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Erosional landforms. As the glaciers expand, due to their accumulating weight of snow and ice they crush, abrade, and scour surfaces such as rocks and bedrock.The resulting erosional landforms include striations, cirques, glacial horns, arêtes, trim lines, U-shaped valleys, roches moutonnées, overdeepenings and hanging valleys.
Erratics are formed by glacial ice erosion resulting from the movement of ice. Glaciers erode by multiple processes including: Glaciers erode by multiple processes including: Abrasion /Scouring – debris in the basal ice scrapes along the bed, polishing and gouging the underlying rocks, similar to sandpaper on wood, producing smaller glacial ...
Ongoing research is showing that while glaciers tend to decrease mountain size, in some areas, glaciers can actually reduce the rate of erosion, acting as a glacial armor. [37] Ice can not only erode mountains but also protect them from erosion. Depending on glacier regime, even steep alpine lands can be preserved through time with the help of ice.
The rate of glacier erosion varies. Six factors control erosion rate: Velocity of glacial movement; Thickness of the ice; Shape, abundance and hardness of rock fragments contained in the ice at the bottom of the glacier; Relative ease of erosion of the surface under the glacier; Thermal conditions at the glacier base
Fluvioglacial landforms or glaciofluvial landforms [a] are those that result from the associated erosion and deposition of sediments caused by glacial meltwater. Glaciers contain suspended sediment loads, much of which is initially picked up from the underlying landmass.
Plucking, also referred to as quarrying, is a glacial phenomenon that is responsible for the weathering and erosion of pieces of bedrock, especially large "joint blocks". This occurs in a type of glacier called a "valley glacier".
Subglacial fluvial erosion and glacial outwash occurs from the melting of the glacier and creates water flow that can wear bedrock. [4] Glacial streams can range in width and height from a few centimeters to several tens of meters. [3] The streams can be classified using three metrics: surface, incision, and canyons. [3]
Abrasion can crush smaller grains or particles and remove grains or multigrain fragments, but the removal of larger fragments is classified as plucking (or quarrying), the other major erosion source from glaciers. Plucking creates the debris at the base or sides of the glacier that causes abrasion.