cirques
Mountain bowl formations
Cirques are bowl-shaped depressions carved into mountainsides by glacial erosion.
They form at the head of glaciers where ice accumulates and slowly gouges rock, leaving steep walls and a rounded floor.
When the glacier melts, a cirque often holds a small lake called a tarn: We hiked up to the cirque and swam in its icy waters.
Glacier-deposited debris pile
- crevasseDeep glacial fissure
- firnYear-old compacting snow
- ablationRemoval by cutting, melting
- accumulationCollected mass over time
tarn · glaciology · icefield · outwash · drumlin · esker · icefall · serac
Concave water receptacle
- amphitheaterOpen-air tiered venue
- hollowEmpty within
- bowlConcave food container
- valleyLow ground between heights
escarpment · headwall · arete · horn · ridge · col · hanging valley · U-shaped valley
Peak or diplomatic gathering
- peakUtmost height attained
- elevationHeight above reference point
- altitudeMeasured height above reference
- tundraFrigid treeless biome
snowfield · mountain · highland · cordillera · massif · fell · wilderness · treeline
Removing by tugging
- weatheringAtmospheric breakdown of materials
- abrasionShallow surface wound
- rockfallCollapsed cliff material
- screeLoose rock debris
talus · exfoliation · sapping · detritus · freeze-thaw · quarrying · undercutting
moraine
Glacier-deposited debris pile
accumulation · tarn · glaciology · icefield · outwash · drumlin · esker · icefall · serac · calving
basin
Concave water receptacle
- amphitheaterOpen-air tiered venue
- hollowEmpty within
- bowlConcave food container
valley · escarpment · headwall · arete · horn · ridge · col · hanging valley · U-shaped valley · threshold
summit
Peak or diplomatic gathering
- peakUtmost height attained
- elevationHeight above reference point
- altitudeMeasured height above reference
tundra · snowfield · mountain · highland · cordillera · massif · fell · wilderness · treeline · scrambling
plucking
Removing by tugging
- weatheringAtmospheric breakdown of materials
- abrasionShallow surface wound
- rockfallCollapsed cliff material
scree · talus · exfoliation · sapping · detritus · freeze-thaw · quarrying · undercutting
- landformsmountain, cliff, valley, volcano, mountain ridge
- Alpine terrainpeaks, valleys, glacial lakes, mountain passes, ridges
- AlpsAlps, Swiss Alps, Mont Blanc, Matterhorn, Austrian Alps
- mountain termsAlps, Himalayas, Rockies, Andes, peaks
- terrainhill, mountain, valley, peak, slope
- glaciersglacier, crevasse, glacial movement, moraine, iceberg
cirquesmoraines
Glacial sediment accumulations
drumlins · eskers · glacial deposits · glacial valleys · arêtes
- Cirque du SoleilTheatrical circus entertainment company