What topographic/geomorphic features would you observe in an area of alpine glaciation?

• A. Hanging valleys, aretes and paternoster lakes
• B. Alpine glacial plains with sand sheets
• C. Volcano-tectonic vents
• D. River-cut canyons

Answer: (A)

In alpine glaciation, mountain landscapes are carved by valley glaciers and show distinctive landforms formed by glacier erosion. You’d observe features like hanging valleys, where smaller tributary valleys were eroded less deeply than the main valley, leaving their floors high above the valley floor and often hosting waterfalls at the junction. Sharp, knife-edged ridges called aretes form where glaciers erode opposing sides of a crest. Paternoster lakes appear as a series of small, closely spaced lakes arranged along a glacial trough, often filling bedrock steps or morainic barriers left behind after the ice retreats. These features collectively reflect the deep, sculpting power of glaciers in mountainous terrain.

Volcano-tectonic vents are unrelated to glacial carving, river-cut canyons are typically V-shaped and formed by river erosion rather than ice, and alpine glacial plains with sand sheets don’t capture the characteristic rugged, carved valley landscape produced by valley glaciers.