2 PROCESSES OF GLACIAL EROSION AND 7 IMPORTANCE OF GLACIATION TO MAN

2 PROCESSES OF GLACIAL EROSION AND 7 IMPORTANCE OF GLACIATION TO MAN





The following are Processes of Glacial Erosion

1. Plucking

This is a process of glacial erosion where the glacier freezes in the joints and beds of the underlying rocks, tears out individual blocks, and drags them away.

Glacial landforms include; landforms of Highland glaciation Landforms of Glaciated Lowlands.

2. Abrasion

In this process of glacial erosion, the glacier scratches, scrapes, polishes and scours the floor and sides of the valley with the debris embedded in it.

Sapping.

This involves the breakup of rocks by alternate freezing and thawing of water at the bottom of cracks between a mass of ice on the sides and floor of a valley or the side of a mountain.




The Importance of Glaciation to Man

  • The old glacial lake beds with their alluvium support agricultural activities
  • Large lakes formed by former glaciation, e.g. the Great Lakes of North America, are used for navigation
  • Large lakes formed by glaciation also cut deep overflow channels while draining off, making natural route ways across a mountainous terrain, e.g the Hudson-Mohawk Gap that links the interior with the Atlantic Seaboard of U.S.A.




  • In the out-wash plains, eskers and kames have been excavated by man to provide sand and gravel for highway and building construction.
  • The lake basins of glaciated mountains provide natural reservoirs for the use of man.
  • Streams and waterfalls that plunge down from hanging valleys or other glaciated uplands are harnessed by man to provide hydro-electric power, particularly in Scandinavian countries, Switzerland and Canada.
  • The magnificent scenery provided by the glaciated mountains, e.g. the French, Italian and Swiss Alps attracts a lot of tourists for skiing, mountain climbing and sight seeing.




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mwaikusa

IAM experienced geography teacher with more than three years of teaching and creating content related to geography and other subjects for both high school and college students. hope you will find the content of this website useful to your studies and daily life

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