Glaciated Landscape Development (AQA A Level Geography)

Figure 8 is an aerial photograph of a periglacial landscape in northern Canada.

Figure 8

Note: There are thousands of small, medium and large scale lakes in this region. This image was taken in early summer and much of the ice has yet to thaw. Local relief and other aspects of geomorphology determine the rate at which ice melts.

Using Figure 8 and your own knowledge, assess the relative importance of factors leading to the development of this landscape.

[6]

Explain the formation of rôches moutonnées.

[4]

Figure 8 shows a periglacial landscape near Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories, Canada.

Figure 8

Note: The aerial photograph was taken in late summer, near Tuktoyaktuk. It shows a largely flat area, in a coastal region near the Beaufort Sea in the Canadian Arctic. The mound in the image rises up to 36 metres above sea level. Local climate has had a powerful impact on the landscape, which is characterised by a high water table and the presence of numerous lakes.

Using Figure 8 and your own knowledge, assess the role of frost action in the development of this landscape.

[6]

Figure 8 shows an image of the snout of the Thompson Glacier and surrounding landscape, Axel Heiberg Island, Canada.

Figure 8

Note: The Thompson Glacier emanates from the Mueller Ice Cap and is about 34 km long and 3 km wide in the ablation area. It is aligned almost precisely in a north–south direction. It advanced about 18 metres per year in the 1960s and 1970s. The rate of advance has decelerated since and was in the order of 11 metres per year in the period from 1977 to 2008.

Using Figure 8 and your own knowledge, assess the view that fluvioglacial depositional processes dominate in the development of this landscape.

[6]