Glacial Systems - Where Fluvioglacial Landscapes are Found

Fluvioglacial landscapes are areas that are the result of the actions of glacial meltwater.

The processes of fluvial erosion create a distinctive landscape with features unique to this environment. The landscapes can be categorised into contemporary and relic landscapes.

Contemporary fluvioglacial landscapes are found in areas where glaciers currently exist: on the fringes of polar areas and in the many alpine environments, such as:

• the Himalayas
• the Rockies
• South Island New Zealand
• Iceland, and
• the Andes

Relic fluvioglacial landforms can also be found. These are remnants from the end of the last ice age as the Pleistocene glacial period switched into the current interglacial period.

These relic landforms are located across northern Europe, Canada and Russia. They can also be found in upland areas where there is no current glacial activity, but there would have been during the last ice advance.