2.4.3

Erosional Landforms 2

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Arêtes and Pyramidal Peaks

Arêtes and pyramidal peaks result when corries back into the same mountain.

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Arêtes

  • As corries develop, they eat back into the mountain mass in which they have developed.
  • When several corries lie close to one another, the divide separating two corries may become progressively narrowed until it is reduced to a narrow precipitous ridge called an arête.
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Pyramidal peaks

  • If glaciers in corries continue to erode away at the mountain from three or more sides, the result is the formation of a sharp pyramidal peak, sometimes called a horn.

Glacial Troughs

Glacial troughs are a result of large glaciers flowing through valleys.

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Glacial troughs

  • Glacial troughs, also called U-shaped valleys, develop where glaciers flow into pre-existing V-shaped river valleys.
  • Glaciers widen and deepen the original valley making it steep sided with a wide, flat base.
  • Glaciers tend to straighten the valley, cutting off spurs and leaving cliffs called truncated spurs.
  • At the upper end of the valley where the glacier has entered the valley from the corries above, there is often a steep wall called the trough end.
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Ribbon lakes

  • Glacial flow is uneven and where erosion has over-deepened a section of the valley (e.g. where there is softer rock which is more easily eroded) it forms a rock basin.
  • These rock basins often fill with water post-glaciation, forming a ribbon lake.
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Hanging valleys

  • Hanging valleys forms where ice in a tributary valley cannot erode effectively because its movement is blocked by ice in the main valley (or it may be smaller in size).
  • So, it remains ‘higher’ and smaller than the main glacial trough (hanging above it).
  • Post-glaciation, a hanging valley may be identified from a waterfall into the main valley below.

Jump to other topics

1Tectonic Processes & Hazards

2Option 2A: Glaciated Landscapes & Change

3Option 2B: Coastal Landscapes & Change

4Globalisation

5Option 4A: Regenerating Places

6Option 4B: Diverse Places

7The Water Cycle & Water Insecurity (A2 only)

8The Carbon Cycle & Energy Security (A2 only)

9Superpowers (A2 only)

10Option 8A: Health & Human Rights (A2 only)

11Option 8B: Migration & Identity (A2 only)

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