Glaciation Revision

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Glaciation Revision
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What you need to know

• Features of Glacial Erosion
• How the features were formed including diagrams
  to show their formation
• Land uses in glaciated uplands
• Land use conflicts in glaciated uplands and
  solutions to these
• KEY WORDS ABRASION, PLUCKING

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What are the features of glacial erosion?

• U-shaped Valley
• Hanging Valley
• Corrie
• Tarn (Corrie Lochan)
• Pyramidal Peak
• Arete
• Ribbon Lake
• Miss-fit stream
• Truncated Spur
• Scree

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A very common glaciation question featured in
2001

• a) Using the Torridon map provided, match
  each of the glacial features in the table below
  to the correct grid square.
• Choose from 952588, 923580, 852585, 860601,
  925576 (3marks)
•  
•   THEN
• b) Explain how one of the glacial features
  listed in (a) was formed. You may use a sketch to
  illustrate your answer.

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Formation of Glacial Erosion Features
As we have seen, exam questions on Landscapes
of Glacial Erosion often ask for a diagram of how
a particular feature is formed. You should
practice drawing as many of these as you can..

Corrie Arête and Pyramidal Peak U Shaped
Valley Hanging Valley Ribbon Lake
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How is a U-shaped valley formed?
a) glacier flows in an earlier 'V' shaped valley,
b) glacier abrades the sides and floor of the
river valley, c) valley is greatly deepened,
widened and straightened, d) when the ice melts
the valley is 'U' shaped, e) it has very steep
sides and a fairly flat floor, f) any later
rivers are called 'misfit streams' because they
are far too small to have cut the valley.
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• Along its journey down the valley a glacier would
  be joined by tributary glaciers.
• These smaller tributary glaciers contained much
  less ice and so were less powerful.
• They could not erode their valleys as deeply as
  the main glacier so, where they met, the
  tributary valley was left hanging above the
  main valley.

Formation of a Hanging Valley
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Formation of a Ribbon Lake

• At some points along the valley the glaciers were
  able to erode more deeply than elsewhere through
  plucking and abrasion.
• Wherever ice did this, it would make a hollow
  which, after glaciation, would become a lake.
• The lake would then take on the same shape as the
  valley in which it was formed, so it would be
  long and narrow or ribbon shaped.

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How is a corrie formed?
a) snow collects in hollows, b) snow compacts to
ice, c) ice moves under gravity, lubricated by
meltwater, d) ice rotates to lip, e) abrasion
deepens corrie, f) plucking steepens back and
sides, g) corrie lochan may fill hollow.
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How is a Pyramidal Peak formed?

• a) three or more corries form around a peak,
  (processes are the same as for corries), b) where
  corrie sidewalls meet they form an arête (knife
  edge).

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Land uses in glaciated uplands

• Farming
• Forestry
• Recreational
• Water Sports
• Skiing
• Hydro-electric power

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Why is forestry good in upland areas?

• Because the land is generally unsuitable for
  farming due to poor soils and steep slopes so
  forestry would be a more profitable land use.
• Trees prevent soil erosion
• The best areas would be on the lower slopes near
  the main roads to provide access for transport
  and machinery.
• The higher mountainous area is less suitable due
  to colder growing conditions/poorer soil and the
  difficulty of using machinery on steep slopes.
• Attracts wildlife
• Benefits to tourism forest walks etc.

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Farming in Glaciated Uplands

• U-shaped valley - flat or gently sloping land
  which could support arable farming
• Floodplains - soil is better (fertile)
• Communication systems (transporting goods to
  market and allowing workers on the farm access)
• Slopes - the main activity would be hill-sheep
  farming.
• Trees where the sheep can shelter
• On more mountainous land, commercial farming
  activity would be limited because of steep land,
  poor soils, cold weather and inaccessibility to
  markets.

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What would make an area good for..

• Skiing?
• Good slopes
• Services (shops etc which you would find in a
  village)
• Communication systems (roads)
• Places to stay (village/town with hotels)

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Land-use conflicts

• National Parks
• Cairngorms
• skiing
• Loch Lomond and The Trossachs
• Vandalisim
• Littering
• Planning permision

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Different parties involved in Land Use Conflicts

• National Park Authority
• Environmentalists
• Local People
• Businessmen
• Local Businesses
• Users of the National Park walkers etc

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Other land uses in Glaciated Uplands

• Quarrying
• Hydro-electric power
• Conflicts?
• Think about
• Environment
• Economy
• Social
• Sustainable Development

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Glaciation Bingo

• U-shaped valley truncated spur arete
• ribbon lake miss-fit stream
• Tarn Pyramidal Peak Corrie
• Scree Abrasion Plucking glacier
• Hanging Valley National Park Skiing

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What you need to know

• Features of Glacial Erosion
• How the features were formed including diagrams
  to show their formation
• Land uses in glaciated uplands
• Land use conflicts in glaciated uplands
• KEY WORDS ABRASION, PLUCKING