# Cirque

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Amphitheatre-like valley formed by glacial erosion

For other uses, see [Cirque (disambiguation)](/source/Cirque_(disambiguation)).

Two cirques with semi-permanent snowpatches near [Abisko National Park](/source/Abisko_National_Park), Sweden

Upper Thornton Lake Cirque in [North Cascades National Park](/source/North_Cascades_National_Park), U.S.

A **cirque** (French: [\[siʁk\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/French); from the Latin word *circus*) is an [amphitheatre](/source/Amphitheatre)-like [valley](/source/Valley) formed by [glacial erosion](/source/Glacier#Erosion). Alternative names for this landform are **corrie** (from [Scottish Gaelic](/source/Scottish_Gaelic_language): *coire*, meaning a pot or [cauldron](/source/Cauldron))[1] and **cwm** ([Welsh](/source/Welsh_language) for 'valley'; pronounced [\[kʊm\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/Welsh)). A cirque may also be a similarly shaped landform arising from fluvial erosion.

The concave shape of a glacial cirque is open on the downhill side, while the cupped section is generally steep. Cliff-like slopes, down which ice and glaciated debris combine and converge, form the three or more higher sides. The floor of the cirque ends up bowl-shaped, as it is the complex [convergence zone](/source/Convergence_zone) of combining ice flows from multiple directions and their accompanying rock burdens. Hence, it experiences somewhat greater erosion forces and is most often [overdeepened](/source/Overdeepening) below the level of the cirque's low-side outlet (stage) and its down-slope valley (backstage). If the cirque is subject to seasonal melting, the floor of the cirque most often forms a [tarn](/source/Tarn_(lake)) (small lake) behind a natural dam, which marks the downstream limit of the glacial overdeepening. The dam itself can be composed of [moraine](/source/Moraine), [glacial till](/source/Glacial_till), or a lip of the underlying [bedrock](/source/Bedrock).[2]

The fluvial cirque or *[makhtesh](/source/Makhtesh)*, found in [karst](/source/Karst) landscapes, is formed by intermittent river flow cutting through layers of limestone and chalk leaving sheer cliffs. A common feature for all [fluvial](/source/Fluvial)-erosion cirques is a terrain which includes erosion resistant upper structures overlying materials which are more easily eroded.

## Formation

Formation of cirque and resulting [tarn](/source/Tarn_(lake))

[Maritsa](/source/Maritsa) cirque in [Rila](/source/Rila) Mountain, [Bulgaria](/source/Bulgaria)

### Glacial-erosion

Glacial cirques are found amongst mountain ranges throughout the world; 'classic' cirques are typically about one kilometer long and one kilometer wide. Situated high on a mountainside near the [firn line](/source/Firn_line), they are typically partially surrounded on three sides by steep [cliffs](/source/Cliff). The highest cliff is often called a [headwall](/source/Headwall). The fourth side forms the *lip*, *threshold* or *sill*,[3] the side at which the glacier flowed away from the cirque. Many glacial cirques contain [tarns](/source/Tarn_(lake)) dammed by either till (debris) or a bedrock threshold. When enough snow accumulates, it can flow out the opening of the bowl and form valley glaciers which may be several kilometers long.

Cirques form in conditions which are favorable; in the Northern Hemisphere the conditions include the north-east slope, where they are protected from the majority of the Sun's energy and from the prevailing winds. These areas are sheltered from heat, encouraging the accumulation of snow; if the accumulation of snow increases, the snow turns into glacial ice. The process of [nivation](/source/Nivation) follows, whereby a hollow in a slope may be enlarged by [ice segregation](/source/Ice_segregation) weathering and glacial erosion. Ice segregation erodes the vertical rock face and causes it to disintegrate, which may result in an avalanche bringing down more snow and rock to add to the growing glacier.[4] Eventually, this hollow may become large enough that glacial erosion intensifies. The enlarging of this open ended concavity creates a larger leeward deposition zone, furthering the process of glaciation. Debris (or till) in the ice also may [abrade](/source/Abrasion_(geology)) the bed surface; should ice move down a slope it would have a 'sandpaper effect' on the [bedrock](/source/Bedrock) beneath, on which it scrapes.

