1 Rivers, coasts and glaciation

Pupil Book
pages 22–23
How does ice shape the land?

About this spread Learning objectives

This spreads examines how glacial process can affect upland On this spread pupils should learn:
areas through the processes of erosion, deposition and
transportation. It explains how plucking, abrasion and freeze–
● the types of erosion, transportation and deposition
thaw weathering create pieces of rock, how these pieces associated with a glacier
are transported by the glacier and where they might be ● to describe the landforms found in upland glacier areas.
deposited. It also looks at the landforms that are left behind
after these processes have occurred and the characteristic
features of corries, arêtes and pyramidal peaks. Skills builder
Pupils often use diagrams and photos and it is an important
Learning outcomes skill to be able to interpret what is happening in both an
idealised version of a situation and a similar real world
By the end of this spread pupils should be able to: example. Photos are useful because they can show what
features or places are like, they can provide information, and
● identify where different processes occur in a glacial
help us to understand the processes that made places and
landscape
things the way they are. Pupils have the opportunity to build
● annotate examples of glacial landscapes in the Alps. their skills by linking key words, diagrams and photographs.

Key vocabulary Further discussion suggestions

● Which areas of the world will we find these landforms in?
● glaciers ● plucking
● When will freeze–thaw weathering be most effective?
● erosion ● abrasion
● What is the role of gravity in the process?
● transportation ● corrie
● deposition ● arête
● moraine ● pyramidal peak
● freeze–thaw
weathering

Answers to activities
1 a A glacier is a slow moving river of ice. 3 a Pupils make their own sketch of Photo D.
b The force of gravity causes a glacier to move downhill. b
c Moraine are the rocks and sediment carried and deposited
by a glacier. Pyramidal peak
2 a and b
Backwall
Moraine on
A glacier Arête

Moraine Corrie
in glacier Glacier
B Sidewall
Moraine Moraine
under glacier C at rock lip
c A Freeze–thaw: water sits in cracks in the rock, freezes, c Glaciers form on the side of the Matterhorn when ice does
expands and puts pressure on the rock. The ice thaws, not melt.
the crack refills with water and the whole process starts
Freeze–thaw, plucking and abrasion create a number of
again. Eventually pieces of rock break off.
armchair-shaped hollows called corries.
B Plucking: ice freezes to the rock and pulls it away when
A knife-shaped ridge, called an arête, forms where two
the glacier moves.
corries form back-to-back.
C Abrasion: rocks at the base of the glacier sandpaper the
When several arêtes meet, a pyramidal peak forms, like that
bottom of the corrie.
seen on the Matterhorn.

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1 Rivers, coasts and glaciation
Pupil Book What landforms result from
pages 24–25 glaciation?
About this spread Learning objectives
This spread continues the work on pages 22–23 and looks On this spread pupils should learn:
at how a glacier influences a more lowland landscape. It
considers what the landscape may look like as a river valley
● about the landforms created in the lower part of a glacier.
before glaciation, when it is ice filled and when the ice has ● to compare the landforms formed by a glacier and a river.
melted. By looking at these three time periods it allows the
pupils to consider how landforms created by the river will
be altered by a glacier. It also introduces pupils to landforms Skills builder
such as hanging valleys, ribbon lakes and truncated spurs.
The pupils have the opportunity to practise drawing sketches
of landforms and to identify and label the key features.
This is an important skill as it allows pupils to interpret the
Learning outcomes landscape that they are looking at. To help increase the level
of complexity contained within the sketch, pupils could add
By the end of this spread pupils should be able to: annotations with connectives such as ‘because’, ‘this means’
or ‘so that’. The activities also provide an opportunity for
● identify glacial landforms
pupils to practise the skill of explaining a process ensuring
● explain how a glacier forms a glacial trough that they use the correct geographical terminology and the
correct order in which processes occur.
● explain how river landforms are changed by glaciers.
Further discussion suggestions
Key vocabulary
● Which areas of the world would we find these
● V-shaped valley ● hanging valley landscapes in?
● U-shaped valley ● ribbon lake ● Are there any examples of these features close to the
school? Look at the reasons why there are or are not.
● glacial trough ● erratic
● What would these features look like on an Ordnance
● truncated spur Survey map?

Answers to activities
1 A glacial trough is a flat-bottomed valley with steep sides 3 a A U-shaped valley forms when the glacier erodes a
that provides this feature’s other name ‘U-shaped valley’. V-shaped valley, making it deeper, wider and straighter.
A U-shaped valley forms when ice erodes a V-shaped river Fragments of rock carried along the sides of the glacier
valley, making it deeper, wider and straighter. In a glacial trough cause abrasion, removing interlocking spurs and widening
there are no interlocking spurs as they are eroded away. and straightening the valley. The weight of the ice causes
abrasion along the base of the glacier which deepens the
2 1 pyramidal peaks
valley.
2 hanging valley
b Interlocking spurs turn into truncated spurs when fragments
3 arêtes of stone carried by the glacier erode the sides of the
U-shaped valley and remove the point of the spur.
4 erratics
c Glaciers in river tributaries contain less ice so they do not
5 corries erode as deeply as the ice in the glacial trough. This feature
6 truncated spurs is called a hanging valley. Where the two valleys meet (a
confluence) there is now a steep wall. To get to the bottom
7 ribbon lake of the glacial trough from the hanging valley, the water
8 glacial trough needs to pass over the steep wall as a waterfall.

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