An arete is defined as which feature?

• A. A Rounded Hill
• B. A Broad Valley
• C. A Knife-Edged Ridge Between Two Cirque Valleys
• D. A River Valley

Answer: (C)

An arete is a knife-edged ridge formed by glacial erosion between two cirque valleys on opposite sides of a mountain. As alpine glaciers carve back into the mountain from each cirque, they leave a narrow, sharp crest where the ice has eroded most intensely. This creates the jagged spine that defines an arete. It’s different from a rounded hill, which lacks a sharp crest; a broad valley, which is a wide U-shaped trough carved by ice but is not a narrow ridge; and a river valley, which is carved mainly by flowing water and typically lacks the glacial knife-edge feature.