Why do hanging valleys erode?

What will be an ideal response?


Answer: Hanging valleys erode because the main-valley glacier is thicker than the side-valley tributary glaciers. The main-valley glacier is thicker because it gains ice from each tributary that joins it. The shear stress is higher, and the depth of erosion is greater where the ice is thicker. This means that the thicker, main-valley glacier erodes more deeply than the thinner, side-valley glaciers.

Environmental & Atmospheric Sciences

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