Your Name ________________________________Period ______ Date __________
Chapter 17 Earth Science Word Study Glaciers
Directions: Study the following words by reading and rereading them each evening so
you will be prepared for the word study test each week. You may use one index card to
write as many words and definitions on as possible to use for the test. The card must
written in ink, be in your handwriting, and have your name, period, and chapter recorded
in the top, right corner with no obvious erasures or mark outs. If all the criteria are
met, you may use your index card during the test. It will then be stapled to your test.
1.) glacier – a large mass of moving ice
2.) alpine glacier – a narrow, wedge-shaped mass of ice that forms in a
mountainous region and that is confined to a small area by surrounding
topography; examples include valley glaciers, cirque glaciers, and piedmont
glaciers
3.) continental glacier – a massive sheet of ice that may cover millions of square
kilometers, that may be thousands of meters thick, and that is not confined by
surrounding topography
4.) basal slip – the process that occurs when the weight of the ice exerts pressure
that lowers ices’ melting point producing a layer of water mixed with sediment
that causes the glacier to slide
5.) internal plastic flow – the process by which glaciers flow slowly as grains of ice
deform under pressure and slide over each other
6.) crevasse – in a glacier, a large crack or fissure that results from ice movement
7.) cirque – a bowl-shaped depression on a valley floor caused from a moving
glacier pulling up blocks of rock
8.) arête – a sharp, jagged ridge that forms between cirques caused by moving
glaciers
9.) horn – a sharp, pyramid-like peak that occurs when several arêtes or sharp,
jagged peaks join together caused by moving glaciers
10.) U-shaped valley – after a stream forms a V shape of a valley, a moving glacier
scrapes away the valley’s walls and floor forming a u-shape; glacial erosion is
the only way U-shaped valleys form so scientists can use this landforming
feature to determine whether a valley has been glaciated in the past
11.) erratic – large rocks transported from a distant source by a glacier
12.) glacial drift – rock material carried and deposited by moving glaciers
13.) till – unsorted rock material that is deposited directly by a melting glacier
14.) moraine – a landform that is made from unsorted sediments deposited by a
glacier
15.) kettle – a bowl-like depression in a glacial drift deposit
16.) esker – a long, winding ridge of gravel and coarse sand deposited by glacial
meltwater streams
17.) ice age – a long period of climatic cooling in which the continents are glaciated
repeatedly
18.) Milankovitch theory – a theory that cyclical changes in Earth’s orbit and in the
tilt of Earth’s axis occur over several thousands of years and cause climatic
change
19.) landforms formed from glacier erosion – the process of glacial movement can
cause cirques, arêtes, horns, U-shaped valleys, and smooth, rounded landscapes
to form