A cirque (French: ; from the Latin word circus) is an amphitheatre-like valley formed by glacial erosion. 3. poetic a circle, circlet, or ring. Plucking is the process of glacial erosion where rocks and debris from the bedrock became embedded into the base and the sides of the glacier. 2. 8) is shaped something like an office arm-chair. Cirque meaning and definition of cirque. Meaning of cirques. 1894. The term is French and is derived from the Latin word circus. What are the dates for the two most recent ice ages? cirques definition: Noun 1. plural form of cirque... Local glaciation has modified the higher levels of the Bighorn Mountains, giving glacial cirques, alpine peaks and many mountain lakes and waterfalls. noun. Arch, Utah. Corrie definition: a round hollow in a hillside | Meaning, pronunciation, translations and examples Definition of cirques in the Definitions.net dictionary. late 17th cent. Learn more. Information and translations of cirques in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on … 1 Geology A half-open steep-sided hollow at the head of a valley or on a mountainside, formed by glacial erosion. My family had also gone to the Cirque Napolon and came to find me at once. A cirque is a landform found among mountains as a result of alpine glaciers. 11) poetic a circle, circlet, or ring Word Origin for cirque cirque. Because the term \"talus\" incorporates the concept of a pile, many geologists prefer it to \"talus pile\" and reserve the term \"talus slope\" for specific reference to the surface of the talus. The highest cliff often is called a headwall. —Credit: Photograph by Harry Fielding Reid. Yosemite Nature Notes 12: Glaciers. The word is derived from the Old Norse word tjörn ("a small mountain lake without tributaries") meaning pond. Cirques are concave, circular basins carved by the base of a glacier as it erodes the landscape. cirque - WordReference English dictionary, questions, discussion and forums. I went to the Cirque with my cousin, and we dined in the Palais Royal. The Matterhorn in Switzerland is a horn carved away by glacial erosion. No available dictionary or textbook definition of ' glacial cirque' serves this purpose. A horn results when glaciers erode three or more arêtes, usually forming a sharp-edged peak. Cirque, (French: “circle”), amphitheatre-shaped basin with precipitous walls, at the head of a glacial valley. cirque. This snow accumulated in the pre-glacier hollow which eventually becomes a deep cirque due to plucking, abrasion and nivation. North-looking oblique aerial photograph showing an ice and snow-filed cirque in the accumulation area of the Fairweather Range, east of Mount Fairweather, Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska. Cirque . Definition. Definition. (Physical Geography) Also called: corrie or cwm a semicircular or crescent-shaped basin with steep sides and a gently sloping floor formed in mountainous regions by the erosive action of a glacier. Created. How many glacier ages were during Precambrian? A cirque may also be a similarly shaped landform arising from fluvial erosion. Geology vocabulary, Geology word list - a free resource used in over 40,000 schools to enhance vocabulary mastery & written/verbal skills with Latin & Greek roots. cirque 1. Courty, the president, was known only since the meeting at the Cirque. Typically, glaciers exist and may even form in areas where: mean annual temperatures are … Alternative names for this landform are corrie (from Scottish Gaelic coire, meaning a pot or cauldron) and cwm (Welsh for 'valley'; pronounced ). It took some time for opposition to build up to the operational definition of ' cirque' pre-circulated by Evans, but once criticism started discussion became lively and many alterations were made. A glacier is a large, perennial accumulation of crystalline ice, snow, rock, sediment, and often liquid water that originates on land and moves down slope under the influence of its own weight and gravity. Paternoster lakes are created by recessional moraines, or rock dams, that are formed by the advance and subsequent upstream retreat and melting of the ice. Yosemite National Park is famous for its spectacular glacially carved landscape. 12/07/2009. ; Deep and narrow canons are common, and, at higher levels, glaciers, carved out amphitheatres, or " cirques" and " U "-shaped troughs. A cirque (fig. (originally referring to … We agreed that ' cirque ' should be defined morphologically Level. Geology. Typically, a cirque has a lip at its lower end. Talkin Tarn, Urswick Tarn, Malham Tarn). (Archaeology) archaeol an obsolete term for circle 11. It generally results from erosion beneath the bergschrund of a glacier. Undergraduate 1. In parts of Northern England - predominantly Cumbria but also areas of North Lancashire and North Yorkshire - 'tarn' is widely used as the name for small lakes or ponds, regardless of their location and origin (e.g. /sɜːk/. Word Origin. Geography a semicircular or crescent-shaped basin with steep sides and a gently sloping floor formed in mountainous regions by the erosive action of a glacier 2. The following texts are the property of their respective authors and we thank them for giving us the opportunity to share for free to students, teachers and users of the Web their texts will used … An arête is the edge that forms in the land from cirque erosion, or when two cirque glaciers form up against each other, creating that sharp edge. Good example of a cirque : They may be up to a square kilometre in size, situated high on a mountainside near the firn line, and typically are partially surrounded on three sides by steep cliffs. cirque definition: 1. a hollow area almost surrounded by steep slopes at the top of a glaciated valley: 2. a hollow…. Much like "continent," "planet" is a word without a precise definition, with history and culture playing as much of a role as geology and astrophysics Click on the first letter of the word you would like to look up There are different ways to classify landforms, but there are three general categories: … All Free. What does cirques mean? When more than two arêtes meet, this is a horn. Meaning of cirque . (geology) jump to other results. Paternoster lakes occur in alpine valleys, climbing one after the other to the valley's head, called a corrie, which often contains a cirque lake. Literary Devices: Definition & Examples Introduction to Physical Geology: Help and Review Science 101: Intro to Natural Sciences Although glaciers have come and gone many times in the past, there are still two active glaciers near Yosemite's highest peaks. Also called: corrie, cwm a semicircular or crescent-shaped basin with steep sides and a gently sloping floor formed in mountainous regions by the erosive action of a glacier archaeol an obsolete term for circle (def. Three 2.2 by, 700 my (snowball earth), 500my: Term. It generally results from erosion beneath the bergschrund of a glacier. /sɜːrk/. ( sɜːk) n. 1. 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