GCSE Geography (Edexcel B)

Topic Summaries

Glacial landform processes

Glacial landforms resulting from transportation and deposition

  • Erratics: large boulders deposited in an area of different rock type. They appear incongruous compared to the surrounding geology. They are formed when glaciers pick up rocks from one area as they move. These rocks are transported long distances and deposited when the glacier melts. 
  • Drumlins: smooth, elongated hills made of glacial till (unsorted material). They are steep at one end (stoss) and gently sloping at the other (lee). They are formed when glaciers deposit unsorted material (known as till) as they lose energy. As the glacier continues to move, it reshapes the deposited material into a streamlined, elongated hill called a drumlin. The steep stoss end (upstream end) faces the direction from which the glacier originated, while the tapered lee end (downstream end) points in the direction the glacier was moving.
  • Moraines:
    • Lateral moraine: ridge of material deposited along the sides of a glacier. These are formed when rocks and debris fall from the valley walls onto the glacier and are deposited by freeze-thawing.
    • Medial moraine: ridge of material running down the centre of a glacier. These are formed when two glaciers meet, their lateral moraines combine to form a medial moraine.
    • Terminal moraine: ridge of material deposited at the glacier’s furthest point. These are formed when the glacier pushes material ahead of it through bulldozing, depositing this material at its snout when it melts.
    • Ground moraine: material unevenly spread across the valley floor. These are formed when material is deposited as the glacier melts and retreats.

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