Table of Contents
Why are glacial deposits found in Africa?
Today, glacial deposits formed during the Permo-Carboniferous glaciation (about 300 million years ago) are found in Antarctica, Africa, South America, India and Australia. More evidence comes from glacial striations – scratches on the bedrock made by blocks of rock embedded in the ice as the glacier moves.
Why does glacial deposition occur?
Glacial deposition is the settling of sediments left behind by a moving glacier. As glaciers move over the land, they pick up sediments and rocks. The mixture of unsorted sediment deposits carried by the glacier is called glacial till. Glaciers are big enough to pick up boulders and move them to different locations.
What does the glaciers grooves found in Africa indicates?
Also, glacial striations (essentially ‘cut marks’) found in rocks from the movement of this ice sheet show that the direction in which it was moving was outwards from a central point in southern Africa. If the continents are set adjacent to one another at the south pole, these striations line up with each other.
Where do glacial deposits come from?
These deposits, known collectively as drift , are made up of crushed and mixed rock fragments picked up by the ice along its path. During the final stages of ice movement and especially upon stagnation and decay of the glacier, the sediments carried by the ice are deposited on the land surface.
Are glaciers found in Africa?
At this rate, Africa’s three remaining glacier regions found on Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Mount Kenya in Kenya, and the Rwenzori Mountains bordering Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, will be perminatly lost within a span of 20 years, reports Marc Santora for the New York Times.
How do glacial deposits found in India and Africa help support cont drift?
How do ancient glacial deposits in Africa, India, Australia, and South America support the idea of continental drift? The deposits indicate the continents were once located near the poles. 4. Why was Wegener’s hypothesis rejected by most scientists of the early 1900s?
What is the importance of glaciers?
Glaciers and icecaps: storehouses of freshwater Glaciers are important features in Earth’s water cycle and affect the volume, variability, and water quality of runoff in areas where they occur. In a way, glaciers are just frozen rivers of ice flowing downhill. Glaciers begin life as snowflakes.