Glaciers and Glaciation 18

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts related to glaciers and their processes, based on the lecture notes.

Glaciers

Thick mass of ice forming over hundreds/thousands of years.

Hydrologic Cycle

A cycle where water can be trapped in a glacier for thousands of years.

Valley Glacier

A type of glacier that forms in mountainous areas.

Ice Sheets

Large expanses of glacial ice covering significant land areas, such as Greenland and Antarctica.

Last Glacial Maximum

The period around 18,000 years ago when ice sheets covered large portions of North America, Europe, and Siberia.

Glacial Budget

The balance between the accumulation of snow and the melting of glaciers.

Plucking

The process by which a glacier erodes bedrock by loosening and lifting blocks.

Abrasion

The process when rocks in a glacier scratch and polish rock surfaces beneath.

Glacial Drift

All sediments of glacial origin, including till and stratified drift.

Tillite

A sedimentary rock formed from glacial till.