Glacial Landforms Flashcards
What are Corries
Corries are large hollowed out depressions found on upper slopes of glaciated valleys. They have a steep back wall and a raised lip at the front. They form when snow accumulates in a hollow on a hillside. Nivation occurs enlarging the hole further. They can also contain a lake called a tarn.
What is an Arete
An Arete is a knife-edged ridge which is extremely narrow. This forms when two back to back corries cause the land in-between to get narrower and narrower
What is a pyramidal peak
When three or more corries form all back to back to one another it will create a peak called a pyramidal peak.
What is a glacial trough
A steep-sided, wide and flat-bottomed valley, formed by abrasion
What is a truncated spur
If the glacier is unable to flow around existing interlocking spurs, the glacier cuts straight through them, forming steep-edged truncated spurs.
What is an interlocking spur
The river/glacier cuts down into the valley. If there are areas of hard rock which are harder to erode, the river/glacier will bend around it. This creates interlocking spurs of land which link together like the teeth of a zip.
What is a hanging valley
Smaller tributary valleys above the main glacial trough
What are ribbon lakes
long, narrow lakes, as a result of severe erosion of the glacial trough
What is ground moraine
Material dragged underneath the glacier and left behind when the ice melts
what is lateral moraine
material deposited along the sides of the glacier
What is medical moraine
Material deposited in the middle of the glacier caused by the moraine of two glaciers when they meet
What is terminal moraine
Material deposited at the end of a glacier
What are drumlins
smooth egg-shaped hills made of moraine that are found in clusters in the floor of a glacial trough
What are erratics
They are rocks that have been deposited by the glacier. They are usually rocks that would not normally be found in that area.
