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Chapter7:Glaciers,Deserts,andWind
Ch.7.1Glaciers
TypesofGlaciers
15,000yearsago,30%ofEarthwascoveredbyglacialice
IceageaperiodoftimewhenmuchofEarth'slandiscoveredinglaciers
Glacierathickicemassthatmovesslowlyoverthelandsurface
Glaciersoccurinareaswheremoresnowfallsinthewinterthanmeltsinthesummer
Snowlinethelowestelevationinaparticularareathatremainscoveredinsnowallyear
Snowabovesnowlineaccumulatesandcompacts,causingrecrystalizationintocoursegrains,furtherpressure
changesittointerlockingcrystalsofglacierice
Gravitypullsglaciersdownhill:theyaccumulate,transport,anddepositsediment
ValleyGlaciersIcemassesthatslowlyadvancedownvalleysthatwereoriginallyoccupiedby
streams
*Avalleyglacierisastreamoficethatflowsbetweensteeprockwallsfromaplacenearthetopof
themountainvalley
IceSheetsEnormousicemassesthatflowinalldirectionsfromoneormorecentersandcover
everythingbutthehighestland
*Icesheetsaresometimescalledcontinentalicesheetsbecausetheycoverlargeregionswherethe
climateisextremelycold.Theyarehugecomparedtovalleyglaciers
Tworemainingicesheets:GreenlandandAntarctica
HowGlaciersMove
*Themovementofglaciersisreferredtoasflow.Glacialflowhappenstwoways:plasticflowandbasalslip
Plasticitythedistortionandchangingofshapeofbrittleiceunderhighpressure
Basalslipslippingoftheglacierdownhill,top50mnotunderpressuresodoesnothavebasalslip
RatesofGlacialMovement
Glacierstravelatdifferentspeeds,somealternatebetweenslowandfast
BudgetofaGlacier
Belowthesnowline,glacierslooseiceandnewsnowtomelting:calledthezoneofwastage
Iceisalsolostbycalving:largepiecesbreakingoff
Icebergs:10%ofmassisvisible
*Theglacialbudgetisthebalanceorlackofbalancebetweenaccumulationattheupperendofaa
glacierandloss,orwastage,atthelowerend
Glaciermayadvance,retreatortheterminus(front)mayremainthesame
GlacialErosion
Glaciersarenaturesbulldozersrockfragmentsthatareerodedbytheglacierdropattheglacier'sfootwherethe
icemelts
*Manylandscapeswerechangedbythewidespreadglaciersoftherecenticeage
HowGlaciersErode
Glaciersmainlyerodeintwoways:pluckingandabrasion
Plucking:watergetsintocracksbeneathice,freezingthenfracturestherocks,movingglacierthen
picksupthepiecesandincorporatesthem
Abrasion:iceandrockfragmentsscourbedrocktheycreaterockflour
Striationscanshowthedirectionofflow
Glacialerosiondependantonfourfactors:1)rateofmovement2)thicknessofice3)shape,
abundance,andhardnessoftherockfragmentsintheice4)typeofsurfacebelowglacier
LandformsCreatedbyGlacialErosion
*Glaciersareresponsibleforavarietyoferosionallandscapefeatures,suchasglacialtroughs,hangingvalleys,
cirques,aretes,andhorns.
