ABSTRACT
As with time-scales, students should be clear about the different size terminology associated with glaciation. Two features relating to their effects on the Earth’s surface often need clarifying. Firstly, large ice sheets, because of their enormous thickness, are often perceived as shaving the land surface of all of its features. This misconception may be tied in with the second difficult area: glacial movement. Not all ice flows at the interface with the surface but may adhere to it, effectively protecting it from sub-aerial erosion. Ice flow is often due to lubrication at the ice-ground boundary, again suggesting a moulding reworking process rather than a complete removal of surface features.
