Glacially eroded landscapes are moulded by abrasion, debris entrainment, the ‘conveyor belt’ transport of moraine on top of a glacier, rock fracturing (Iverson (1991) J. Glac. 37), plucking/quarrying (Hallet (1996) Annal. Glaciol. 22), pressure release (Lewis (1954) J. Glaciol. 2), and the action of subglacial water pressure water (Iverson (1991) J. Glaciol. 37). Bougamont and Tulaczyk (2002) Boreas 32, 1 see sub-ice-stream sediment generation and transport as agents of glacial erosion; Glasser and Bennet (2004) PPG 28, 1 argue that ‘all landforms of glacial erosion provide evidence for the release of subglacial meltwater’. Glacial erosion can modify the bed of an ice sheet and alter large-scale ice dynamics and mass balance (Oerlemans (1984) Zeitschrift 20).

The extent and nature of glacial erosion depend on ice characteristics. Glen’s Flow Law explains glacier behaviour with respect to strain rates and shear stress (Tarasov and Peltier (2000) Annal. Glaciol. 30, 1). Alley et al. (2003) Nature 424 suggest that, if a glacier digs too deep, strong thermodynamic feedbacks prevent further deepening. For the role of basal velocity in glacial erosion, see Harbor (1992) GSA Bull. 104; for the thermal regime, see Sugden (2005) Geomorph. 67, 3–4. Other variables are covered by Brook, Kirkbride, and Brock (2004) Geograf. Annal. A 86, 3 (rock strength), and Augustinus (1995) Geomorph. 14 (rock stress). Paulsen and Wilson (2004) Glob. & Planet. Change 42 consider the role of geologic structure, and Olymo and Johansson (2002) ESPL 27 provide a useful summary of the roles of rock structure, lithology, and pre-glacial relief. For the response of glaciated landscapes to rapid rock uplift, see Brocklehurst (2007) J. Geophys. Res. 112.

In glacially eroded lowlands, relief is confused, weathered rock is stripped away, and abrasion and quarrying of the bedrock are active. Drainage is rambling, as earlier patterns are disrupted by erosion and the deposition of moraines. Lakes and ponds abound, and perched blocks and erratics may be common. See Le Coeur (1988) Geografiska A 70, 4 and Munro and Shaw (1997) Geology 25. Jansson et al. (2011) ESPL 36, 3, 408 give a detailed and helpful account of using a GIS filter to replicate patterns of glacial erosion.

http://www.swisseduc.ch/glaciers/ Glaciers online’s thumbnails of glacially eroded landforms.