Questions and Answers
What makes glaciers move?
What is an erosion feature of Alpine glaciers?
Ice Push, Plucking, Abrasion
What are the two zones in Alpine glaciers?
Zone of accumulation, Zone of ablation
What defines the zone of accumulation in a glacier?
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What defines the zone of ablation in a glacier?
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What is the Equilibrium Line Altitude (ELA)?
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What is the glacier terminus?
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What is Frin in the context of glaciers?
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What describes Alpine glaciers?
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What are some Alpine glacier landforms?
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What characterizes continental glaciers?
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What are ice caps?
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How are ice sheets described?
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What is the defining characteristic of ice fields?
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What is ice push?
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What does plucking refer to in glacial geology?
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What is abrasion in the context of glaciers?
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What are the causes of erosion by glaciers?
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What are glacial erosion creations?
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What is an erratic in glacial terminology?
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What are Rouches Moutonnées?
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What is a cirque?
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What is a tarn?
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What is an arete?
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What is a horn in glacial geography?
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What is a hanging valley?
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What is a froid in glacial contexts?
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What is outwash in glacial terminology?
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What is till?
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What is ablation till?
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What is lodgement till?
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What is lateral moraine?
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What is medial moraine?
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What are terminal moraines?
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What are recessional moraines?
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Study Notes
Glacier Movement
- Glaciers move due to a combination of weight, flow, crevasses, and the slope, friction, and lubrication affecting their speed.
Erosion Features of Alpine Glaciers
- Key erosion processes include ice push, plucking, and abrasion.
Zones of Alpine Glaciers
- Alpine glaciers consist of two main zones: the zone of accumulation, where snowfall exceeds melt, and the zone of ablation, where melt exceeds snowfall.
Zone of Accumulation
- Located in the upper part of the glacier; characterized by snowfall dominating over melting processes.
Zone of Ablation
- Found in the lower part; where snow melt is greater than accumulation.
Equilibrium Line Altitude (ELA)
- This line marks the altitude at which the processes of accumulation and ablation balance each other.
Glacier Terminus
- The terminus is the endpoint of a glacier, marking where ice reaches its furthest extent.
Frin
- Refers to old snow that forms a surface layer in the accumulation zone, typically found above a cirque.
Characteristics of Alpine Glaciers
- Alpine glaciers are long, narrow, slow-moving, and generally considered young in geological terms.
Landforms Created by Alpine Glaciers
- Features include cirques, U-shaped valleys, piedmont glaciers, and tidewater glaciers.
Continental Glaciers
- These glaciers are old and thick, capable of covering large land areas.
Ice Caps
- Domed-shaped ice masses commonly found over volcanic regions.
Ice Sheets
- Large, flattened domes of ice, with Greenland being a prominent example.
Ice Fields
- These do not contain enough ice to form a dome structure.
Ice Push
- A dynamic that resembles a bulldozer effect, pushing loose rocks as glaciers advance.
Plucking
- This process involves the removal of rock blocks where fractures or weaknesses exist in bedrock.
Abrasion
- The grinding action experienced by bedrock due to the movement of glacial ice.
Erosion Indicators
- Evidence of glacial erosion includes rounded and polished rocks, scratches on surfaces, and plucking effects.
Features Formed by Glacial Erosion
- Key formations include roches moutonnées, erratics, striations, fluting, and till deposits.
Erratic
- Large boulders deposited by glaciers, often differing in lithology from the surrounding bedrock.
Roches Moutonnées
- Rounded bedrock formations with smooth, streamlined sides from abrasion and jagged sides from plucking.
Cirque
- A bowl-shaped depression formed within the accumulation zone, characterized by steep rock walls.
Tarn
- Small lakes formed in cirques due to lack of drainage and deep basin characteristics.
Arete
- A sharp-crested ridge that forms between two adjacent cirques, as glaciers erode towards each other.
Horn
- A sharply peaked mountain top created by the convergence of multiple cirques and arêtes.
Hanging Valley
- A geological feature where two glaciers of differing sizes connect, often leading to picturesque waterfalls.
Fjords
- Valleys formed below sea level that are influenced by glacial activity, often featuring significant water influx.
Outwash
- Sedimentary material transported away from glaciers by proglacial streams, often forming significant sedimentary structures.
Till
- Unsorted material directly deposited by glacial ice, forming a broad range of sedimentary landforms.
Ablation Till
- Sand or silt deposited in front of glacial ice as it melts.
Lodgement Till
- Till that accumulates under glacier ice, characterized by compacted clay and denser material.
Lateral Moraine
- Accumulations of sharp, crushed till running parallel to the sides of a glacier.
Medial Moraine
- Formed from the joining of two lateral moraines, creating a linear accumulation through the center of a glacier.
Terminal Moraines
- Debris wrapped around the glacier snout, connecting to lateral moraines and often creating lake formations behind them.
Recessional Moraines
- Features that form as a glacier retreats slowly, resulting in a series of terminal moraines marking the glacier's historical extent.
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Description
This quiz explores the dynamics of glacier movement, including essential concepts such as erosion features, zones of accumulation and ablation, and the equilibrium line altitude. Test your knowledge on how these processes shape alpine glaciers and their characteristics.
