Exam 14: Glaciers and Glaciation

A glacier that is unconfined by topography and has tributaries is a

An ice mass of compacted and recrystallized snow that flows under its own weight on land is called a(n)____________________.

What are some of the characteristics of large ice-scoured plains,such as those of the Canadian Shield region?

When did the Pleistocene Ice Age end?

There is good evidence that variation in solar energy,as evinced by sunspot activity cycles,is responsible for short-term climatic variations.

The presence of ____________________ in the upper 40 m or so of a glacier indicates that this portion behaves not as a plastic,but as a(n)____________________ solid.

Any sediment deposited as a result of glacial activity is known as glacial ____________________.

How does the Milankovitch theory explain intermediate-term climatic events like the Pleistocene glaciation? According to Milankovitch,variations in what three parameters of Earth's orbit were responsible for the onset of Pleistocene glaciation?

The Little Ice Age ended in the mid to late 1800s.

If glacial ice were a rock it would be a(n)_______ rock.

Under what conditions can glaciers exist in the equatorial latitudes?

The present glacial landscapes mainly formed during the ____________________ Epoch,which lasted from ____________________ years to ____________________ years ago.

End moraines continue to grow as long as the ice front remains stationary.

Explain how medial moraines develop.

The fine,clay- and silt-sized particles that result from glacial pulverization of rock is known as ____________________.

In a cross-section of a glacier,where do the greatest flow velocities occur?

Name some erosional landforms that might help you recognize that a valley had previously been occupied by a valley glacier.

The Matterhorn in Switzerland is a glacial ____________________ landform known as a(n)____________________.

Explain the origin of varves and their significance in the chronologies of glacial lake deposits.

Briefly explain the origin of drumlins.