The [Lower Curtis Glacier](/source/Lower_Curtis_Glacier) in [North Cascades National Park](/source/North_Cascades_National_Park) is a well-developed [cirque glacier](/source/Cirque_glacier); if the glacier continues to retreat and melt away, a lake may form in the basin

Eventually, the hollow may become a large [bowl](/source/Bowl_(vessel)) shape in the side of the mountain, with the headwall being weathered by ice segregation, and as well as being eroded by [plucking](/source/Plucking_(glaciation)). The basin will become deeper as it continues to be eroded by ice segregation and abrasion.[4][5] Should ice segregation, plucking and abrasion continue, the dimensions of the cirque will increase, but the proportion of the landform would remain roughly the same. A [bergschrund](/source/Bergschrund) forms when the movement of the glacier separates the moving ice from the stationary ice, forming a crevasse. The method of erosion of the headwall lying between the surface of the glacier and the cirque's floor has been attributed to freeze-thaw mechanisms. The temperature within the bergschrund changes very little, however, studies have shown that ice segregation (frost shattering) may happen with only small changes in temperature. Water that flows into the bergschrund can be cooled to freezing temperatures by the surrounding ice, allowing [freeze-thaw](/source/Frost_weathering) free mechanisms to occur.

Lake Seal, [Mt. Field National Park](/source/Mt._Field_National_Park), [Tasmania](/source/Tasmania) – a cirque formed from a glacier is visible in the walls around Lake Seal[6]

If two adjacent cirques erode toward one another, an [arête](/source/Ar%C3%AAte), or steep sided ridge, forms. When three or more cirques erode toward one another, a [pyramidal peak](/source/Pyramidal_peak) is created. In some cases, this peak will be made accessible by one or more arêtes. The [Matterhorn](/source/Matterhorn) in the European [Alps](/source/Alps) is an example of such a peak.

Where cirques form one behind the other, a [cirque stairway](/source/Cirque_stairway) results, as at the [Zastler Loch](/source/Zastler_Loch) in the [Black Forest](/source/Black_Forest).

As glaciers can only originate above the snowline, studying the location of present-day cirques provides information on past glaciation patterns and on climate change.[7]

### Fluvial-erosion

Further information: [Steephead valley](/source/Steephead_valley) and [Makhtesh](/source/Makhtesh)

The [Cirque du Bout du Monde](/source/Cirque_du_Bout_du_Monde_(C%C3%B4te_d'Or))

Although a less common usage,[nb 1] the term cirque is also used for amphitheatre-shaped, fluvial-erosion features. For example, an approximately 200 square kilometres (77 mi2) anticlinal erosion cirque is at [30°35′N 34°45′E / 30.583°N 34.750°E / 30.583; 34.750 (Negev anticlinal erosion cirque)](https://geohack.toolforge.org/geohack.php?pagename=Cirque&params=30_35_N_34_45_E_&title=Negev+anticlinal+erosion+cirque) on the southern boundary of the [Negev highlands](/source/Negev). This erosional cirque or **[makhtesh](/source/Makhtesh)** was formed by intermittent river flow in the [Makhtesh Ramon](/source/Makhtesh_Ramon) cutting through layers of limestone and chalk, resulting in cirque walls with a sheer 200 metres (660 ft) drop.[8] The [Cirque du Bout du Monde](/source/Cirque_du_Bout_du_Monde_(C%C3%B4te_d'Or)) is another such feature, created in [karst](/source/Karst) terraine in the [Burgundy region](/source/Burgundy_(region)) of the department of [Côte-d'Or](/source/C%C3%B4te-d'Or) in [France](/source/France).

Yet another type of fluvial erosion-formed cirque is found on [Réunion island](/source/R%C3%A9union), which includes the tallest volcanic structure in the [Indian Ocean](/source/Indian_Ocean). The island consists of an active shield-volcano ([Piton de la Fournaise](/source/Piton_de_la_Fournaise)) and an extinct, deeply eroded volcano ([Piton des Neiges](/source/Piton_des_Neiges)). Three cirques have eroded there in a sequence of agglomerated, fragmented rock and volcanic [breccia](/source/Breccia) associated with [pillow lavas](/source/Pillow_lava) overlain by more coherent, solid lavas.[9]

A common feature for all fluvial-erosion cirques is a terrain which includes erosion resistant upper structures overlying materials which are more easily eroded.

The [Western Cwm](/source/Western_Cwm) with the [Lhotse](/source/Lhotse) face of [Mount Everest](/source/Mount_Everest) in the background

## Notable cirques

[Tuckerman Ravine](/source/Tuckerman_Ravine) cirque, headwall and spring skiers, [New Hampshire](/source/New_Hampshire)

[Cirque de Gavarnie](/source/Cirque_de_Gavarnie), French [Pyrenees](/source/Pyrenees)

- Australia - [Blue Lake Cirque](/source/Blue_Lake_(New_South_Wales)), [New South Wales](/source/New_South_Wales), Australia

