Erosion Processes
Glacial erosion involves the physical and mechanical processes of plucking and abrasion, whereby glaciers remove bedrock and sediment. These processes are driven by glacier movement, subglacial water pressure, and freeze-thaw action along rock joints.
Real World
In the Swiss Alps, the Aletsch Glacier has abraded deep striations into bedrock, and glacial flour from its grinding gives the meltwater river a distinctive milky-turquoise colour visible from satellite imagery.
Exam Focus
Name both plucking and abrasion with distinct mechanisms — examiners award separate marks for each process.
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