GG23910 - GLACIAL PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS

Module Identifier	GG23910
Module Title	GLACIAL PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS
Academic Year	2001/2002
Co-ordinator	Dr Neil Glasser
Semester	Semester 1
Other staff	Dr Bryn Hubbard, Professor Michael Hambrey
Pre-Requisite	GG10610 preferred.
Course delivery	Lecture	20 Hours 10 x 2 hours
Assessment	Exam	2 Hours Resit follows the same format. Unseen written exam. Answer two questions from four in two hours.	100%

Brief description

The aim of this module is to provide an introduction to glacial environments and to the processes, landforms and sediments that occur in these areas. Students will be introduced to the main types of glacial settings, and to the dominant landform- and sediment-forming processes that are found in these areas. Topics covered include glacier mass balance, glacier motion and velocity, glacier hydrology, glacial erosion and sedimentation, and an introduciton to the glacial geomorphology of Wales. This module will make use of case studies to introduce students to the most recent published literature and current debates in the field. Each session will consist of a lecture, followed by discussion of a case study related to the topic of that lecture.

Module Aims

The aim of this module is to provide students with an introduction to glacial environments and to the processes, landforms and sediments that occur in these areas.

Module objectives / Learning outcomes

After completing this module students should be able to:-

Identify the dominant erosional and depositional processes operating in glacial environments

Explain how these processes interact to produce landforms and landscapes

Record geomorphological and sedimentological information

Determine the climatic controls on the development of landforms and sediments

Assess the role played by ice sheets in global change

Explain how cold climate indicators are preserved in the geological record

Reading Lists

Books
Benn, D. and Evans, D. (1998) Glaciers and Glaciation. Arnold, London, 734 pp. paperback. #24.99. ISBN 0-47023651-5
Bennett, M.R. and Glasser, N.F. (1996) Glacial Geology: Ice Sheets and Landforms. John Wiley, Chichester, 364 pp. paperback. ISBN 0-471-96345-3
Hambrey, M.J. (1994) Glacial Environments. UCL Press. London. 296pp. paperback. #16.95. ISBN 1-85728-004-0