- Asia - [Chandra Taal](/source/Chandra_Taal), [Himachal Pradesh](/source/Himachal_Pradesh), India - Cirque Valley, [Hindu Kush](/source/Hindu_Kush), Pakistan - [Karasawa Cirque](/source/Karasawa_Cirque), [Kamikōchi](/source/Kamik%C5%8Dchi), [Mount Hotakadake](/source/Mount_Hotakadake), [Hida Mountains](/source/Hida_Mountains), Japan - [Makhtesh Ramon](/source/Makhtesh_Ramon), [Negev desert](/source/Negev), Israel - [Senjōjiki Cirque](/source/Senj%C5%8Djiki_Cirque), [Mount Hōken](/source/Mount_H%C5%8Dken), [Kiso Mountains](/source/Kiso_Mountains), Japan - [Western Cwm](/source/Western_Cwm), [Khumbu Himal](/source/Himalayas#Himal), Nepal - [Yamasaki Cirque](/source/Yamasaki_Cirque), [Mount Tateyama](/source/Mount_Tateyama), Japan

- Europe (glacial) - [Cadair Idris](/source/Cadair_Idris), Wales - [Circo de Gredos](/source/Circo_de_Gredos), [Sierra de Gredos](/source/Sierra_de_Gredos), Spain - [Cirque de Gavarnie](/source/Cirque_de_Gavarnie), [Pyrenees](/source/Pyrenees), France - [Cirque d'Estaubé](/source/Cirque_d'Estaub%C3%A9), [Pyrenees](/source/Pyrenees), France - [Maritsa](/source/Maritsa) cirque, [Rila](/source/Rila) Mountain, Bulgaria - [Malyovitsa](/source/Malyovitsa) cirque, [Rila](/source/Rila) Mountain, Bulgaria - [Seven Rila Lakes](/source/Seven_Rila_Lakes) cirques, [Rila](/source/Rila) Mountain, Bulgaria - [Banderishki cirque](/source/Banderishki_Lakes), [Pirin](/source/Pirin) Mountain, Bulgaria - [Coire an t-Sneachda](/source/Coire_an_t-Sneachda), [Grampian Mountains](/source/Grampian_Mountains), [Scottish Highlands](/source/Scottish_Highlands) - [Śnieżne Kotły](/source/%C5%9Anie%C5%BCne_Kot%C5%82y), [Karkonosze](/source/Karkonosze), Poland - Coumshingaun Lake, [County Waterford](/source/County_Waterford), Ireland [10]

- Europe (fluvial) - [Cirque de Navacelles](/source/Cirque_de_Navacelles), Grands Causses, France - [Cirque du Bout du Monde](/source/Cirque_du_Bout_du_Monde_(Herault)), Grands Causses, France - [Cirque du Bout du Monde](/source/Cirque_du_Bout_du_Monde_(C%C3%B4te_d'Or)), [Burgundy](/source/Burgundy), France

- North America - [Cirque of the Towers](/source/Cirque_of_the_Towers), [Wyoming](/source/Wyoming), United States - [Iceberg Cirque](/source/Iceberg_Cirque), [Montana](/source/Montana), US - [Summit Lake](/source/Summit_Lake_Park) cirque, and others on [Mount Blue Sky](/source/Mount_Blue_Sky), [Colorado](/source/Colorado), US - Great Basin and others on [Mount Katahdin](/source/Mount_Katahdin), [Maine](/source/Maine), US - [Great Gulf](/source/Great_Gulf), [New Hampshire](/source/New_Hampshire), US - [Tuckerman Ravine](/source/Tuckerman_Ravine), [New Hampshire](/source/New_Hampshire), US

## See also

- [Cirque stairway](/source/Cirque_stairway) – Stepped succession of glacially eroded rock basins

- [Glacial landform](/source/Glacial_landform) – Landform created by the action of glaciers

## References

**Notes**

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** This concern is not new, see Evans, I.S. & N. Cox, 1974: *Geomorphometry and the operational definition of cirques,* Area. Institute of British Geographers, 6: 150–53 regarding term usage.

