Mass movements, erosion, and deposition

In plucking, a glacier pulls out rock blocks and transports them. Treat plucking and abrasion as major glacial erosion processes.

A glacier scratches bedrock with stones embedded in its base. In exams, connect striations with glacial direction and abrasion.

A glacier widens and deepens a valley, while a river cuts a V-shape in the upper course. Identify the agent from valley shape.

A glacier carries debris of many sizes and deposits it without good sorting. Link moraine with till and unsorted deposits in exams.

In outwash, meltwater sorts and deposits sediments in layers. Remember moraine as unsorted and outwash as sorted in exams.

A drumlin is an elongated deposit beneath a glacier, and its orientation can show ice-flow direction. Treat drumlins as glacial depositional indicators.

Waves cut the cliff base, making the upper part unstable and causing collapse. Remember notch, collapse, and retreat as a sequence.

Waves form a cave in weak zones, then an arch, and after collapse a stack may remain. Remember this coastal erosion sequence.

Longshore drift transports sand and pebbles along the coast and deposits them outward. Link spits with coastal deposition in exams.

A sea cliff retreats and leaves a flat rocky surface in front. Write it as a coastal erosional landform in exams.

Groundwater dissolves limestone, creates cavities, and the surface may collapse. Link karst with solution in exams.

The roof-growing and floor-growing deposits join to form a cave column. Differentiate them by growth direction in exams.

Soluble rocks like limestone are easily affected by groundwater. Link solution with karst landforms in exams.

Capacity is the total sediment load, while competence is the ability to carry the largest particle. Keep the two terms separate in exams.

A high-energy river has greater ability to erode relative to its load. Remember that higher energy favors erosion in exams.

In arid regions, temporary streams and sheet floods erode slopes and deposit material near foot zones. Do not ignore fluvial action in deserts.

Water and wind can sort by particle size, but glaciers may leave mixed debris. Identify deposit texture according to the agent in exams.

When driving stress exceeds resisting strength, slope failure can occur. Understand the balance between stress and strength for exams.

Road cutting reduces slope support, and poor drainage increases water pressure. Mention cutting and drainage under human causes in exams.

Soil creep is slow and leaves subtle surface signs like tilting. In exams, recognize evidence of slow movement.

Water-saturated material may behave as a flow rather than sliding as a solid block. Link flow with water-rich mass movement in exams.

Deposition creates new landforms such as floodplains and deltas. In exams, treat deposition as a constructive process too.

High wave energy erodes the coast, and low sediment supply limits construction. Use energy-sediment balance to understand coasts.

Material is first removed, then transported by an agent, and deposited when energy decreases. Study the three processes as a linked sequence.

Poor drainage can saturate and weaken slope material. In exams, consider drainage an important control of landslide risk.