Pearson Edexcel GCSE Geography A (1GA0) · Spec 1.11, 1.12, 1.13 and 1.14
Glaciated upland landscapes
Read the notes, then try the questions. Each one is marked the moment you press Check, and shows the right answer and why.
Key ideas
- Glaciers shape land by weathering (freeze-thaw), plucking and abrasion. In freeze-thaw, water in a crack expands as it freezes and widens the crack.
- In plucking, meltwater freezes onto the rock and the moving ice pulls blocks away. In abrasion, rock held in the ice scrapes the valley floor and sides.
- Erosion forms corries, arêtes, pyramidal peaks and U-shaped valleys. An arête is a knife-edge ridge between two corries.
- Deposition forms moraines and drumlins. A drumlin is a streamlined mound of till.
- Glaciated areas attract tourists and farmers. Too many visitors can cause erosion and traffic, so areas use footpath repair and park-and-ride.
Key terms
- Plucking
- Ice freezes onto rock and pulls blocks away as it moves.
- Abrasion
- Rock held in the ice scrapes and polishes the rock beneath.
- Corrie
- A bowl-shaped hollow where a glacier began.
- Arête
- A knife-edge ridge between two corries.
- Moraine
- Material deposited or left behind by the ice.
- Drumlin
- A streamlined mound of till, blunt at the upstream end.
Common mistakes
- Defining plucking as 'a glacier plucks rocks'. Say that the ice freezes onto the rock and pulls it away.
- Saying moraine is 'any debris the glacier carries'. Moraine is material deposited or left by the ice.
- Writing about erosion only. A full answer also covers deposition, such as ground and lateral moraine.
Exam tip
Section A needs two of the three options, so only answer glaciation if you have been taught it. The 8-marker is an Examine on two figures: use grid references, contours and what the photograph shows.
Free practice questions
6 questions, 8 marks. Answer, then press Check. The marking guide explains how the marks are worked out. Nothing is saved.
- Question 1 · Multiple choice[1 mark]
Which statement describes plucking by a glacier?
- Question 2 · Choose more than one[2 marks]
Which TWO of these are mainly formed by glacial erosion?
Choose 2.
- Question 3 · Multiple choice[1 mark]
Which statement best explains why freeze-thaw weathering breaks rock?
- Question 4 · Multiple choice[1 mark]
Which is the best definition of moraine?
- Question 5 · Multiple choice[1 mark]
Which landform is an arete?
- Question 6 · Fill the gaps[2 marks]
Park-and-ride reduces ___ in honeypot villages, and footpath repair slows ___.
Word bank: erosion · congestion · rainfall · deposition