Erosional Landforms:
* U-shaped valleys: Glaciers carve out valleys with a characteristic U-shape, as opposed to the V-shape of river valleys.
* Cirques: Bowl-shaped depressions at the head of a glacier, often forming the origin of a glacier.
* Aretes: Sharp, narrow ridges between two cirques.
* Horns: Peaks formed by the intersection of three or more cirques.
* Hanging valleys: Smaller valleys that enter a larger valley at a higher elevation, often creating waterfalls.
* Fjords: Steep-sided inlets of the sea formed by glaciers that carved out valleys below sea level.
* Striations and grooves: Scratches and grooves carved into bedrock by the movement of glaciers.
* Roche moutonnees: Asymmetrical rock formations with a smooth, rounded upstream side and a steeper, rougher downstream side.
* Erratics: Large boulders transported by glaciers and deposited in locations far from their origin.
Depositional Landforms:
While primarily an erosive force, glaciers also deposit sediment, forming landforms like:
* Moraines: Mounds of rock and sediment deposited at the edge of a glacier.
* Outwash plains: Flat, sandy areas formed by meltwater streams flowing from the glacier.
* Drumlins: Elongated hills of glacial till deposited by a glacier.
* Eskers: Long, winding ridges of sand and gravel deposited by meltwater flowing within or beneath a glacier.
* Kettles: Depressions in the landscape formed by melting ice blocks.
Other effects:
* Glaciers can also contribute to the formation of lakes, especially by damming up valleys with moraine deposits.
* Glaciers can cause isostatic rebound, where the Earth's crust slowly rises after the weight of the ice is removed.
It's important to note that the formation of these landforms is a complex process and can vary depending on the specific conditions.
