Glacial Landscapes in the UKComparison
Erosional vs Depositional Landforms — Upland vs Lowland
This comparison covers Erosional vs Depositional Landforms — Upland vs Lowland within Glacial Landforms for GCSE Geography. Revise Glacial Landforms in Glacial Landscapes in the UK for GCSE Geography with 17 exam-style questions and 20 flashcards. This topic appears regularly enough that it should still be part of a steady revision cycle. It is section 9 of 16 in this topic. Use this comparison to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
Topic position
Section 9 of 16
Practice
17 questions
Recall
20 flashcards
⚖️ Erosional vs Depositional Landforms — Upland vs Lowland
| Category | Landform | Where Found | Formation Process | UK Named Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erosional (Upland) |
Corrie (cirque/cwm) | Mountainside, north/NE facing | Rotational flow + plucking (backwall) + abrasion (floor) | Red Tarn, Helvellyn; Glaslyn, Snowdon |
| Arête | Upland mountain ridges | Two corries eroding from opposite sides — ridge narrows | Striding Edge, Helvellyn, Lake District | |
| Pyramidal Peak | High mountain summits | Three or more corries eroding from different sides of one peak | Snowdon (Y Wyddfa), 1,085 m, Wales | |
| U-shaped Valley | Major valley floors | Glacier transforms V-valley: lateral + vertical erosion | Nant Ffrancon, Snowdonia; Langdale, Lake District | |
| Hanging Valley | Sides of U-shaped valley | Tributary glacier less powerful; erodes shallower than main glacier | Watendlath above Borrowdale; Pistyll Rhaeadr, Wales | |
| Truncated Spur | Sides of U-shaped valley | Glacier cuts off interlocking spurs — cliff faces left | Nant Ffrancon; Borrowdale, Lake District | |
| Ribbon Lake | Floor of U-shaped valley | Over-deepened rock basin fills with meltwater; often moraine-dammed | Windermere (17 km); Ullswater; Llyn Tegid | |
| Depositional (Upland & Lowland) |
Drumlin | Lowland valleys and plains under former ice | Ice reshapes till into streamlined oval hill; stoss faces upglacier | Eden Valley, Cumbria; County Down, N. Ireland |
| Erratic | Anywhere glacier reached | Rock transported from distant source and dropped as ice melts | Norber Erratics, Yorkshire Dales (Silurian on Carboniferous) | |
| Terminal Moraine | At maximum glacier extent | Till dumped at glacier snout as ice stops advancing | Multiple in Lake District; Vale of York | |
| Outwash Plain (Sandar) | Lowland beyond terminal moraine | Meltwater rivers deposit sorted, stratified sediment | East Anglian lowlands; Breidamerkursandur, Iceland (largest) | |
| Kettle Hole | Outwash plain | Buried ice block melts → depression forms; may fill with water | Widespread in East Anglia and Midlands | |
| Esker | Outwash plain and beyond | Subglacial meltwater river deposits sediment in tunnel; ice melts → ridge remains | Common in Ireland, Scotland, Scandinavia |