Physical Processes
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The document describes the process of glacial movement and ice sheet formation. Snow accumulates over thousands of years and is compressed into ice, forming ice sheets. The bottom layer of ice experiences basal melt due to pressure, lubricating the ice and allowing it to slide over bedrock downhill via gravity in a process called basal slip. Ice streams and glaciers carry the ice to coastal regions, where some forms ice shelves that float in deeper waters and calve off icebergs.
Physical Processes
- 1. Process: Basal melt and slippage Snow falls, and over thousands of years of not melting, accumulates - can be several km deep, As snow accumulates, it is compressed into ice forming an ice sheet As ice is compressed, bottom layer is under great pressure. This causes basal melt. Due to basal melt, bottom of ice is lubricated and slides over bedrock downhill due to gravity .( Basal slip ) Ice may move fast as an ice stream (moves through ice) or slower as a glacier (moves through rock-sided valley) When ice stream or glacier reaches the coast, it carries on flowing out to sea This forms an ice shelf - protruding out to sea, but connected to land ice. It floats as it reaches deeper water In summer when temperatures rise, icebergs break off the end of the ice shelf - by process called calving Mock exam review
- 2. Process: Ventifaction Location: Mc Murdo Dry Valley Prevailing winter wind direction: Westerly off Ice Sheet Dry Valley conditions favour process of ventifaction : Desert conditions (lack of precipitation) No snow cover and little vegetation, so … plentiful supply of exposed particles of rock and ice Frequent strong katabatic (gravity driven) winds. Katabatic (gravity driven) winds carrying rock and snow particles ( eolian transport) Ventifact rock - often weird and wonderful shapes Loose, exposed rock and snow particles Abrasion erosion : wind carried particles are ‘sand blasted’ against facing rock surface Side of rock facing prevailing wind may become grooved or polished Even in strong winds, particles can’t be continuously held in the air. Instead, particles bounce along ground - saltation . This erosion is focused on base of ventifact, resulting in mushroom shaped rocks Mock exam review