Effect of glaciers on the rocks

Effect of glaciers on the rocks

available by the geoengineer website

This is a photo from the Spaulding
Dam site. The geologic area consists
of igneous intrusive rocks. As you
can see in the photo the surface of
the rocks seems very smooth and
shiny. This is an effect of the
presence of glaciers thousands of
years ago. As glaciers moved on top
of the parent rock, they erode the
surface, scraping all the weathered
material and leaving behind the
competent rock. Also, one can
notice glacial striations on the rocks.
These striations are caused by the
friction between the parent rock
and big boulders, which are
transported by the glaciers. The
direction of the striations shows the
direction of the movement of
glaciers.

References:

Information collected during the field trip in the Sierra Nevada, as part of the "Engineering Geology" course curriculum, instructed by
Professor N. Sitar, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of California at Berkeley.

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