This document provides information about glacial landforms and processes. It describes how glaciers erode through plucking and abrasion, transport material, and deposit boulders, moraines, drumlins, and eskers. Specific glacial landforms mentioned include cirques, arêtes, pyramidal peaks, U-shaped valleys, ribbon lakes, truncated spurs, hanging valleys, and fjords. Ireland experienced two major ice ages that helped form its present landscape through glacial erosion and deposition.

1. 5th Year Geography

2. LC Question (2011 HL)
 Name one landform on the Ordnance Survey map that was
formed by fluvial or glacial or coastal processes and give a six
figure grid reference for its location.
 Describe and explain with the aid of diagram(s) the processes
involved in the formation of this landform.
Marking Scheme
 Named landform 2 marks
 Six figure grid reference 2 marks
 Process named 2 marks
 Labelled diagram 4 marks graded
 Explanation 10 x SRPs
 Give credit for extra labelling in diagram(s) from explanation
 Feature or process can be starting point
 Max 2 SRPs if description only of landform.

3. Glaciation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AG3luuhc-5Y&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOGbOOaPHsw&NR=1

4. Glaciation
Glacials (col;d)and Interglacials

5. Glacial Movement
 Basal flow – weight of ice causes layer closest to ground to
melt – same process used by ice skaters – meltwater acts as a
lubricant

6. Plastic Flow & Rotational Slip
 Plastic flow – Ice melts around a specific object (like a large
boulder) and the Glacier flows around it
 Rotational slip – ice “rotates” around a central point – like a
child on a swing. Can also be seen in mass movements (e.g.
Landslides)

7. Glacier types
 Cirque or Corrie Glacier – a build up of ice high up in a hollow
(corrie) in the mountains.
 Valley Glacier – when the ice build up in the corrie is too great,
the ice spills out and flows downhill as a valley glacier
 Piedmont Glacier – when two or more Valley Glaciers meet
 P138
 http://www.gearthhacks.com/streetview/file.php?fileid=9065

8. Glacial Processes
Erosion
Transportation
Deposition

9. Glacial Erosion Page 140
 Plucking
Animation:
http://www.homepage.montana.edu/~geol445/hyperglac/eroproc1/animated~plucking.gif
 Abrasion: Polishing and Striations (striae)

10. Glacial Transport
 Moraines Page 140

11. Glacial Deposition Page 141

12. Glacial Landforms

13. Cirques (Corries) and Tarns P.142
Upper and Lower Lough Bray, Co. Wicklow
Devil’s Punchbowl, Co. Kerry

14. Arêtes & Pyramidal Peaks P.142
 The Matterhorn, Switzerland
 Arête: Between Upper and Lower Lough Bray, Co. Wicklow

15. Glaciated Valleys (U-shaped valley),
Ribbon Lakes P.144
 Glendalough, Co. Wicklow.
 Ribbon Lakes: Glencar, Co. Sligo.

16. Truncated Spurs
 Glencree, Co. Wicklow

17. Hanging Valleys P.145
 Glendalough, Co. Wicklow.

18. Fiords P.145
 Killary Harbour, County Mayo/Galway

19. Geirangerfjord, Norway
Steep Valley Sides
Deep base – Grirangerfjord is more
than 600 metres deep – 5 dublin
spires could fit into it

20. Summarising….
Features of Glacial Erosion
Cirque/Corrie
Arête
Pyramidal Peak
U-shaped Valley
Ribbon Lake
Truncated Spurs
Hanging Valleys
Fiords

21. Glacial Deposition Page 141

22. Glacial Deposits and Fluvioglacial Deposits
First let’s do the Glacial Deposits
 Boulder Clay Page 146
 Moraine Page 147
 Drumlin Page 148
 Erratic Page 149

23. Fluvioglacial Deposits
 Outwash Plains,
The Curragh
 Eskers
Esker Riada,
Clonmacnoise, Co.
Offaly

24. The glaciation of Ireland P.151
2 of Europe’s 4 Major Ice Ages Reached Ireland
 175,000 – 100,000 Years ago: Munsterian Ice Age
 70,000 – 10,000 Years ago: Midlandian Ice Age

25. Glaciated Ireland
 The ice sheets that spread over Ireland had the effect of
“freezing up” the seawater – as a result water levels dropped.
 This resulted in Ireland, Britain and Europe joined together as
one large landmass
 When the ice sheets melted two things happened
 The Sea level rose
 The land rose (as it was not being “pushed down” by ice any
more)
 This resulted in a unique landscape

26. Glaciated Ireland – sea levels

27. Midlandian Glaciation from Space