Glacial Enviroment Flashcards
glacial
a landscape containing or produced by ice. It can be found at three different scales - ice sheets, ice caps and glaciers.
ice sheet
a blanket of ice that extends more than 50,000km². They are found only in Antarctica and Greenland and contain 88% of the world’s fresh water ice.
ice cap
a mass of ice that covers less than 50,000 km² of land area. It’s often found near the edge of our seats but a lesson 50,000km² in size. They are roughly circular in shape and completely blanket the underlying landscape, even mountainous areas.
erosion
the wearing away of the land
weathering
when rock/ice is exposed to weather conditions which causes it to change
hazard
where you are in danger or at risk
resource
something we get from a glacier that benefits us
avalanche
a sudden and fast flow of snow sliding down a mountain
abrasion
when ice flows down the slope, rocks are scraped across the rock and it creates a smooth surface
freeze-thaw
when water gets into rock joints or cracks and then the water freezes and
expands, breaking the rock
plucking
rocks (that had frozen into the bottom or sides of the glacier), are plucked
from the bottom or sides when the glacier moves down the slope and
creates an uneven ground
arête
two sides that have been sharpened by glaciers into slopes
pyramidal peak
a sharp edged mountain peak
corrie
a deep depression on a hill side with a steep back wall
tarn
a depression on a hill side that was formed by a glacier that is now full of glacier meltwater
