Question 1

Which type of glacier is the smallest? ​
A)piedmont glaciers
B)ice sheets
C)valley glaciers
D)cirque glaciers
E)ice caps

Accepted Answer

Cirque glaciers are the smallest type of glacier, typically found in bowl-shaped hollows on mountainsides.

Question 2

The zone of ablation is _____. ​
A)the high latitudes
B)upslope from the cirque
C)a feature of continental glaciers, but not alpine glaciers
D)the area downslope of the equilibrium line
E)underneath the firn and snow

Accepted Answer

The zone of ablation is the area downslope of the equilibrium line on a glacier where melting, sublimation, and calving occur, leading to a loss of ice mass.

Question 3

Glaciers flow by _____ when the weight of the overlying ice, firn, and snow causes ice crystals at depth to arrange themselves in parallel layers that glide over each other, much like the spreading of a deck of cards. ​
A)internal plastic deformation
B)ablation
C)basal sliding
D)icefall
E)crevassing

Accepted Answer

Internal plastic deformation is the process by which glaciers flow due to the rearrangement of ice crystals under pressure, allowing the ice to deform and move without cracking.

Question 4

A valley train is a(n)_____. ​
A)string of lakes in a glaciated valley
B)deposit of till where a hanging valley entered the trunk glacier
C)first-order tributary glacier
D)depositional landform composed of glacial outwash left by braided streams
E)ice-scoured plain

Accepted Answer

A valley train is a depositional landform composed of glacial outwash left by braided streams that flowed from melting glaciers.

Question 5

Where liquid water lubricates the base of a glacier, it can move by _____. ​
A)basal sliding
B)ablation
C)basal crevassing
D)plucking
E)calving

Accepted Answer

Basal sliding occurs when liquid water at the base of a glacier acts as a lubricant, allowing the glacier to slide over the bedrock beneath it. This process enables glaciers to move more easily than they would otherwise.

Question 6

Which of these features is a depositional glacial landform? ​
A)cirque
B)arête
C)esker
D)col
E)horn

Accepted Answer

Eskers are formed by streams that flow underneath glaciers. As the glacier melts, these streams deposit sediments in long, winding ridges, creating the depositional landform known as an esker.

Question 7

Glaciers can erode rock and sediment by the processes of _____. ​
A)corrosion and deflation
B)ablation and abrasion
C)plucking and hydraulic action
D)deflation and saltation
E)plucking and abrasion

Accepted Answer

Glaciers erode the landscape through two main processes: plucking and abrasion. Plucking occurs when a glacier moves over bedrock, freezing onto it and pulling chunks of rock away as it advances. Abrasion happens as the glacier drags these rocks across the bedrock, effectively sanding it down.

Question 8

Eskers are _____. ​
A)large boulders of nonlocal rock
B)composed of lake sediments
C)crescent-shaped with arms pointing in the up-ice direction
D)long and narrow ridges composed of sand and gravel
E)conical hills of sorted glaciofluvial deposits

Accepted Answer

Eskers are long, narrow ridges of sand and gravel that form from sediment deposition within ice-walled tunnels by streams that flowed within and under glaciers. They are a distinctive feature of areas that were covered by glaciers during the last ice age.

Question 9

Where ice sheets reach the ocean by flowing through fjords, the glacial ice is called a(n)_____.
A)ice cap
B)outlet glacier
C)piedmont glacier
D)end moraine
E)roche moutonnée

Accepted Answer

Outlet glaciers are streams of ice that flow from ice sheets through valleys in the land, often extending into fjords when they reach the ocean.

Question 10

A streamlined hill molded from till is termed a(n)_____. ​
A)roche moutonnée
B)arête
C)kame terrace
D)drumlin
E)bergschrund

Accepted Answer

A drumlin is a streamlined, elongated hill formed of glacial till and shaped by the movement of a glacier.

Question 11

Crevasses are common _____. ​
A)where a glacier moves over a break in slope
B)at the base of a glacier
C)at the equilibrium line.
D)in tarns
E)in kettles

Accepted Answer

Crevasses form where a glacier moves over a break in slope, causing tension in the ice that leads to cracking.

Question 12

A hanging valley _____. ​
A)is a stream valley that was adjacent to glaciers, but was never glaciated
B)marks where a glacier extended below sea level
C)blocked the flow of one or more glaciers
D)once contained a tributary glacier
E)is a glaciated valley that was later uplifted by tectonic forces

Accepted Answer

Hanging valleys are formed when a main valley is carved out by a larger glacier, leaving the smaller tributary valleys "hanging" above the main valley floor because the tributary glaciers did not erode their valleys as deeply as the main glacier eroded its valley.

Question 13

Which of these glacial landforms are commonly associated with lakes? ​
A)kettles
B)roche moutonnées
C)horns
D)drumlins
E)eskers

Accepted Answer

Kettles are depressions left by retreating glaciers that often fill with water to form kettle lakes.

