Glacial Landscapes in the UK
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Glacier formation
Glaciers form when snow accumulates over many years. Compaction turns snow to firn, then to glacial ice, when accumulation exceeds ablation.
The glacial budget determines whether a glacier grows or shrinks — this is key to understanding landform creation.
Glacier formation — Key Knowledge
- Accumulation zone upper glacier, net gain of ice
- Ablation zone lower glacier, net loss of ice — melting/evaporation
- Equilibrium line boundary between accumulation and ablation zones
- Glacier advances when accumulation > ablation
- Glacier retreats when ablation > accumulation
Glacial movement
Glaciers move under their own weight through several types of flow.
The type of movement determines which landforms are created — rotational movement is key to corrie formation.
Glacial movement — Key Knowledge
- Rotational movement ice pivots in a hollow, deepening it — forms corries
- Extensional flow ice stretches and thins over steeper ground
- Compressional flow ice thickens as gradient decreases
Glacial erosion processes
Glaciers erode rock through two main processes, supported by freeze-thaw weathering.
Plucking and abrasion work together — plucking provides the rock fragments that make abrasion effective.
Glacial erosion processes — Key Knowledge
- Plucking meltwater at the base refreezes around rock, glacier pulls fragments away as it moves
- Abrasion rock fragments embedded in ice scrape the valley floor and sides, creating striations
- Freeze-thaw weathering water enters cracks, freezes and expands by ~9%, repeated cycles shatter rock
Glacial transport
Glaciers transport material of all sizes, from fine clay to massive boulders.
The unsorted nature of till is a key identifier — river deposits are sorted by size, glacial deposits are not.
Glacial transport — Key Knowledge
- Till / boulder clay unsorted material deposited by a glacier — mixed sizes, not layered
Corries
An armchair-shaped hollow on a mountainside, formed by rotational movement of ice in a sheltered hollow.
Corries typically form on north-facing slopes in the UK — these are more shaded, so snow accumulates more easily.
Corries — Key Knowledge
- Steep back wall steepened by plucking
- Rock lip at the front less erosion where ice is thinner
- Tarn small lake that forms in the hollow after the glacier melts
- Also called cwm Welsh) or cirque (French
Arêtes and pyramidal peaks
Knife-edge ridges and pointed summits formed by corrie erosion from multiple sides.
These are linked landforms — you can't have arêtes without corries, and pyramidal peaks need at least three.
Arêtes and pyramidal peaks — Key Knowledge
- Arête knife-edge ridge formed when two corries erode back-to-back, e.g. Striding Edge, Lake District
- Pyramidal peak pointed summit formed when three or more corries erode towards each other, e.g. Snowdon
Glacial troughs and related features
Large-scale erosional landforms created by valley glaciers deepening and widening pre-existing river valleys.
The contrast between a U-shaped glacial valley and a V-shaped river valley is a classic exam comparison.
Glacial troughs and related features — Key Knowledge
- Glacial trough / U-shaped valley steep sides, flat floor, carved from a V-shaped river valley, e.g. Borrowdale, Lake District
- Ribbon lake long narrow lake on trough floor where softer rock was eroded deeper, e.g. Windermere, Wastwater
- Truncated spur cliff-like edges where interlocking spurs were sliced off by the glacier
- Hanging valley tributary glacier valley left high above the main trough, often with a waterfall
Moraines
Moraines are ridges or mounds of till (glacial sediment) deposited by a glacier.
Terminal moraines mark the glacier's maximum extent — not where it started.
Moraines — Key Knowledge
- Lateral moraine deposited along the edges of a glacier
- Medial moraine formed where two glaciers merge, combining their lateral moraines
- Terminal moraine ridge at the furthest point the glacier reached
- Ground moraine till spread across the valley floor as glacier retreats
Drumlins
Elongated, egg-shaped hills of glacial till, often found in swarms across lowland areas.
Drumlin orientation reveals the direction of past ice movement — useful for reconstructing glacial history.
Drumlins — Key Knowledge
- Stoss end steep end, faces up-glacier — direction the ice came from
- Lee end tapered end, points down-glacier — direction of ice movement
- Made of till depositional feature, not erosional
- Often found in swarms e.g. Ribble Valley
Erratics
Large boulders transported by a glacier and deposited in an area of completely different rock type.
Erratics prove that glaciers once covered an area — the rock type doesn't match the local geology.
Erratics — Key Knowledge
- Transported by ice can be moved hundreds of kilometres
- Deposited when glacier melts, Example: Norber Erratics, Yorkshire Dales dark Silurian rock sitting on pale limestone
Farming and forestry
Glaciated uplands support limited agriculture and commercial forestry.
The thin, acidic soils left by glaciation severely limit what can be farmed in upland areas.
Farming and forestry — Key Knowledge
- Hill sheep grazing thin acidic soils, too steep and cold for arable
- Cattle farming restricted to lower valleys
- Coniferous plantations e.g. Grizedale Forest — timber and recreation on land unsuitable for farming
Quarrying and water supply
Glaciated areas provide valuable mineral resources and ideal conditions for water storage.
Both quarrying and reservoirs provide essential resources but create conflicts with conservation and local communities.
Quarrying and water supply — Key Knowledge
- Slate quarrying e.g. Honister, Lake District
- Limestone quarrying e.g. Yorkshire Dales
- Reservoirs high rainfall + impermeable rock + glacial valleys = ideal sites, e.g. Thirlmere and Haweswater supply Manchester
Tourism in the Lake District
The Lake District is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (since 2017) attracting ~20 million visitors per year.
Tourism is the largest employer in the Lake District but its environmental costs must be actively managed.
Tourism in the Lake District — Key Knowledge
- Attractions dramatic scenery, outdoor activities, cultural heritage
- Economic benefits jobs in hotels/restaurants/shops, supports local services, multiplier effect
- Environmental costs footpath erosion e.g. Helvellyn, traffic congestion, litter, wildlife disturbance, house prices rise beyond local affordability
- Honeypot sites Bowness, Ambleside, Keswick — experience severe congestion
Sustainable tourism
Strategies to manage tourism so that environmental damage is minimised while economic benefits are maintained.
Sustainability means meeting the needs of visitors and the local economy without degrading the landscape for future generations.
Sustainable tourism — Key Knowledge
- Park-and-ride schemes reduce traffic congestion
- Fix the Fells project repairs eroded paths using traditional methods
- Spreading visitors across the area away from honeypot sites
- Local sourcing food and materials
- Zoning separating quiet areas from busy areas
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Glacial Landscapes in the UK
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