Lesson 3.1.4.3

3.1.4.3 Glacial systems and processes Quiz: AQA Geography, Unit 1

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson 3.1.4.3, Glacial systems and processes: 20 multiple choice questions for the AQA Geography (7037), Unit 1: Physical geography, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. Which glacial process involves freeze-thaw weathering that breaks rock at the base of a snow patch?

    • Abrasion, which grinds bedrock as debris carried in the base of the glacier scrapes across it
    • Nivation
    • Plucking, which removes blocks of bedrock as meltwater freezes in joints and ice lifts them away
    • Fluvioglacial sorting, which separates sediment by size as meltwater carries it away from the ice

  2. Which process removes blocks of bedrock when meltwater freezes into joints and moving ice then lifts the loosened blocks away?

    • Plucking
    • Solution, which dissolves soluble rock in meltwater and carries the minerals away
    • Deflation, which removes fine material from the surface by the action of strong winds
    • Abrasion, which wears the bedrock surface smooth as debris is dragged across it by the ice

  3. Which process describes the wearing down of bedrock by rock fragments carried in the base of a glacier?

    • Mass movement, which moves debris downslope under gravity without any ice involved
    • Hydraulic action, which uses the force of water and compressed air in cracks to break the rock
    • Plucking, which removes whole blocks from the rock surface after they have been loosened by freezing
    • Abrasion

  4. Which form of ice movement occurs when ice deforms internally by shearing as crystals slip over one another?

    • Basal sliding, in which the whole glacier slides over a film of meltwater at its bed
    • Nivation, which is the frost weathering and erosion that occurs beneath a snow patch
    • Internal deformation
    • Rotational slip, in which a mass of ice rotates around a fixed axis near the terminus

  5. What is basal sliding?

    • The movement of a glacier over its bed, assisted by meltwater at the ice base
    • The rotation of a glacier around a fixed point at the head of the valley
    • Movement of ice down a steep slope under its own weight, without any contact with the bedrock
    • The breakdown of rock into small grains by frost action on exposed slopes near the ice

  6. Which type of glacier movement is characterised by a stretching of the glacier as it flows over a steep bedrock step?

    • Regelation, which is the refreezing of meltwater within the ice after it has been melted under pressure
    • Compressional flow, in which the ice is squeezed and thickens as it moves into a narrower section
    • Rotational slip, in which the ice mass turns around a fixed point near the valley head
    • Extensional flow

  7. Which process causes meltwater from a glacier to deposit sand and gravel in a sinuous ridge within a tunnel?

    • Aeolian deposition in a dune field, which builds ridges of sand from the wind
    • Fluvioglacial deposition in subglacial tunnels
    • Wave deposition on a beach, which builds ridges of shingle along the coastline
    • Solifluction on a hillslope, which moves waterlogged soil slowly down a periglacial slope

  8. Which periglacial process is associated with the seasonal thawing of the surface layer above permafrost?

    • The active layer
    • The equilibrium line, which separates the accumulation and ablation zones of a glacier
    • The water table, which is the level below which the ground is saturated with water all year
    • The terminal moraine, which marks the furthest extent of a glacier's debris at its snout

  9. Which mass movement process is typical of periglacial environments where the surface thaws over permafrost?

    • Debris flow after heavy rain on a bare slope, in which a fast-moving mixture of water and debris runs down
    • Solifluction
    • Slump on a sea cliff, in which a block of rock rotates down a curved surface at the base
    • Rockfall from high cliffs, in which blocks break free and fall freely down a steep rock face

  10. Which weathering process is most associated with frost action in periglacial areas?

    • Frost shattering, in which water freezes in cracks and expands to break rock
    • Hydrolysis of silicate minerals in warm soils, which breaks down feldspar over long periods
    • Solution of limestone by carbonic acid, which dissolves the rock in warm and wet climates
    • Thermal fracture in deserts only, which occurs where daily temperature ranges are very large

  11. Which feature of a cold-based glacier distinguishes it from a warm-based glacier in terms of erosion?

    • Cold-based glaciers erode more because they are frozen to the bed and cannot slide over it
    • Warm-based glaciers never erode bedrock at all, because meltwater protects the rock surface
    • Both types have identical erosion rates, since the basal conditions have no effect on erosion
    • Cold-based glaciers are frozen to their beds and erode little, while warm-based glaciers erode more through sliding

  12. Which process is important in the transport of glacial debris within the glacier?

    • Transport by wind in suspension over the ice, which carries dust across the glacier surface
    • Transport by longshore drift along the terminus, which moves debris along the ice front
    • Englacial transport, carried within the ice, and supraglacial transport, carried on the surface
    • Transport by deflation across a desert pavement, which removes fine debris from the surface

  13. Which glacial deposit is a mixture of unsorted debris deposited directly by ice?

    • Esker gravel, which is a sinuous ridge of sorted gravel deposited in a meltwater tunnel
    • Beach shingle, which is a ridge of rounded pebbles that is built by waves on the coast
    • Till
    • Outwash sand, which is a layer of well-sorted sand deposited by meltwater in front of the ice

  14. Which description of a glacial system's budget is most accurate?

    • It measures only the temperature inside the ice, which controls the rate of flow
    • It counts the number of erratics on the valley floor, which shows the size of the former glacier
    • Its inputs of accumulation and its outputs of ablation together determine whether ice is gained or lost
    • It records only the sediment supply from the glacier's sides, which is the only input to the budget

  15. Which process is an example of weathering in a glacial setting?

    • Longshore drift along a glacial lake shore, which moves gravel along the bank
    • Frost shattering of rock on exposed slopes near the glacier margin
    • Deposition of till at the glacier snout, which builds up debris as the ice melts away
    • Traction of sand by saltation in a desert, which moves grains along the surface of the dune

  16. Which feature of fluvioglacial processes is most distinctive?

    • Meltwater sorting and stratifying sediment, producing well-sorted sand and gravel deposits
    • Development of barchan dunes by deflation, which is a process of wind action in deserts
    • Deposition of unsorted till directly beneath the ice, which carries a mixture of all sizes
    • Formation of cirque hollows by nivation, which is a process of frost weathering on slopes

  17. A glacier's mass balance changes from positive to negative. Which change is most likely to explain this?

    • Ablation increases beyond accumulation because summers warm or snowfall declines
    • Accumulation increases beyond ablation because summers cool sharply and snowfall rises
    • The glacier stops moving altogether, which removes the link between inputs and outputs
    • Sediment supply falls to zero, which does not directly change the mass balance of the ice

  18. Which process is associated with the formation of a warm-based glacier's bed landforms?

    • Subglacial erosion and deposition by basal meltwater and sliding ice
    • Wave-cut erosion of a coastal cliff, which cuts a platform at the base of the headland
    • Aeolian sand transport across a dune field, which builds ridges of sand in the desert
    • Longshore drift of gravel along a beach, which moves material along the shoreline

  19. Which pair of processes most directly characterises glacial erosion of a valley?

    • Deflation and saltation, which are wind processes that move sand across the desert surface
    • Plucking and abrasion
    • Solution and infiltration, which are processes that dissolve rock and move water into the soil
    • Attrition and cavitation, which are marine processes that shape pebbles and rock on the shore

  20. Which factor is most important in controlling the rate of glacial erosion?

    • The colour of the glacier surface, which affects how much solar energy the ice absorbs
    • The number of visitors on the glacier, which increases the wear on the surface ice
    • The distance to the nearest town, which affects the cost of monitoring the glacier
    • Basal conditions, including meltwater, debris content and the presence of sliding

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