**Citations**

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** [Chisholm, Hugh](/source/Hugh_Chisholm), ed. (1911). ["Corrie"](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica/Corrie). *[Encyclopædia Britannica](/source/Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica_Eleventh_Edition)*. Vol. 7 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 196.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Knight2009_2-0)** Knight, Peter G. (2009). "Cirques". *Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series: Encyclopedia of Paleoclimatology and Ancient Environments*. Cirques. Vol. 1358. Springer Netherlands: . pp. 155–56. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1007/978-1-4020-4411-3_37](https://doi.org/10.1007%2F978-1-4020-4411-3_37). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-4020-4551-6](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-4020-4551-6).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Chorley_3-0)** Evans, I.S. (1971). ["8.11(i) The geomorphology and Morphometry of Glacial and Nival Areas"](https://books.google.com/books?id=X_ENAAAAQAAJ&q=cirque+geomorphology&pg=PA157). In Chorley R.J. & Carson M.A. (ed.). *Introduction to fluvial processes*. University paperbacks. Vol. 407. Routledge. p. 218. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-416-68820-7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-416-68820-7). Retrieved 2010-01-24.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Sanders2012_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Sanders2012_4-1) Johnny W. Sanders; Kurt M. Cuffey; Jeffrey R. Moore; Kelly R. MacGregor; Jeffrey L. Kavanaugh (2012). "Periglacial weathering and headwall erosion in cirque glacier bergschrunds". *Geology*. **40** (9): 779–782. [Bibcode](/source/Bibcode_(identifier)):[2012Geo....40..779S](https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2012Geo....40..779S). [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1130/G33330.1](https://doi.org/10.1130%2FG33330.1). [S2CID](/source/S2CID_(identifier)) [128580365](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:128580365).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Rempel2001_5-0)** Rempel, A.W.; Wettlaufer, J.S.; Worster, M.G. (2001). "Interfacial Premelting and the Thermomolecular Force: Thermodynamic Buoyancy". *[Physical Review Letters](/source/Physical_Review_Letters)*. **87** (8) 088501. [Bibcode](/source/Bibcode_(identifier)):[2001PhRvL..87h8501R](https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2001PhRvL..87h8501R). [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1103/PhysRevLett.87.088501](https://doi.org/10.1103%2FPhysRevLett.87.088501). [PMID](/source/PMID_(identifier)) [11497990](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11497990). [S2CID](/source/S2CID_(identifier)) [10308635](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:10308635).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Mt Field National Park: Landforms, Flora and Fauna"](https://web.archive.org/web/20110609013854/http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/file.aspx?id=6757). Parks and Wildlife Service Tasmania. Archived from [the original](http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/file.aspx?id=6757) on 2011-06-09. Retrieved 2009-05-12.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Barr2015_7-0)** Barr, I.D.; Spagnolo, M. (2015). ["Glacial cirques as palaeoenvironmental indicators: Their potential and limitations"](https://pure.qub.ac.uk/portal/en/publications/glacial-cirques-as-palaeoenvironmental-indicators-their-potential-and-limitations(fccac20a-f112-4e7e-81dd-0a81604d0018).html). *[Earth-Science Reviews](/source/Earth-Science_Reviews)*. **151**: 48. [Bibcode](/source/Bibcode_(identifier)):[2015ESRv..151...48B](https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2015ESRv..151...48B). [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1016/j.earscirev.2015.10.004](https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.earscirev.2015.10.004). [S2CID](/source/S2CID_(identifier)) [54921081](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:54921081).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Ward2000_9-0)** Distinguishing signal from noise: Long-term studies of vegetation in Makhtesh Ramon erosion cirque, Negev desert, Israel ; David Ward, David Saltz and Linda Olsvig-Whittaker; Plant Ecology, 2000, Volume 150, Numbers 1–2, pp. 27–36

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Upton1969_10-0)** Early volcanic rocks of réunion and their tectonic significance; B. G. J. Upton and W. J. Wadsworth; Bulletin of Volcanology, 1969, Volume 33, Number 4, pp. 1246–68

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** John O'Dwyer. ["Go Walk: Coumshingaun, Co Waterford"](https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/travel/go-walk-coumshingaun-co-waterford-1.1990772). *The Irish Times*.

## External links

[Wikimedia Commons](/source/Wikimedia_Commons) has media related to:

[Cirque](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Cirque) ([category](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Cirques))

- [Photographs and case study of corrie glaciers](http://www.geography-site.co.uk/pages/physical/glaciers/corrie.html)

v t e Glaciers Types Aufeis Cirque Glacieret Ice cap Ice field Ice sheet Ice shelf Ice stream Ledoyom Outlet glacier Piedmont glacier Rock glacier Valley glacier Anatomy Ablation zone Accumulation zone Bergschrund Blue ice Crevasse Dirt cone Firn Glacier cave Glacier head Ice divide Glacier tongue Icefall Lateral moraine Medial moraine Moraine Moulin Penitente Randkluft Sérac Terminus Processes Ablation Accumulation Basal sliding Calving Creep Motion Outburst flood Overdeepening Periglaciation Plucking Retreat Starvation Surge Measurements Ice core Mass balance Volcanic relations Jökulhlaup Subglacial eruption Subglacial volcano Tuya Landforms Erosional Arête Cirque Cirque stairway Crag and tail Finger lake Fjord Glacial horn Glacial lake Glacial striae Hanging valley Nunatak P-form Ribbon lake Roche moutonnée Suncup Tarn Trough lake Trough valley Tunnel valley U-valley Valley step Zungenbecken Depositional Drumlin Erratic block Moraine Moraine-dammed lake Pulju moraine Rogen moraine Sevetti moraine Terminal moraine Till plain Veiki moraine Glaciofluvial Alpentor Diluvium Esker Giant current ripples Kame Kame delta Kettle hole Outwash fan Sandur Urstromtal Related Glaciers on Mars Glaciology Category List Template:Periglacial environment

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