glaciate
Cover with ice
To glaciate is to cover with glaciers or ice sheets, or to be affected by glacial action.
Geologists use it to describe how ice ages transformed landscapes: The region was glaciated during the Pleistocene.
Land that has been glaciated shows characteristic features—U-shaped valleys, moraines, striations on bedrock.
The word can also mean to freeze or become icy.
Deep glacial fissure
- seracGlacial ice pinnacle
- icefallSteep, crevassed glacier section
- firnYear-old compacting snow
- icecapPermanent polar covering
icefield · ice sheet · ice shelf · calving · iceberg · pack ice · growler · cryosphere
Gradual wearing away
- moraineGlacier-deposited debris pile
- drumlinStreamlined glacial hill
- tillRegister drawer for money
- outwashGlacier meltwater sediment
cirque · fjord · striation · plucking · ablation · isostasy · esker · roche moutonnée
Glacier-carved mountain basin
- moraineGlacier-deposited debris pile
- drumlinStreamlined glacial hill
- areteSharp glacial ridge
- hornPointed animal headgear
tarn · fjord · hanging valley · esker · roche moutonnée · corrie · cwm
Past geological climate conditions
- ice coreGlacial sample revealing past
- albedoSurface reflection coefficient
- permafrostPerpetually frozen earth layer
- tundraFrigid treeless biome
Ancient glacial geological period
- HoloceneCurrent geological epoch
- QuaternaryLast 2.6 million years
- ice ageEra of massive glaciation
- PlioceneLate Neogene epoch
crevasse
Deep glacial fissure
icecap · icefield · ice sheet · ice shelf · calving · iceberg · pack ice · growler · cryosphere · accumulation zone
erosion
Gradual wearing away
outwash · cirque · fjord · striation · plucking · ablation · isostasy · esker · roche moutonnée · kettle
cirque
Glacier-carved mountain basin
horn · tarn · fjord · hanging valley · esker · roche moutonnée · corrie · cwm
sculpt
Shape by carving
gouge · polish · grind · erode · excavate · deepen · widen · bulldoze · deposit · bury
paleoclimate
Past geological climate conditions
- ice coreGlacial sample revealing past
- albedoSurface reflection coefficient
- permafrostPerpetually frozen earth layer
tundra · deuterium · snowline · mass balance · meltwater
Pleistocene
Ancient glacial geological period
- HoloceneCurrent geological epoch
- QuaternaryLast 2.6 million years
- ice ageEra of massive glaciation
glaciatedeglaciation
Retreat of glaciers
thaw · glacial retreat · retreat · ablate · expose
- glacial lakesMeltwater-filled eroded basins
- glacial riversWaterways sourced from ice
- glacial meltFrozen mass becoming water
- glacial meltingWarming-induced ice loss
- glacial retreatShrinking of ice masses
- glacial valleyIce-sculpted depression between peaks
glacial, glaciation, glaciated, glaciations, interglacial, deglaciation