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Ch. 14
Glaciers & Glaciation
36
Geology
Undergraduate 1
11/20/2012

Additional Geology Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term
Abrasion
Definition
-Scraping process of rocks
Term
Arete
Definition
-Serrated ridge between U-shaped glacial troughs
Term
Basal Slip
Definition
-Occurs under a glacier
-Great pressure cause melting between the ice and rock which facilitates movement down slope
Term
Cirque
Definition
-Scoop shaped depression
Term
Continental Glacier
Definition
-Uconfined by topography
-Cover vast areas
-Flow outward in all directions from central areas, even beyond land
-(ice sheets)
Term
Drumlin
Definition
-Streamlined hills of till shaped by continental glaciers
Term
End Moraine (Terminal)
Definition
-Ridges of unconsolidated debris deposited at the end of the glacier
Term
Erratics
Definition
-Boulders that are found far from their source
-Eroded and transported by glaciers
Term
Esker
Definition
-Long winding ridge of gravel
Term
Fiord
Definition
-Forms when sea level rises and fills a U shaped glacial valley with sea water
Term
Firn
Definition
-As snow accumulates, it thaws and refreezes becoming a granular type of ice
Term
Glacial Budget
Definition
-A glacier's behavior depends on the balance between accumulation and wastage
Term
Glacial Drift
Definition
-General term for all glacial deposits
Term
Glacial Ice
Definition
-When firn is buried and recrystallized
Term
Glacial Polish
Definition
-Glaciers polish rocks as they grind them into a fine powder
Term
Glacial Surge
Definition
-Accelerated flow into a glacier causes its terminus to advance rapidly
Term
Glacier
Definition
-Mass of compacted and recrystallized ice that flows under its own weight
Term
Ground Moraine
Definition
-Consists of an irregular blanket of till deposited under a glacier
Term
Hanging Valley
Definition
-A valley where the floor is at a higher level than the channel to which it flows
Term
Horn
Definition
-Pyramid shaped peak left when erosion takes place by at least three glaciers
Term
Ice Cap
Definition
-Similar to continental glaciers but much smaller
Term
Kame
Definition
-Irregularly shaped hill or mound
Term
Lateral Moraine
Definition
-Parallel ridges of debris deposited along the sides of glacier
Term
Little Ice Age
Definition
-Time of colder winters and short, wet summers where glaciers advanced and sea ice persisted
-About 1500 A.D. to late 1800's
Term
Medial Moraine
Definition
-Ridge of moraine that runs down the center of valley floor
Term
Milankovitch Theory
Definition
-Minor variations in the Earth's orbit around the Sun and in the tilt of the Earth's axis cause slight changes in amount of radiant energy reaching
Term
Outwash Plain
Definition
-Broad gently sloping alluvial deposit of outwash
-In front of Terminal Moraine
Term
Plastic Flow
Definition
-Type of deformation that takes place in response to stress
-With great pressure, ice at depth begins to flow as a plastic
Term
Recessional Moraine
Definition
-Transverse ridges running across a valley
-Behind a terminal moraine
Term
Stratified Drift
Definition
-Glacial drift that is layered and sorted to some degree
Term
Till
Definition
-Unstratified sediments deposited directly by glacial ice
Term
U-Shaped Glacial Trough
Definition
-When mountain valleys are eroded by glaciers, they are deepened and widened
Term
Valley Glacier
Definition
-Long, narrow tongues of ice
-Much smaller than continental glaciers
-Flow from high to low
-Confined in mountain valleys
Term
Valley Train
Definition
-The outwash deposit confined within valley walls
Term
Zone of Accumulation
Definition
-Upper part of the glacier, where snow cover is year round
Term
Zone of Wastage
Definition
-Lower part of the glacier, where losses exceed gains
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