Question map
Which of the following is not correct?
Explanation
The statement that hanging valleys are formed by depositional activity is incorrect. Hanging valleys are erosional landforms created when a main glacier erodes its valley much more deeply than its smaller tributary glaciers [t1][t4]. When the ice melts, the tributary valley is left 'hanging' at a higher elevation above the main glacial trough, often resulting in waterfalls [c3][t4]. In contrast, cirques (or corries) are amphitheater-like basins formed by glacial erosion at the heads of valleys [c1][t7]. Glacial troughs, or U-shaped valleys, are also erosional features where the glacier's mass deepens and widens a pre-existing V-shaped stream valley [c2][t1]. Glacial topography is described as 'parasitic' because it often modifies and 'lives off' pre-existing fluvial (river-cut) landscapes, reshaping them into distinct glacial forms [c2][t2].
Sources
- [1] FUNDAMENTALS OF PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY, Geography Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 6: Landforms and their Evolution > Cirque > p. 54
- [2] Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 17: Major Landforms and Cycle of Erosion > Glacial Trough > p. 231
- [3] FUNDAMENTALS OF PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY, Geography Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 6: Landforms and their Evolution > Glacial Valleys/Troughs > p. 55
- [4] https://www.britannica.com/science/glacial-valley
- [5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cirque