Glaciation Introduction Glaciation: - is the action of moving ice on the surface of the earth.

It
involves erosion, deposition and transportation. i.e. the process by which landscape is
sculptured by the action of moving ice Ice: - refers to solid water formed by freezing and
condensation of atmospheric water vapor Snow: - are falling pellets of frozen water from the
atmosphere Glacier: - is a mass of ice of limited width moving outwards from an area of
accumulation Ice sheet: - is a large and continuous mass of ice that covers a large area of a
lowland Ice cap: - is a permanent cover of ice on earth’s surface covering smaller sections of
land Ice berg: - permanent floating ice in large water bodies e.g. oceans Movement of Ice  Ice
moves outwards from its area of accumulation through the following processes: - i.) Basal slip
ii.) Extrusion flow iii.) Plastic flowage Basal slip  The weight of ice causes the ice layer in contact
with the rocks beneath to melt slightly.  This creates a film of water which acts as a lubricant
between the ice and rock surfaces.  The force of gravity then causes the ice to slip and slide
over the underlying rock. Extrusion flow  When ice accumulates, it builds up to great thickness
at the centre.  The resultant weight compresses the layers of ice beneath forcing them to
spread out where there is less pressure. Plastic flowage  Within a mass of ice, great pressure is
exerted on the layers at the bottom, sides and centre.  This pressure causes some ice particles
to melt slightly thereby shift their position slightly downhill before refreezing Factors influencing
the rate at which ice moves. i.) ii.) iii.) Gradient of the land- Ice moves faster on steep slopes
compared to gentle slopes due to the influence of the force of gravity Thickness and weight of
ice - Thick glacier moves faster as a result of own weight exerting pressure at the bottom. This
induces slight melting hence faster movement Friction - Movement of ice within a valley glacier
is faster at the centre where friction is least than at the sides and at the bottom. iv.) Season –
movement of ice is faster during summer because the ice thaws more frequently Processes of
Glaciation  This involves glacial erosion, glacial transportation and glacial deposition Glacial
Erosion  This involves plucking, abrasion and sapping (a) Plucking/Quarrying - This occurs when
ice at the base and the sides of a glacier freeze onto the rocks - The rocks are then pulled and
carried away by the moving ice - It is common in well jointed or faulted rocks (b) Abrasion - This
is caused by rock debris that is embedded in a glacier. - These debris scratch, scrape and polish
the rock surfaces over which the glacier moves. (c) Sapping - This refers to the breaking of rocks
through alternate freezing and thawing of the water contained in the cracks between the glacier
and the floor/side of the mountain. Factors influencing glacial erosion i.) Nature of the
underlying rock  Well jointed/faulted rocks are easily eroded by plucking process since the
joints allow water to enter into the rock.  Soft rocks are eroded faster by abrasion compared to
hard/resistant rocks. ii.) Availability of debris  Debris acts as erosive tools. The more the debris
embedded in the ice the more effective is abrasion process. iii.) Speed of the glacier  The faster
the speed the greater the erosive energy. iv.) The thickness and weight of the glacier  A thick
glacier exerts great pressure on the underlying rock causing weathering.  The rock debris
embedded in the glacier is pressed down by the thick glacier to erode by abrasion. GLACIAL
TRANSPORTATION  Materials transported by a glacier is called moraine. It consists of a variety
of materials such as rock fragments, sand, gravel and boulders  Moraines are of the following
types: a. Ground moraine: - load carried at the base or beneath a glacier b. Lateral moraine: -
load carried along the sides of the glaciers c. Medial moraine: - load carried on the surface but
at the centre d. Terminal moraine: - material deposited by the glacier at the point where it
melts. a - lateral moraine b- Medial moraine c- Terminal moraine GLACIAL DEPOSITION 
Sometimes, parts of a glacier may become so heavily ladened that its ability to transport its sub
glacial moraine is reduced or stop, deposition then occurs.  Glacial deposits are divided fluvio-
glacial and till deposits  Fluvio – glacial deposits are materials deposited by water from melting
ice in a glacier whereas tills are moraines/materials deposited by ice on melting Factors
influencing glacial deposits a. Gradient or slope of the area: - gentle slopes allow for the
accumulation of large sheets of ice and subsequent deposition of fluvio-glacial material
(materials deposited by melt water). b. Stagnation of glacier: - leads to pressure being exerted
at the base of the glacier which in turn leads to melting of the base. The melt water then carries
and deposits materials underneath the ice. c. Friction: - between the moving ice and the rock
surface leads to deposition of the heavy materials underneath the ice. d. Weight of the glacier: -
heavy glaciers tend to be deposited faster/more e. Amount of glacial drift:- (till and fluvio glacial
deposits). When a glacier has so much sub glacial moraines, it becomes too heavy forcing it to
deposit some of its load.