Podcast
Questions and Answers
What is the primary force that causes glacial movement down a mountain?
What is the primary force that causes glacial movement down a mountain?
How are arêtes formed in mountainous regions?
How are arêtes formed in mountainous regions?
What is a characteristic outcome of glacier retreat in coastal regions?
What is a characteristic outcome of glacier retreat in coastal regions?
Which feature is a result of glaciers moving through valleys?
Which feature is a result of glaciers moving through valleys?
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What happens to the floor of a cirque as a glacier forms and moves?
What happens to the floor of a cirque as a glacier forms and moves?
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Study Notes
Effects of Glaciation
- Alpine glaciers originate in mountainous regions
- The dramatic landscapes of the Rockies are largely due to glacial erosion
- Snow accumulates in mountain basins, forming cirques
- Snow slowly transforms into ice, driven by gravity
- Glaciers erode the surrounding rock, carrying away rocks
- Glacial ice deepens the cirque floor, steepening its sides.
- When two cirques erode towards each other, they create knife-edged mountain ridges called arêtes
- Multiple arêtes merge to form a pyramidal peak, or horn
- Glaciers flow down mountains, joining larger valley glaciers, carving U-shaped valleys
- Tributary valleys left behind after glacial retreat are called hanging valleys
- These hanging valleys often have the same depth as the main glacial valley
- Coastal flooding of U-shaped valleys by the sea forms long, narrow inlets called fjords, with steep walls.
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Description
Explore the profound effects of glaciation on mountainous landscapes. Learn how alpine glaciers shape valleys and create unique features such as cirques, arêtes, and fjords. This quiz delves into the processes of glacial erosion and the transformation of snow into ice, forming dramatic natural formations.
