What is continental glaciation?
Continental glaciers are continuous masses of ice that are much larger than alpine glaciers. Small continental glaciers are called ice fields. Big continental glaciers are called ice sheets. Continental glaciers bury the landscape and only the highest mountain peaks poke out through the ice surface.
What causes continental glaciation?
The movement of continents affects the circulation patterns of the oceans and atmosphere. This changes the climate, which in turn affects the formation of glaciers. The Milankovitch theory that deals with variations in the Earth’s orbit is another theory used to explain the cause of glaciation.
Where is continental glaciation found?
The largest ice sheets, called continental glaciers, spread over vast areas. Today, continental glaciers cover most of Antarctica and the island of Greenland. Massive ice sheets covered much of North America and Europe during the Pleistocene time period.
What are three continental glaciers?
There are primarily three types of continental glaciers, namely ice caps, ice sheets, and outlets.
How do continental glaciers flow?
Valley glaciers flow down valleys, and continental ice sheets flow outward in all directions. Glaciers move by internal deformation of the ice, and by sliding over the rocks and sediments at the base. Internal deformation occurs when the weight and mass of a glacier causes it to spread out due to gravity.
What landform was created by glaciation?
Glacier Landforms Glaciers carve a set of distinctive, steep-walled, flat-bottomed valleys. U-shaped valleys, fjords, and hanging valleys are examples of the kinds of valleys glaciers can erode.
What does glaciation mean in geography?
Glaciation is the formation, movement and recession of glaciers. Glaciation was much more extensive in the past, when much of the world was covered in large, continental ice sheets. Most of this area is under two ice sheets situated near the Earth’s poles — one near the Antarctic and the other near Greenland.
What is glaciation process?
Glacial processes – shaping the land Glaciers shape the land through processes of erosion , weathering , transportation and deposition , creating distinct landforms.
What are the two types of glaciation?
There are two main types of glaciers: continental glaciers and alpine glaciers.
How is alpine glaciation different from continental glaciation?
Continental glaciers form in a central location with ice moving outward in all directions. Alpine glaciers form in high mountains and travel through valleys. Ice caps cover large areas.
How does glaciation affect the landscape?
Glaciers can shape landscapes through erosion, or the removal of rock and sediment. As a glacier flows downslope, it drags the rock, sediment, and debris in its basal ice over the bedrock beneath it, grinding it. This process is known as abrasion and produces scratches (striations) in bedrock surface.
How is glaciation formed?
Glaciers begin to form when snow remains in the same area year-round, where enough snow accumulates to transform into ice. Each year, new layers of snow bury and compress the previous layers. This compression forces the snow to re-crystallize, forming grains similar in size and shape to grains of sugar.