Cirque glacier

Cirque glacier
Lower Curtis Glacier is a corrie glacier in the North Cascades in the State of Washington

A cirque glacier is formed in a cirque, bowl-shaped depressions on the side of or near mountains. Snow and ice accumulation in corries often occurs as the result of avalanching from higher surrounding slopes.

In these depressions, snow persists through summer months, and becomes glacier ice. Snow may be situated on the leeward slope of a mountain, where it is sheltered from wind. Rock fall from above slopes also plays an important role in sheltering the snow and ice from sunlight.

Randklufts may form beneath corrie glaciers as open space between the ice and the bedrock, where meltwater can play a role in deposition of the rock.

Further reading

  • Lewis, W.V. (1960) Norwegian Cirque Glaciers, Royal Geographical Society Research Series 4

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