Lab 8

Question 1

What are the two types of glaciers

Answer 1

Alpine Glaciers (also called Valley glaciers, because they occupy and further erode existing stream valleys), and continental glaciers which cover large portions of the earth’s surface like a blanket, even the mountains.

Question 2

what impact do glaciers have

Answer 2

Glaciers have a huge impact on the landscape of the northern hemisphere during and since the last ice age. They eroded bedrock and moved sediment to a degree not possible by rivers within relatively short time frames. In BC the present landscape was largely determined by glacial processes, and remnants of those processes are visible everywhere.

Question 3

What categories can glacial landforms be divided into

Answer 3

Erosional features
Depositional features
associated water bodies

Question 4

What are U-shaped Valleys

Answer 4

valleys carved by glaciers, which have a characteristic U-shape with steep sides and a flat or rounded bottom

Question 5

what are Roches Moutonées

Answer 5

an elongated, asymmetrical rock formation shaped by glacial erosion, with a smooth, gently sloping “stoss” (upstream) side and a steep, jagged “lee” (downstream) side

Question 6

what are Glacial Striations/grooves

Answer 6

scratches and gouges on bedrock, created by rocks and sediment frozen to the bottom of a moving glacier

Question 7

what are hanging valleys

Answer 7

a tributary valley that is high above a larger, deeper valley, typically formed by glaciers

Question 8

what are Cirques

Answer 8

a bowl-shaped, amphitheater-like hollow carved into a mountainside by glacial erosion. It is where a valley glacier begins, characterized by a steep headwall and a basin-like floor.

Question 9

what are horns

Answer 9

steep, pyramidal peaks formed by the erosion of three or more glacial cirques on a single mountain

Question 10

what are Arêtes

Answer 10

a narrow, sharp ridge of rock that forms when two glaciers erode parallel valleys or cirques, or when two glaciers carve away at opposing sides of a mountain

Question 11

what are Terminal moraines

Answer 11

a ridge of glacial debris marking the farthest point of a glacier’s advance, formed at its snout as it deposited rock, soil, and sediment

Question 12

what are Recessional moraine

Answer 12

a ridge of glacial sediment that forms when a glacier’s retreat temporarily pauses, creating a cross-valley ridge of unsorted rock debris

Question 13

what are lateral moraines

Answer 13

ridges of rock and debris deposited along the sides of a glacier

Question 14

what are medial moraines

Answer 14

a ridge of rock and debris found on the surface of a glacier, in its center, which forms when two tributary glaciers merge

Question 15

what are ground moraines

Answer 15

an uneven blanket of glacial till that forms under a glacier as it moves across the land

Question 16

what are Outwash plains

Answer 16

a flat, broad area of sediment deposited by meltwater streams flowing from a glacier

Question 17

what are Eskers

Answer 17

long, winding ridges of sand and gravel that were formed by meltwater streams flowing within, under, or on top of a retreating glacier

Question 18

what are Ice marginal lakes

Answer 18

bodies of freshwater that form at the edge of a glacier, ice sheet, or ice cap, commonly in depressions carved by the ice

Question 19

what are Meltwater streams

Answer 19

rivers formed by the melting of snow or ice, commonly from glaciers

Question 20

what are Proglacial lakes

Answer 20

a body of water formed at the edge of a glacier or ice sheet from meltwater that is trapped by a dam, such as a moraine, bedrock, or the ice itself

Question 21

what are Crevasses

Answer 21

deep cracks or fissures that form in the surface of a glacier due to stress from the ice flowing and stretching

Question 22

what are some Erosional features

Answer 22

U-Shaped Valleys
Roches moutonées
Glacial Striations/grooves
Hanging Valleys
Cirque
Horn
Arête

Question 23

what are some depositional features

Answer 23

Terminal moraines
Recessional moraines
Lateral moraines
Medial moraines
Ground moraines
Outwash plain
Eskers

Question 24

What are some glacial associated water bodies

Answer 24

Ice marginal lakes
Meltwater streams
Proglacial lakes

Question 25

what are some ice features

Answer 25

Crevasses Lateral and medial moraines

Question 26

How do you tell alpine or continental glaciers apart

Answer 26

Alpine glaciers tend to make the landscape more rugged, whereas continental glaciers grind everything down to a fairly flat, rounded landscape.