Geography GCSE
Glacial erosion
What Glacial erosion means in Geography GCSE, as defined for AQA.
Definitions of Glacial erosion
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Reference: AQA
Glaciers wear away bedrock primarily through plucking, where meltwater freezes onto bedrock and rips pieces away as the ice moves, and abrasion, where rocks embedded in the ice scrape the bedrock like sandpaper, leaving striations.
Occurs through plucking, where meltwater freezes to rock and tears it away, and abrasion, where embedded rocks scrape the bedrock like sandpaper.
The process by which glaciers carved deep U-shaped valleys and sharp arêtes in upland areas like the Lake District and Snowdonia.
Involves the movement of ice, wearing away and removing material, unlike weathering which is breakdown in situ.
The processes that produce landforms such as corries, arêtes and glacial troughs in a glaciated upland area.
Topics that use Glacial erosion
- Glacial landscapes in the UK (AQA GCSE)
Related terms
- Abrasion
- Case study application
- Conflict management
- Drumlins
- Economic impacts
- Environmental conservation
- Environmental impacts
- Freeze-thaw weathering
Using Glacial erosion in the exam
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