What is abrasion in glacial erosion?

Asked by: Amanda Rogers

As a glacier flows downslope, it drags the rock, sediment, and debris in its basal ice over the bedrock beneath it, grinding it. This process is known as abrasion and produces scratches (striations) in bedrock surface.

What is a glacial abrasion?

Glacial abrasion is the surface wear achieved by individual clasts, or rocks of various sizes, contained within ice or by subglacial sediment as the glacier slides over bedrock.

What causes glacial abrasion?

As glacial abrasion is caused by the movement of rock particles across bedrock, it is closely associated with basal sliding^1,2. In warm-based (temperate) glaciers, where ice exists at the pressure melting point throughout, basal sliding occurs and a high flux of debris is dragged across a bedrock surface.

What is the abrasion process?

Abrasion is the physical process of rubbing, scouring, or scraping whereby particles of rock (usually microscopic) are eroded away by friction. Thornbury (1954, p. 47) indicates that all the four principal agencies of erosion may involve abrasion: (a) running water, (b) waves and currents, (c) wind, and (d) glaciers.

What are 3 main types of glacial erosion?

Glacial erosion involves the removal and transport of bedrock or sediment by three main processes: quarrying (also known as plucking), abrasion, and melt water erosion.

Where does abrasion happen?

An abrasion is a type of open wound that’s caused by the skin rubbing against a rough surface. It may be called a scrape or a graze. When an abrasion is caused by the skin sliding across hard ground, it may be called road rash. Abrasions are very common injuries.

What is the definition of abrasion in geography?

Definition: Abrasion is a process of erosion which can happen in four different ways. The first type of abrasion is caused by ice or glaciation. As a glacier moves, it erodes away at the land surrounding the ice. This is a slow process. The second type of abrasion is caused by rivers.

What is difference between abrasion and attrition?

Attrition refers to tooth against tooth friction- like grinding. Erosion is chemical wear on our teeth from either the acids in our diet, or stomach acid. Abrasion is wear from a foreign element against tooth- often times toothbrushes and toothpaste.

What are products of glacial abrasion?

The process by which particles entrained in the basal layer of a glacier are dragged across the subglacial surface. The scratching and polishing associated with glacial abrasion tends to create smoothed rock surfaces, commonly with striations or grooves.

Which of the following describes abrasion?

Answer and Explanation: Abrasion can be defined as an injury on the first layer of the skin. The skin will be scraped off or rubbed off.

Why is abrasion important?

Abrasion has been identified as an important erosive process, particularly on shore platforms (Sunamura, 1976; Robinson 1977a, b, c; Kennedy and Beban, 2005; Blanco-Chao et al., 2007). Abrasion operates where sediments that are as hard or harder than the underlying bedrock accumulate and are moved by wave action.

What type of weathering is abrasion?

mechanical weathering

Abrasion is another form of mechanical weathering. In abrasion, one rock bumps against another rock. Gravity causes abrasion as a rock tumbles down a mountainside or cliff.

What happens in abrasion weathering?

Rocks break down into smaller pieces through weathering. Rocks and sediment grinding against each other wear away surfaces. This type of weathering is called abrasion, and it happens as wind and water rush over rocks. The rocks become smoother as rough and jagged edges break off.

What causes abrasion?

Abrasions are caused primarily by friction against a rough surface, which removes the superficial skin layers. Although most abrasions are simply scrapes and are easily treated, large, very painful, or infected abrasions may require medical attention and may result in scarring.

What are three things that can cause abrasion?

Three agents of physical weathering that can cause abrasion are moving water, wind and gravity.

What type of force can cause abrasion?

Plucking and Abrasion

What is abrasion in weathering?

Rocks and sediment grinding against each other wear away surfaces. This type of weathering is called abrasion, and it happens as wind and water rush over rocks. The rocks become smoother as rough and jagged edges break off. In this activity, you will model how abrasion works.

What type of weathering is abrasion?

mechanical weathering

Abrasion is another form of mechanical weathering. In abrasion, one rock bumps against another rock. Gravity causes abrasion as a rock tumbles down a mountainside or cliff.

What are products of glacial abrasion?

The process by which particles entrained in the basal layer of a glacier are dragged across the subglacial surface. The scratching and polishing associated with glacial abrasion tends to create smoothed rock surfaces, commonly with striations or grooves.

What is abrasion BBC Bitesize?

Abrasion – this is when pebbles grind along a rock platform, much like sandpaper. Over time the rock becomes smooth. Attrition – this is when rocks that the sea is carrying knock against each other. They break apart to become smaller and more rounded.

What are the 4 processes of erosion?

The four main types of river erosion are abrasion, attrition, hydraulic action and solution.

What are the 4 main types of erosion?

Rainfall produces four types of soil erosion: splash erosion, sheet erosion, rill erosion, and gully erosion.