As the snow piles up it turns to ice and begins to flow downslope. At the top end, alpine glaciers form cirques . Furthermore, as the glacier flows downslope it begins to carve a U -shaped valley. Material eroded away by the glacier forms moraines . The material deposited at the end of the glacier is the terminal moraine .
Alpine glaciation creates rugged and jagged peaks.
In the US, the Rocky Mountains are a good example of glaciated terrain. A cirque , or bowl-like depression forms at the head of the glacier. After the glacier melts, these depressions often fill with water and form small lakes. Again, these features are common in the Rocky Mountains. For example, the Matterhorn in France.