Accumulations of debris deposited by glaciers.

Question 8

Erratics

Answer 8

Large boulders transported and deposited by glaciers far from their origin.

Question 9

Freeze-thaw weathering

Answer 9

Water freezes in cracks, expands, and breaks the rock apart.

Question 10

Solifluction

Answer 10

Slow downhill flow of saturated soil in periglacial areas.

Question 11

Frost heave

Answer 11

Expansion of frozen water beneath the surface pushes soil and rocks upward.

Question 12

Permafrost

Answer 12

Ground that remains frozen year-round.

Question 13

Thermokarst

Answer 13

Uneven ground caused by melting permafrost.

Question 14

Patterned ground

Answer 14

Surface patterns (e.g., polygons or circles) formed by freeze-thaw cycles.

Question 15

Pingos

Answer 15

Ice-cored hills formed in permafrost regions by freezing groundwater.

Question 16

Physical weathering (hot environments)

Answer 16

Breakdown of rock by temperature changes (e.g., insolation weathering).

Question 17

Chemical weathering (hot environments)

Answer 17

Breakdown of rocks by chemical reactions (e.g., oxidation).

Question 18

Erosion by wind and water

Answer 18

Wind deflation/abrasion and water-based erosion common in deserts.

Question 19

Desert landscape features

Answer 19

Dunes, wadis, rock pedestals, mesas, and buttes shaped by erosion and deposition.

Question 20

What is plucking in glacial erosion?

Answer 20

Glacier freezes onto rocks and pulls them away as it moves, removing chunks of bedrock.

Question 21

What is abrasion in glacial erosion?

Answer 21

Rocks and debris embedded in the glacier scrape against the bedrock, wearing it down and creating striations.

Question 22

What is freeze-thaw weathering?

Answer 22

Water enters cracks in rock, freezes, expands, and breaks the rock apart; prepares debris for glacial erosion.