Glaciers - Processes

Question 1

glaciers

Answer 1

• slow-moving mass of ice formed by the accumulation & compaction of snow
• persistent body of dense ice

Question 2

ice shelves

Answer 2

permanent floating sheets of ice connected to a landmass

Question 3

ice sheet

Answer 3

glacial ice more than 50,000 square kilometres

Question 4

formation

Answer 4

• snow accumulates + compressed into ice
• snow builds on top in new layers compressing even further
• 30-40 years for snow to form dense glacial ice

Question 5

movement

Answer 5

• gravity
• meltwater at the base which helps, known as basal slip

Question 6

crevices

Answer 6

ice gets streched/squashed = cracks

Question 7

glacials/ice ages

Answer 7

• cold periods
• nearly reached london

Question 8

interglacials

Answer 8

warm periods

Question 9

glacial budget

ablation

Answer 9

• melting zone
• ice is lost from budget

Question 10

glacial budget

accumulation

Answer 10

• material builds up
• added to glacial budget

Question 11

glacial budget

calving

Answer 11

• splitting the end of icebergs
• can become icebergs if snout is in the sea

Question 12

glacial budget

inputs

Answer 12

fresh snow + avalanches

Question 13

outputs

Answer 13

• melting
• evaporation
• sublimation
• calving

Question 14

glacial budget

Answer 14

• inputs and outputs of glacial system + overall balance between them
• if input > output, glacier grows

Question 15

plucking

Answer 15

melt water freezes onto rocks, as th glacier moves it rips out those fragment = rough, jagged surface

Question 16

weathering

Answer 16

• rock is open to attack from the weather
• diff between erosion is that it erodes the rock in its original position

Question 17

freeze-thaw weathering

Answer 17

1. water enters crack in rock
2. water freezes, expanding
3. water will melt, repeat

Question 18

subglacial moraine

Answer 18

material carried underneath glacier

Question 19

englacial moraine

Answer 19

material within the glacier

Question 20

supraglacial moraine

Answer 20

moraine on top

Question 21

terminal moraine

Answer 21

final point the glacier and moraine it was pushing infront

Question 22

snout

Answer 22

front of glacier

Question 23

bulldozing

Answer 23

pushing material infront of it