Landforms caused by erosion

• What is a corrie?

  An armchair-shaped hollow with steep sides and a base wall that results from glacial erosion
• How is a corrie formed?

  Accumulation in the hollow, with erosion making the backwall steeper and rotational movement deepening the hollow
• What is a tarn?


  A small lake occupying a hollow eroded out by ice or dammed by a moraine
• What is an arete?

  A narrow steep-sided ridge between two corries
• What is a pyramidal peak?


  A peak where three or more corries develop around a hill or mountain top
• What is a glacial trough?

  A glaciated valley or fjord that is strongly channelled by ice
• Where do some glaciers flow down?

  Pre-existing river valleys under the influence of gravity
• How is a glacial trough formed?

  A V-shaped valley builds up with ice, which then erodes the valley sides and floor, resulting in a U-shaped valley
• What are subglacial materials?


  Materials located underneath a glacier
• What are englacial materials?

  Materials located inside the glacier
• What are supraglacial materials?


  Materials found on the surface of the glacier
• What are drift materials?

  Materials deposited during glaciation
• What is glacial till?

  Materials deposited directly by the ice
• What is outwash?


  Materials deposited by meltwater
• What is lodgement till?

  Material that is deposited directly from the moving ice beneath the glacier
• What is ablation till?

  Material deposited at the terminus as the ice melts
• What are Roche Moutonnees?

  Asymmetrical mounds caused by abrasion on the stoss side and plucking on the lee ward side
• How are Roche Moutonnees formed?

  Passing ice advances over projections of resistant rock, causing localized pressure and resulting in a smooth shape due to abrasion
• What does Roche Moutonnees indicate?

  The direction of ice movement