GlaciatedValleys
Asaglaciermovesdownavalleyonceoccupiedbyastream,theglacierwidens,deepens,and
straightensthevalley
GlacialtroughUshapedvalleyformedfromglacialerosion
Mainglacierscutdeeperthansideglaciers,whenrecedingoccurs,itleaveshangingvalleysthatoften
formwaterfalls
Cirques
Abowlshapeddepressionattheheadofaglacialvalleythatissurroundedonthreesidesbysteep
rockwalls
Beginasirregularitiesinthemountainside,pluckingbyglaciercarvesthecirque,movementofglacier
carriesawayrock
AretesandHorns
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Aretesformwhencirquesonoppositesidesofaridgegrow,thedivideseparatingthemisreducedtoa
narrow,sharpridge
Hornsformwhereseveralcirquessurroundasinglehighmountainleavingasharppyramidlikepeak
GlacialDeposits
Glacierstransporthugeloadsofdebris,whentheglaciermeltsitdepositsitssediment
TypesofGlacialDrift
*Glacialdriftappliestoallsedimentsofglacialorigin,nomatterhow,where,orinwhatformthey
weredeposited.Therearetwotypesofglacialdrift:tillandstratifieddrift
Tillmaterialdepositeddirectlybytheglacier
Tillisusuallyunsortedmixturesmadeupofmanyparticlesizes
Stratifieddriftsedimentlaiddownbyglacialmeltwater
Stratifieddriftissortedbysizeandweight,oftenconsistsofsandandgravel
Glacialerratics:bouldersfoundintillorlyingfreeontheground,differinmineralcontentthan
surroundingunderlyingbedrock
Moraines,OutwashPlains,andKettles
*Glaciersareresponsibleforavarietyofdepositionalfeatures,includingmoraines,outwashplains,kettles,
drumlins,andeskers
Moraineslayersorridgesoftillleftbyglacierswhentheymelt
LateralMoraines
Lateralmorainesareridgesthatformalongthesidesofglacialvalleysfromdebrisofthevalleywalls
Medialmorainesareformedwhentwovalleyglaciersjointoformasingleicestream
EndMorainesandGroundMoraines
EndMoraineisformedwhenaglacierisstationarytheicecontinuestoflowandcarriesdebristothe
endoftheglacier
GroundMorainesareformedwhenglacierrecedesatasteadyrateleavingarockstrewn,gently
rollingplain
Groundmorainesfillinlowspotsandblockoldstreamchannels,possiblyresultinginpoorlydrained
swamplands
TerminalandRecessionalMoraines
Asaglaciermeltsithasperiodsofrecessionandequilibrium,formingendmorainesandground
moraines
Terminalmoraineisthefarthestendmoraine,othersarerecessionalendmoraines
OutwashPlains
Abroad,ramplikeaccumulationofsedimentdownstreamfromanendmoraineformedwhenglacier
isstationary
Kettles
Kettlesformwhenblocksofstagnanticebecomeburiedindriftandeventuallymelt,leavingbehind
smalllakesordepressions
DrumlinsandEskers
Drumlinsarestreamlinedhillscomposedoftill,occurinclusterscalleddrumlinfields
Drumlinsaresteeperononeendthesteepsidefacesthedirectiontheicecamefrom,andthegentler
slopepointsinthedirectionthemoved
Eskersaresnakelikeridgescomposedofsandandgravelthatweredepositedbystreamsonceflowing
intunnelsbeneathglaciers
GlacialLandforms
GlaciersoftheIceAge
Duringrecenticeage,glacierscoveredalmost30%ofEarth'sland,theNorthernHemispherehadtwicetheiceof
theSouthernHemisphere
IceAgeEffectsonDrainage
Duringtherecenticeage,glacialerosiontransformedlowlandsintowide,deepbasinsthatfilledwithwaterand
eventuallybecametheGreatLakes
Formationandgrowthoficesheetstriggeredchangesinclimatearidregionsbecamecoolerandwetterresultingin
theformationoflakes
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Ch.7.2Deserts
Desertlandscapesshowtheeffectsofbothrunningwaterandwind
GeologicProcessesinAridClimates
Desertshaveangularrocks,sheercanyonwalls,andsurfacescoveredinpebblesorsand
Weathering
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Humidregionsreflectthestronginfluenceofchemicalweathering
*Muchoftheweathereddebrisindesertshasresultedfrommechanicalweathering
Rockweatheringisgreatlyreducedbecauseofthelackofmoistureandscarcityoforganicacidsfrom
decayingplants,asaresultdebrisconsistsofrockwhosemineralsremainunchanged
*Chemicalweathering,however,isnotcompletelyabsentindeserts.Overlongtimespans,claysand
thinsoilsdoform.
