jäämäkset

Jäämäkset refers to glacial landforms created by the action of glaciers. These features are a direct result of a glacier's erosional and depositional processes as it moves across the landscape. Erosion by glaciers typically occurs through abrasion, where the ice grinds rock particles against the bedrock, and plucking, where meltwater seeps into cracks, freezes, and breaks off rock fragments.

Depositional landforms, on the other hand, are created by the material that glaciers carry and then deposit as they melt. This material, known as till, is unsorted and unstratified, containing a wide range of sediment sizes from fine clay to large boulders. The specific shape and arrangement of these deposited materials give rise to various types of jäämäkset.

Common examples of glacial landforms include cirques, which are bowl-shaped depressions carved into mountainsides, and U-shaped valleys, characterized by their broad, flat floors and steep sides, a stark contrast to the V-shaped valleys formed by rivers. Arêtes are sharp, narrow ridges formed between two cirques. Moraines are accumulations of till, often forming ridges or mounds, and can be found at the edges or beneath a glacier. Drumlins are elongated, streamlined hills composed of till, typically found in groups and shaped by the ice flow. Eskers are long, winding ridges of sand and gravel deposited by meltwater streams flowing within or beneath a glacier. Kettle lakes form when blocks of ice are buried in glacial deposits and then melt, leaving behind depressions that fill with water. These landforms provide valuable insights into past glacial extents and activity.