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Flashcards in Cold Environment Keywords Deck (10)
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1
Q

What does fluvioglacial (glacifluvial) mean?

A

Processes and land forms that are associated with the action of glacial meltwater.

2
Q

What is a glacier?

A

A tongue-shaped mass of ice slowly moving down a valley.

3
Q

What were the ice ages?

A

Major cold phases (ice sheets covering large areas of the world).
Last ice age from 2 million years ago to 10,000 BP.

4
Q

What is an ice sheet?

A

A body of ice covering an area of at least 50,000km2.
Dome-shaped.
Ice flows outward from the centre.
Major ice sheets are Antarctica and Greenland.
Smaller ice sheets cover Iceland and Norway.
Major ice sheets can be 2,000m thick.

5
Q

What does periglacial mean?

A

Processes and landforms associated with the fringe of, or the area near to, an ice sheet or glacier.

6
Q

What is a tundra?

A

Northernly - Eurasia and North America.

A vast, flat, treeless Arctic region in which the subsoil is permafrost.

7
Q

What is permafrost?

A

Permanently frozen soil.

Two consecutive years.

8
Q

What does interglacial periods mean?

A

Times when temperatures are warmer for extended periods.

Marked by the retreat of ice to higher altitudes or Latitudes.

9
Q

What does glacial periods mean?

A

Times when the temperature has dropped significantly.

Marked by advances of the World’s ice masses to lower latitudes and lower altitudes

10
Q

What is a glacier snout?

A

The lowest end of a glacier.