Running water and glacial ice as shapers of the landforms and landscapes
Introduction
Both running water and glaciers are fundamental in shaping landscapes. Running water in streams and rivers crisscrosses the land and forms the dominant erosional process in shaping the earth’s landscape. This is because the streams and rivers form a system of moving weathered rocks from the land to the oceans and seas. They shift great large masses from one area to another and by so doing the running waters become sculptors of the land transforming it into various forms over time (Osborn 5). A glacier on the other hand is a large mass of ice that moves over the land. It is normally formed in very cold areas when more snow falls and does not melt (Harris 378). As the snow falls, its weight builds up due to the compaction of the lower area. This leads to the glacier sliding downward slowly if on a mountain and spreading out if the surface is flat causing a change in the landscape. Therefore both glaciers and running water lead to erosion and transport of rocks and other materials but water is the main agent of erosion and plays a more important role in shaping landscapes.
Running water
Running water caries rocks, clay, sand, silt and other materials as it flows and deposits them into another area. It causes erosion of land leading to the formation of cliffs,
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They both flow downhill as they erode and deposit materials because of the force of gravity. The other similarity is that both alter the landscape gradually over a long period of time and may take decades for a significant change to be noted on the landscape. Also, both the glacier and the running water are formed because by the process of precipitation. Precipitation forms rainfall and if it is in excess, it results in the formation of snow instead which forms the