glacial valley
U-shaped mountain passage
A glacial valley is a valley carved or shaped by a glacier.
As glaciers move downhill, they erode rock and soil, creating distinctive U-shaped valleys with steep sides and flat bottoms—unlike the V-shaped valleys cut by rivers.
The hikers descended into the glacial valley, its walls rising dramatically on either side.
- cirqueGlacier-carved mountain basin
- tarnGlacial mountain pool
- roche moutonnéeGlacier-polished bedrock knob
- fjordGlacially carved coastal inlet
- ice sheetThick glacial landmass covering
esker · horn · mountain pass · alpine tundra · alpine meadow · erosion · ice cap · freshwater lake · crevasse · steep · rocky terrain · snowmelt · carved · meltwater · sedimentation · peaks · scoured · waterfall
- snowy landscapessnowscape, snowfield, winter wonderland, frozen tundra, snow-capped peak
- valleysdales, canyon, vales, glens, dells
- Winter Terrainsnow, ice field, snowdrift, snowpack, frozen tundra
- glacierscrevasse, moraine, iceberg, firn, ice shelves
- Alpine Mountainsalpine meadows, alpine lake, mountain lakes, high peaks, mountain streams
- glacial featuresmoraine, crevasse, arête, arete, aretes
erosional agent
glacial valleyriver valley
Erosion-formed watercourse lowland
river canyon · river gorge · wadi · arroyo · slot canyon