Question 14

Evidence of a previous period of glaciation includes _____. ​
A)v-shaped valleys ​
B)well sorted alluvium
C)patterned ground features
D)trellis drainage patterns ​
E)outwash plains

Accepted Answer

The answer of Evidence of a previous period of glaciation...

Question 15

Two types of alpine glacier are _____. ​
A)ice caps and cirque glaciers
B)valley glaciers and cirque glaciers
C)ice sheets and piedmont glaciers
D)ice caps and piedmont glaciers
E)ice caps and valley glaciers

Accepted Answer

Valley glaciers and cirque glaciers are two types of alpine glaciers. Valley glaciers flow down valleys, and cirque glaciers are found in bowl-shaped depressions on the side of mountains.

Question 16

Patterned ground is a feature of _____. ​
A)piedmont glaciers
B)periglacial landscapes
C)valley glaciers
D)cirque glaciers
E)ice sheets

Accepted Answer

Patterned ground is a characteristic feature of periglacial landscapes, which are areas adjacent to glaciers and ice caps. These patterns form due to the freeze-thaw cycles that sort the soil and rocks into distinctive shapes, such as circles, polygons, and stripes.

Question 17

Which of these glacial landforms would likely provide the least amount of information about the direction of ice flow? ​
A)roche moutonnée
B)striations
C)kettles
D)recessional moraines
E)drumlins

Accepted Answer

Kettles are depressions left behind after blocks of ice melt. They do not indicate the direction of ice flow as they are more related to where ice was left standing and subsequently melted, rather than the direction of movement of the glacier.

Question 18

A glacier that is experiencing net ablation is _____. ​
A)accumulating
B)advancing
C)in equilibrium
D)retreating
E)thickening

Accepted Answer

Net ablation in a glacier indicates that it is losing more ice than it is gaining, leading to its retreat.

Question 19

Sediment deposited by glacial meltwater is _____. ​
A)termed tarn
B)better sorted than till
C)termed tephra
D)composed of pure clay
E)termed roche moutonnée

Accepted Answer

Sediment deposited by glacial meltwater is better sorted than till because the water flow separates particles by size, leading to a more uniform sediment composition compared to the unsorted mix of materials directly deposited by glaciers (till).

Question 20

Glaciers that extend to lower elevations beyond the mouth of a canyon, spreading out over more open terrain, are called _____. ​
A)piedmont glaciers
B)cirque glaciers
C)paternoster glaciers
D)ice caps
E)plastic glaciers

Accepted Answer

Piedmont glaciers are the type of glaciers that extend to lower elevations beyond the mouth of a canyon, spreading out over more open terrain. This occurs when the ice flows down from a steep valley and spreads out broadly where the slope flattens.

Quiz 19: Glacial Systems and Landforms

Which type of glacier is the smallest?

The zone of ablation is _____.

Glaciers flow by _____ when the weight of the overlying ice, firn, and snow causes ice crystals at depth to arrange themselves in parallel layers that glide over each other, much like the spreading of a deck of cards.

A valley train is a(n) _____.

Where liquid water lubricates the base of a glacier, it can move by _____.

Which of these features is a depositional glacial landform?

Glaciers can erode rock and sediment by the processes of _____.

Eskers are _____.

Where ice sheets reach the ocean by flowing through fjords, the glacial ice is called a(n) _____.

A streamlined hill molded from till is termed a(n) _____.

Crevasses are common _____.

A hanging valley _____.

Which of these glacial landforms are commonly associated with lakes?

Evidence of a previous period of glaciation includes _____.

Two types of alpine glacier are _____.

Patterned ground is a feature of _____.

Which of these glacial landforms would likely provide the least amount of information about the direction of ice flow?

A glacier that is experiencing net ablation is _____.

Sediment deposited by glacial meltwater is _____.

Glaciers that extend to lower elevations beyond the mouth of a canyon, spreading out over more open terrain, are called _____.

Quiz 19: Glacial Systems and Landforms

Which type of glacier is the smallest? ​

The zone of ablation is _____. ​

Glaciers flow by _____ when the weight of the overlying ice, firn, and snow causes ice crystals at depth to arrange themselves in parallel layers that glide over each other, much like the spreading of a deck of cards. ​

A valley train is a(n) _____. ​

Where liquid water lubricates the base of a glacier, it can move by _____. ​

Which of these features is a depositional glacial landform? ​

Glaciers can erode rock and sediment by the processes of _____. ​

Eskers are _____. ​

Where ice sheets reach the ocean by flowing through fjords, the glacial ice is called a(n) _____.

A streamlined hill molded from till is termed a(n) _____. ​

Crevasses are common _____. ​

A hanging valley _____. ​

Which of these glacial landforms are commonly associated with lakes? ​

Evidence of a previous period of glaciation includes _____. ​

Two types of alpine glacier are _____. ​

Patterned ground is a feature of _____. ​

Which of these glacial landforms would likely provide the least amount of information about the direction of ice flow? ​

A glacier that is experiencing net ablation is _____. ​

Sediment deposited by glacial meltwater is _____. ​

Glaciers that extend to lower elevations beyond the mouth of a canyon, spreading out over more open terrain, are called _____. ​