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01/03/2021 - Geography

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February 28, 2021

Glaciers can cause significant damage and can reduce high mountains into low hills and plains. In this context, elaborate the erosional landforms formed by glaciers. (200 Words)

Refer - The Indian Express

Enrich the answer from other sources, if the question demands.

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tina 3 years

Kindly review.

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Glaciers are sheets of ice moving over plains, in sheet form, or slopes of mountains, in linear flows. Gravity moves them.

Glaciers erode land by plucking rock material and abrading the land.

Global warming causes faster glacial melting and more frequent movement of ice. This destabilizes the environment and endangers the life and livelihood of the region. Eroded hills produce smaller rivers only. This affects the millions who depend on that river.

For instance, the Uttarakhand glacial flood tragedy at the Dhauliganga river, came at a human, developmental, economic and ecological cost.

The main erosional landforms formed by glaciers are –

1.       Cirque –

·         When descending ice flows down the mountainside, they cut deep, long and wide troughs called cirques.

·         Found at the head of glacial valleys eg. Lhotse Face of Mt Everest.

·         Cirque filled with rainwater forms cirque/tarn lake eg. Chandra Tal, Himachal Pradesh.

2.       Horns and serrated ridges

·         Formed when three radiating glaciers cut headward to form a sharp, pointed peak

·         Eg. Mt Everest, Matternhorn

·         Side/Headwalls of cirques converge to form sharp, zig-zag, serrated arêtes

3.       Glacial valleys

·         U-shaped, broad, smooth valley eg. Valley below Gaumukh

·         Contains debris, moraines

·         Hanging valleys open into it

·         Forms fiord when filled with seawater

A multidisciplinary approach to understanding the geology and dynamics of glacial systems with technology like remote sensing, as well as sustainable use, will help preserve the long term stability of this ecosystem and mitigate the damage caused by disaster.

IAS Parliament 3 years

Good attempt. Keep Writing.

IAS Parliament 3 years

KEY POINTS

Erosion by glaciers is tremendous because of friction caused by sheer weight of the ice, get dragged along the floors or sides of the valleys and cause great damage through abrasion and plucking.

Erosional Landforms

Cirque

·        Cirques are the most common of landforms in glaciated mountains.

·        The accumulated ice cuts these cirques while moving down the mountain tops.

·        They are deep, long and wide troughs or basins.

Horns

·        Horns form through head ward erosion of the cirque walls.

·        If three or more radiating glaciers cut headward until their cirques meet, high, sharp pointed and steep sided peaks called horns form.

Glacial Valleys/Troughs

·        Glaciated valleys are trough-like and U shaped  smooth, and steep sides.

·        Very deep Glacial troughs filled with sea water and making up shorelines (in high latitudes) are called fjords/fiords.

 

 

 

 

 

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