Glaciers form through the accumulation of snow in mountainous areas. When snow falls during winter and does not melt during cold spring and summer months, it compacts into dense ice over many years under its own weight. Additional layers of snow become compressed into ice, which causes the air to be squeezed out, turning the glacier a blue color. The large mass of ice then flows down the mountain under its own weight, eroding the landscape through two main processes - plucking and abrasion. Plucking involves rocks becoming frozen to the base of the glacier and breaking away as it moves. Abrasion occurs as rocks and debris carried on the glacier's bottom scrape along the valley floor, slowly excavating and shaping the land over

1. How do Glaciers Form and how
do they shape the land?

2. Read through the cards and try to work out
what happened to Stardust – you could even try
to organise the cards into chronological order.
WHY did the aircraft disappear and then re-
appear over 50 years later?
The Stardust Mystery

3. How do Glaciers Form?
• Discuss this with the person next to you
• Watch this video to find out more

4. What is a Glacier?
• Put the
boxes in
the
correct
order!
R. All the weight of
the ice pushes the
glacier down the
mountain
C.The new layers
of snow compact
last years layer
A. It snows again
next winter
L. The spring and
summer are cold
so the snow
doesn’t melt
G. Snow collects
throughout the
winter
I. Air is therefore
squeezed out if
the snow – turning
it to ice.
E. With no air the
glacier turns a
strange blue colour

5. What is a Glacier?
R. All the weight of
the ice pushes the
glacier down the
mountain
C.The new layers
of snow compact
last years layer
A. It snows again
next winter
L. The spring and
summer are cold
so the snow
doesn’t melt
G. Snow collects
throughout the
winter I. Air is therefore
squeezed out if
the snow – turning
it to ice.
E. With no air the
glacier turns a
strange blue colour

6. RECAP: What processes shape
the land in mountain areas?

7. Freeze Thaw Weathering
On your worksheet – complete the following notes….
Freeze thaw weathering

10. • Debris from freeze
thaw weathering
• People – for scale!

11. • Erosion is the break down and wearing
away of rocks involving movement. Ice
erodes by 2 main processes – plucking and
abrasion.
Glacial Erosion

12. 1) Plucking
• Plucking is when rocks and stones become
frozen to the base of the glacier and are
plucked from the ground as the glacier
moves down the valley.

14. 2) Abrasion
• Abrasion occurs when rocks and stones,
picked up by the glacier, through plucking at
the bottom of the glacier, are rubbed along
the bottom of the valley, digging it out.

15. Abrasion that has been
carried out over rocks in
Iceland – smoothing the rocks

17. Glacial Landforms / Features –
What landforms do you see?

18. http://www.kerboodle.com/users/login

25. Corrie – contour pattern
tarn
contours
close
together

26. Annotate your outlines to explain how a
corrie is formed.
Make sure you have used specific
terminology:
Freeze-thaw weathering
Plucking
Abrasion
Steep back wall
Corrie lip
Tarn
Corrie lake
called
a tarn
Debris ridge
called a corrie lip
Freeze-thaw weatheringFreeze-thaw weathering
The Formation of a Corrie

27. Cartoon time
• Create a cartoon from the point of view of a
snow flake which joins other snow flakes to
form a glacier.
• Describe your adventures and how strong you
have become…so much so that you have
managed to carve different landforms out of
solid rock- such as corries!
• It could be a cartoon strip if you like!

28. Hey, you lot up
in those
clouds! Fall
down with me.
Ouch!
You’re
squashing
me!
This is cool –
we are
turning into
blue ice

29. Homework
• Complete your cartoons

30. Complete your exit card!