Question 1: Describe what a glacier is and explain how it forms.

Answer: A glacier is a large mass of ice that forms over many years from compacted snow. It forms in areas where snowfall exceeds melting, causing the snow to compress into ice and slowly move downhill due to gravity.

Question 2: Name two landforms that are created by glaciation.

Answer: Two landforms created by glaciation are a U-shaped valley and a cirque.

Question 3: Explain the process of erosion that occurs as a glacier moves.

Answer: As a glacier moves, it erodes the land through processes like plucking, where rocks are pulled from the ground, and abrasion, where the glacier grinds against the bedrock, carving out valleys and shaping the landscape.

Question 4: Describe what happens during glacial retreat.

Answer: Glacial retreat occurs when the melting and sublimation of ice at the glacier's edge exceeds the accumulation of snowfall, causing the glacier to shrink and its landforms to become exposed.

Question 5: Imagine standing at the edge of a glacier that is advancing. Describe the landscape features you might see around you.

Answer: You might see a U-shaped valley carved by the glacier, with steep sides and a flat floor. There could also be moraines—accumulations of debris left at the glacier's edge—and possibly hanging valleys formed where smaller glaciers joined the main glacier.

Question 6: Sketch a diagram of a cirque, indicating the key features.

Answer: A correct sketch would show a bowl-shaped hollow on the side of a mountain, with a steep back wall, a gently sloping front, and possibly an ice patch or snow remaining inside.

Question 7: Explain the difference between an arête and a ridge formed by glaciation.

Answer: An arête is a sharp, knife-edged ridge formed between two cirques or glacial valleys, while a ridge can be a broader, less sharply defined elevated landform formed by the erosion of multiple glaciers.

Question 8: Describe how a U-shaped valley is formed by glaciation.

Answer: A U-shaped valley is formed when a glacier moves through a V-shaped river valley, eroding the sides and bottom through abrasion and plucking, transforming it into a broad, flat-bottomed valley with steep sides.

Question 9: List two ways scientists can tell that a landscape was shaped by glaciation in the past.

Answer: Scientists can identify glacial landscapes by finding features like striations (scratches) on bedrock and the presence of depositional landforms such as drumlins and moraines.

Question 10: Draw a cross-section of a typical glacial landscape showing a glacier, a valley, and some landforms formed by glaciation.

Answer: A correct drawing would include a glacier occupying a U-shaped valley, with steep valley sides, a flat floor, and labels indicating features like a cirque, moraine, and possibly an arête. The glacier should be shown moving downward with ice flow lines.