Glacial Landforms – Lowland Features
Lowland glacial features include:
U-shaped Valley – This a valley which was V-shaped but has been eroded by ice. The valley sides are steeper and the valley floor flatter after the ice melts. Hence the name U-shaped valleys.
The video below shows High Cup, a u-shaped valley in the North Pennines.
Truncated Spurs – These are spurs which have been cut through by ice, e.g. Nant Francon Valley, Snowdonia.
Hanging Valleys – These occur when glaciers at higher levels than the main valley didn’t experience such powerful erosion. Tributary streams enter the valley as waterfalls from hanging valleys.
Ribbon Lakes – These are lakes found in U-shaped valleys, e.g. Lake Windermere, Lake District.
Drumlins – These are hills shaped like eggs! (see diagram below).
Drumlins are blunt at one end and tapered at the other. Drumlins are found in swarms called ‘basket of eggs’ topography. This is because they look like eggs in a basket! They are formed when ice is moving forward, but is also melting. The ice deposits boulder clay and till when it comes across a small obstacle (e.g. small rock outcrop). Most material is deposition the ‘up stream’ end of the drumlin. The down stream end is shaped by the ice.
Use the images below to explore related GeoTopics.