Glacial Landscapes

• Plucking - When the ice moves, friction occurs between the ice and the ground creating heat, melting the ice. The melt water flows into the cracks of the rocks and eventually refreezing, sticking to the glacier. When it moves it pulls the rock out of the ground.
• Abrasion - Rocks that have been plucked become embedded at the bottom of the glacier. As they are moving along the bottom of the glacier they scrape and scour the ground which they pass over.
• Lateral moraines - Found on the sides of the glacier. Freeze thaw action above the ice deposits scree on the sides. It also plucks and abrades sediments from the side of the valley.
• Medial moraine - When two glaciers meet and their lateral moraines join together.
• Ground moraines - found at the base of a glacier. Consists of plucked material from the valley floor by the glacier.
• Terminal moraines - formed at the front of the glacier. Weathered material that marks the furthest a glacier travelled.
• Glacial Deposition - As the glacier melts, rocks and sediments trapped in or on top of the ice can be deposited directly underneath it.
• Melt water deposition - As the glacier melts the water flowing will eventually settle as well as any sediments carried by the glacier
• Cirques - A large armchair shaped hollow containing a lake. It is a land form of erosion. Snow accumulates in a natural hollow in a mountain. The snow is compressed to form a glacier. Plucking and abrasion make the hollow larger. The glacier rotates out of the hollow an gravity pulls it downhill forming a corrie lake. Eg. Upper and lower lough bray in Co. Wicklow
• Drumlins - Oval shaped hills that are made of deposited boulder clay. Occurs in large numbers - swarms. Glacial ice deposits the bolder clay in irregular piles. The ice retreats before advancing again which shapes and smooths the boulder clay into rounded oval shaped hills. The steep side is the direction the ice came from. The side gently sloping is the direction it was going. Eg. Clew bay Co. Mayo
• Case study - Glendalough
• Tourism - Footpath allows tourists to walk the valley and upperlake. Boardwalks allows visitors to see the monastic sites. Carpark built for easier access to the upperlake. The land separating the 2 lakes is used for picnics with benches.
• Positive - Creates jobs - hotels, gift shops and corner shops. Helps visitors understand and appreciate the physical and human landscape. Positive visitor experiences ensures that there are more people visiting.
• Negative - Overcrowding during the summer impacts the natural habitats of wildlife. Roads are narrow and parking limited causes traffic jams to occur. Large numbers of tourists effect the landscape by eroding walkways - maintanance is needed for saftey
• Sustainability - It is managed by Wicklow Mountain National Park who conserve the landscape and wildlife. Many activities require permits. Removing wildlife isnt allowed and fishing and hunting is strictly controlled.