Glacial landscapes and landforms Landscapes and landforms Landscape

Glacial landscapes and landforms

Landscapes and landforms Landscape means the overall look or feel of a place. The photograph shows an icy environment whose steep rugged mountains have sharp edges Pyramidal Peak A landform is an individual feature we find in the landscape – like the pyramidal peak in the photograph © Trevor Cole

Glaciers erode the land by abrasion and plucking. Can you remember how these processes work? U-shaped valley with steep sides and ice flowing through it Big glaciers cut deep wide valleys called U -shaped valleys like the one shown here © Simon Oakes

e t Arê Corrie Pyram ida Peak l © Trevor Cole The eroding ice carves out steep mountain sides. Ridges called arêtes stand out against the sky. Hollows called corries develop below them on the mountain sides

© Simon Oakes How many pyramidal peaks, arêtes and corries can you spot in this aerial photograph of the Alps?

Pools of meltwater often form in glaciated regions, especially in summer Glacial meltwater © Trevor Cole

Highlands where glaciers are eroding the landscape © Trevor Cole Meltwater river spreading out over the lowlands Gravel islands Meltwater rivers flow away from glaciers into lowland regions. Water spreads out and loses energy, causing it to deposit gravel and rocks. This material is the remains of those parts of the highlands that glaciers have eroded!

U-sha Bo u the lders 10 ice a drop , 00 s i pe 0 y tm db ea elte y rs ag d o ped v visible alley is here © Simon Oakes In the past, Scotland was covered with glacier ice during the last ICE AGE. When the ice melted 10, 000 years ago, it revealed many landforms and deposits

© Trevor Cole Here, the glacier ice has melted away to leave a U -shaped valley with a deep depression in it. Meltwater filled the depression to make a lake.

EXTREME ENVIRONMENTS shown here included New Zealand, South America and the Isle of Arran