TheRoleofWater
*Inthedesert,moststreamsareephemeraltheyonlycarrywaterafteritrains
Westernstatescallthesestreamswashesorarroyos
Flashfloodsarecommon,lackofvegetationallowswatertoquicklyrunoffthelanderosioncanbe
extreme
BasinandRange:ADesertLandscape
Aridregionshaveinternaldrainage,nottooceans
Waterrunningoutofcanyonsareheavilyloadedwithsediment,emergingfromtheconfinesofthecanyonsthe
runoffspreadsandlosesvelocity,dumpingitsload
Alluvialfanconeofdebrisatthemouthofacanyon
Onrareoccasion,streamsmayflowacrossthealluvialfanstothecenterofthebasinconvertingittoalakecalled
Playalakes
*Mostdesertstreamsdryuplongbeforetheyeverreachtheocean.Thestreamsarequicklydepletedby
evaporationandsoilinfiltration
Ifwatersourceislargeenough,astreamcancontinuethroughadesert
*Mostdeserterosionresultsfromrunningwater.Althoughwinderosionismoresignificantindesertsthan
elsewhere,waterdoesmostoftheerosionalworkindeserts
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Ch.7.3LandscapesShapedbyWind
WindErosion
Strongdesertwindspickup,transport,anddepositgreatquantitiesoffinesediment
*Winderodesinthedesertintwoways:deflationandabrasion
Deflationtheliftingandremovaloflooseparticlessuchasclayandsilt,canleadtoblowouts
Saltationlargerparticlesrollorskipalongthesurface
Desertpavementstonysurfacelayercomposedofcoarserparticles
Abrasionwindblownsandcutsandpolishesexposedrocksurfaces
Sandrarelytravelsmorethanameterabovethesurfacesoeffectislimitedinaverticalextent
WindDeposits
*Windcancreatelandformswhenitdepositsitssediments,especiallyindesertsandalongcoasts.Bothlayersof
loessandsanddunesarelandscapefeaturesdepositedbywind
Loesswindblownsiltthatblanketsthelandscape
SandDunes
Windreleasessedimentwhenitsvelocityfalls,sandaccumulateswhereveranobstructioncrossesits
pathandslowsitsmovement
*Unlikedepositsofloess,whichformblanketlikelayersoverbroadareas,windscommonlydeposit
sandinmoundsorridgescalleddunes
Dunescanoccuratanobstruction,oncethesandmoundsupitservesasitsownobstruction
Dunesoftenhavegentleslopefacingthewindandasteeperslopeontheshelteredside
Dunestendtomigrateinthedirectionofthewind
Crossbeds:layersofsedimentdepositedformlayersinclinedinthedirectionthewindisblowing
TypesofSandDunes
*Whatformsanddunesassumedependsonthewinddirectionandspeed,howmuchsandisavailable,andthe
amountofvegetation.
BarchanDunessolitarydunesshapedlikecrescentsformedonhard,flatgroundwithlimitedsand
andvegetation
TransverseDunesdunesinaseriesoflongridgesformedwhenwindissteady,sandisplentiful,
vegetationislimitedareperpendiculartowind
BarchanoidDunesintermediatebetweenabarchanandtransverseduneformatrightanglestowind
LongitudinalDuneslongridgesthatformparalleltotheprevailingwindformwhensandis
moderateandwinddirectionvariesslightly
ParabolicDunesbackwardbarchandunestipspointintowindformwheresomevegetationcovers
thesand
StarDunesisolatedhillsofsandusuallyhave3or4sharpridgesthatmeetinthemiddleformin
areasofvariablewinddirection
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2012byDaveCoxWebmaster.Anypartofthisdocumentmaybereproducedorutilizedinany
formorbyanymeansprovidedpropercitationandcreditaregivenfortheworkandnocostdisseminationisintended.
PagelastupdatedJuly24,2012.
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