📖 what

What is an arête?

Quick Answer

An arête is a sharp, narrow ridge between two glacial valleys or cirques.

The Full Story

An arête forms when glaciers erode a mountain from two sides, leaving a steep, knife-edge ridge in between. These ridges are common in rugged glaciated mountain ranges and can be extremely narrow and exposed. Arêtes are often associated with horns, which are pyramidal peaks carved by glaciers from multiple sides. The famous Matterhorn in the Alps is a classic horn with sharp ridges and faces shaped by glacial erosion.

Key Facts

1.An arête is a narrow glacial ridge
2.It forms between two glaciers or cirques
3.The Matterhorn is a famous glacially carved peak

YouTube Angle

Suggested video title for this topic:

"The knife-edge ridge sculpted by glaciers"

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