Glacial Geology Ice Sheets and Landforms

by Bennett, Matthew M.; Glasser, Neil F.

• ISBN13: 9780470516911
• ISBN10: 0470516917
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-09-21
• Publisher: Wiley

Summary

The new Second Edition of Glacial Geology provides a modern, comprehensive summary of glacial geology and geomorphology. It is has been thoroughly revised and updated from the original First Edition. This book will appeal to all students interested in the landforms and sediments that make up glacial landscapes.The aim of the book is to outline glacial landforms and sediments and to provide the reader with the tools required to interpret glacial landscapes. It describes how glaciers work and how the processes of glacial erosion and deposition which operate within them are recorded in the glacial landscape.The Second Edition is presented in the same clear and concise format as the First Edition, providing detailed explanations that are not cluttered with unnecessary detail. Additions include a new chapter on Glaciations around the Globe, demonstrating the range of glacial environments present on Earth today and a new chapter on Palaeoglaciology, explaining how glacial landforms and sediments are used in ice-sheet reconstructions. Like the original book, text boxes are used throughout to explain key concepts and to introduce students to case study material from the glacial literature. Newly updated sections on Further Reading are also included at the end of each chapter to point the reader towards key references. The book is illustrated throughout with colour photographs and illustrations.

Author Biography

Matthew M. Bennett is the editor of Glacial Geology: Ice Sheets and Landforms, 2nd Edition, published by Wiley.

Neil F. Glasser is the editor of Glacial Geology: Ice Sheets and Landforms, 2nd Edition, published by Wiley.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. ix
Acknowledgements	p. xi
Illustrations	p. xiii
Introduction	p. 1
What is Glacial Geology and Why is it Important?	p. 1
The Aim and Structure of this Book	p. 6
Glaciations Around The Globe	p. 7
The Antarctic Ice Sheet	p. 7
Greenland in the Greenhouse	p. 15
Southern Hemisphere Temperate Glaciers: Patagonia and New Zealand	p. 17
Northern Hemisphere Temperate Glaciers: Alaska and Iceland	p. 21
High-Altitude Glaciers: The Himalaya	p. 22
Tropical Glaciers: The Cordillera Blanca, Peru	p. 26
Arctic Polythermal Glaciers	p. 29
Summary	p. 33
Suggested Reading	p. 33
Mass Balance and the Mechanisms of Ice Flow	p. 41
Annual Mass Balance	p. 41
The Mass Balance Gradient: The Glacial Driving Mechanism	p. 44
Mechanisms of Ice Flow	p. 47
The Principles of Basal Thermal Regime	p. 55
Patterns and Rates of Ice Flow	p. 63
Glacier Response to Climate Change	p. 69
Summary	p. 76
Suggested Reading	p. 76
Glacier Hydrology	p. 81
Glacier Hydrology	p. 81
Sources of Glacial Meltwater	p. 82
Storage of Water in Glaciers	p. 83
Methods of Studying Glacier Hydrology	p. 84
Glacier Hydrological Systems	p. 86
Subglacial Water Pressure	p. 90
Discharge Fluctuations	p. 97
Glacial Meltwater Erosion	p. 102
Summary	p. 104
Suggested Reading	p. 104
The Processes of Glacial Erosion	p. 109
Glacial Abrasion	p. 109
Glacial Quarrying	p. 117
Estimating Rates of Glacial Erosion	p. 125
Patterns of Glacial Erosion	p. 128
Summary	p. 131
Suggested Reading	p. 131
Landforms of Glacial Erosion	p. 135
Microscale Features of Glacial Erosion	p. 135
Mesoscale Features of Glacial Erosion	p. 147
Macroscale Features of Glacial Erosion	p. 157
Landscapes of Glacial Erosion	p. 174
Summary	p. 179
Suggested Reading	p. 179
Glacial Debris Entrainment and Transport	p. 185
High-Level Debris Transport	p. 185
Debris Entrainment	p. 190
Low-Level Debris Transport	p. 193
Debris Transfer Between Low and High Levels	p. 197
Debris Transfer	p. 198
Summary	p. 202
Suggested Reading	p. 203
Glacial Sedimentation on Land	p. 207
Direct Glacial Sedimentation	p. 207
Fluvial Sedimentation	p. 235
Summary	p. 243
Suggested Reading	p. 244
Landforms of Glacial Deposition on Land	p. 247
Ice-Marginal Moraines	p. 247
Subglacial Landforms Formed by Ice or Sediment Flow	p. 268
Glaciofluvial Ice-Marginal Landforms	p. 289
Glaciofluvial Subglacial Landforms	p. 296
Summary	p. 299
Suggested Reading	p. 299
Glacial Sedimentation in Water	p. 305
Sedimentation in Lacustrine Environments	p. 305
Sedimentation in Marine Environments	p. 315
Distinguishing Glaciolacustrine and Glaciomarine Diamicts from Glacial Tills	p. 324
Summary	p. 325
Suggested Reading	p. 325
Landforms of Glacial Deposition in Water	p. 329
Glaciolacustrine Landforms	p. 330
Glaciomarine Landforms	p. 336
Summary	p. 343
Suggested Reading	p. 343
Palaeoglaciology	p. 347
The Methods Used in Palaeoglaciology	p. 347
The Key Landforms Used in Palaeoglaciology	p. 353
Former Subglacial Thermal Regimes	p. 358
Palaeoglaciological Reconstructions	p. 367
Summary	p. 370
Suggested Reading	p. 372
Index	p. 377
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