Glacial Glacial landscapelandscape

s and s and landformslandforms

LandscapeLandscape means the means the overalloverall look or feel of a look or feel of a place. The photograph place. The photograph shows an icy shows an icy environment whose environment whose steep rugged steep rugged mountains have sharp mountains have sharp edges edges

A A landformlandform is an is an individual feature we individual feature we find in the landscape – find in the landscape – like the like the pyramidal peakpyramidal peak in the photographin the photograph

Landscapes and Landscapes and landformslandforms

Pyramidal Peak

© Trevor Cole

Glaciers Glaciers erode the erode the land by land by abrasionabrasion and and pluckingplucking. Can . Can you you remember remember how these how these processes processes work?work?

Big glaciers Big glaciers cut deep wide cut deep wide valleys called valleys called U-shaped U-shaped valleysvalleys like like the one the one shown hereshown here

U-shaped valley with steep sides

and ice flowing

through it

© Simon Oakes

The eroding ice carves out steep The eroding ice carves out steep mountain sides. Ridges called mountain sides. Ridges called arêtesarêtes stand out against the sky. Hollows stand out against the sky. Hollows

called called corriescorries develop below them on develop below them on the mountain sidesthe mountain sides

Corrie

Arête

PyramidalPeak

© Trevor Cole

How many How many pyramidal peakspyramidal peaks, , arêtesarêtes and and corriescorries can you spot in this aerial can you spot in this aerial

photograph of the Alps?photograph of the Alps?

© Simon Oakes

PoolsPools of of meltwatermeltwater often form in often form in glaciated regions, especially in glaciated regions, especially in

summer summer

Glacial meltwater

© Trevor Cole

Meltwater rivers flow away from glaciers Meltwater rivers flow away from glaciers into into lowlandlowland regions. Water spreads out regions. Water spreads out and loses energy, causing it to deposit and loses energy, causing it to deposit gravel and rocks. This material is the gravel and rocks. This material is the remains of those parts of the remains of those parts of the highlandshighlands that glaciers have eroded!that glaciers have eroded!

Highlands where glaciers are eroding the landscape

Meltwater river spreading out over the lowlands

Gravel islands

© Trevor Cole

In the past, Scotland was covered In the past, Scotland was covered with glacier ice during the last with glacier ice during the last ICE ICE AGEAGE. When the ice melted 10,000 . When the ice melted 10,000 years ago, it revealed many years ago, it revealed many landformslandforms and and depositsdeposits

U-shaped valley is visible hereBoulders dropped by

the ice as it melted

10,000 years ago

© Simon Oakes

Here, the glacier ice has melted away to Here, the glacier ice has melted away to leave a leave a U-shaped valleyU-shaped valley with a deep with a deep depression in it. Meltwater filled the depression in it. Meltwater filled the

depression to make a depression to make a lakelake..

© Trevor Cole

EXTREME ENVIRONMENTSEXTREME ENVIRONMENTS shown here included New shown here included New

Zealand, South America and Zealand, South America and the Isle of Arranthe Isle of Arran