This resource outlines all knowledge required relating to glacial landscapes in the UK required for the AQA Combined Science specification.
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• Glaciers are masses of ice that fill valleys and slowly move downhill. The last ice age
in the UK was around 20,000 years ago.
• In the last 2.6 million years there have been many ice ages. In the last ice age, ice
covered most of Scotland, Ireland and Wales as well as far south to the Bristol
channel.
• The distribution of glaciers varies in England. There are glacial uplands in Scotland
and in England, the majority of the glaciers are found in the North. The Grampians
in Scotland is an excellent example of a glacial area as well as the Lake District in
England.
• Glaciers were located in the north of the UK as it is cooler and has a higher altitude.
The further north, the further away from the equator meaning it is cooler, helping
glaciers form in the freezing temperatures. More uplands also correlates to glacier
formation as the higher up you get the colder it is.
Weathering and glacial processes in Glacial environments:
The most common form of erosion in cold environments.
In summer, water flows into the cracks of rocks and freezes. As the
water freezes, it expands by 9%, subsequently meaning the rock,
Freeze- over time, is forced apart.
thaw Helps form the jagged mountain landscape.
weathering Rocks that are weakened can be easily eroded by glaciers
Large angular rocks called scree develop at foot of mountains which
are carried by glaciers and used as powerful erosion tools.
As glacier travels, it picks up rocks from freeze-thaw weathering.
Abrasion Abrasion erodes the sides and bottom of the valley as rocks, frozen
into the base of the glacier, roll along the base and sides causing
erosion and creating a smooth surface.
Larger rocks cause striations. This is where the rock has embedded
into the sides and scrapes as the glacier moves. Forming long
indentations in the glacier sides.
Meltwater beneath glacier freezes and bonds to the base rock.
As the glacier moves, any lose fragments will be “plucked” away.
Plucking The eroded material is carried along by the glacier.
This process leaves a jagged, rocky surface
, How do glaciers move?
o Cold based polar glaciers are found in high latitude areas, it is well below freezing all
year round. Warm based temperate glaciers are found in low-latitude but high-
altitude areas. Summer temps cause melting of ice. This water acts as a lubricant and
the glacier travels faster in summer.
o The fastest rate of movement in a glacier is in the centre. The speed declines from the
surface to the base.
o Glaciers move downhill. In summer, as the ice melts, meltwater lubricates the base of
the glacier allowing it to slide faster downhill. This is called basal slip. In hollows like
corries, this movement is curved, we call this rotational slip.
o In winter, glaciers freeze to the base, rocky surface. The weight of the ice and gravity
causes ice crystals to change shape. This is called internal deformation. The surface
deforms more towards the surface and less at the base of the glacier.
Transportation and deposition of materials in glaciers:
1. Rock fragments from freeze-thaw weathering fall on surface of glaciers. The rock is
transported under, on and in the ice. This produces sediment called till. Till is an
unsorted mixture of glacial material
2. Bulldozing is where the glacier pushes material out in front of it causing piles of
sediment in front of it.
3. When ice melts, the material is deposited on the valley floor forming moraines and
drumlins.
4. Most glacier deposits are angular. Materials are only effected by attrition when in
water, underneath glacier and transported in streams away from glaciers.
5. Fine material like sand and gravel can be transported away from glacier. The streams
sort material by size and deposit it in layers. This is called outwash and is deposited
on outwash plain.
Glacial Landforms:
Corries-
Large hollowed out depressions found in upper slopes of glaciated valley. They have a steep
back wall and a raised lip creating and arm chair shape. They may contain a lake called a
tarn.
They are formed when snow gathers in hollow on hillside. Nivation occurs like freeze-thaw
weathering, which enlarges the hollow. Gradually more and more snow collects, forming
packed ice. Rotational slip occurs, which enables the glacier to make the hollow even deeper.
The back wall of the corrie become steeper due to plucking, it also become jagged. The ice at
the front of the corrie is thinner and less erosive. This forms a raised lip. Moraine may be
deposited here to keep water in. Eg. Red tarn in Lake District.
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