Cirques are amphitheater-like valleys formed by glacial erosion. They are typically found at the heads of glacial valleys. The process involves freeze-thaw weathering and plucking at the backwall, combined with abrasion by ice and debris. As the glacier moves downslope, it erodes the bedrock, deepening and widening the depression. A tarn, or mountain lake, often forms in the cirque basin after the glacier retreats.

Rivers typically carve V-shaped valleys. However, as a glacier flows through a valley, its immense weight and erosive power widen and deepen it, smoothing out sharp angles and creating a characteristic U-shaped cross-section. The valley floor becomes broader and flatter, and the valley walls become steeper and more uniform. Tributary valleys, if not glaciated as extensively, may hang above the main valley floor, forming 'hanging valleys'.

An arete is a narrow ridge of rock that forms between two adjacent cirques or U-shaped valleys that have been eroded by glaciers. As glaciers on either side of a ridge erode backward and outward, they sharpen the ridge into a knife-edge. If three or more cirques erode a mountain peak from different directions, a pyramidal peak called a horn or a pyramidal peak is formed.

A horn, or pyramidal peak, is a mountain peak that has been eroded by glaciers from several sides. Typically, three or more cirques erode the mountain from different directions, leaving a sharp, pointed summit. The Matterhorn in Switzerland is a classic example of a horn.

Hanging valleys are tributary glacial valleys that are higher than the main glacial valley. This occurs because the main valley, occupied by a larger, more powerful glacier, is eroded to a greater depth than the smaller tributary valleys. When the glaciers retreat, the mouths of the hanging valleys are left at a higher elevation, often with waterfalls cascading down the steep valley walls.

Fjords are formed when glaciers carve deep valleys that extend below sea level. As the glaciers retreat and sea levels rise, these valleys are flooded by seawater. Fjords are characterized by their steep, often cliff-like sides, deep water, and U-shaped cross-section. They are common in Norway, Chile, New Zealand, and Alaska.

Moraines are accumulations of glacial debris (till) deposited by a glacier. They can be found along the sides (lateral moraines), at the terminus (terminal or end moraines), or within the glacier itself (medial moraines). Ground moraines are also formed, creating a hummocky or undulating landscape.

Eskers are sinuous ridges of stratified sand and gravel that form from sediment deposited by meltwater streams flowing within ice tunnels or beneath the glacier. As the glacier melts, these channels collapse, leaving behind the deposited material as a ridge. They can be quite long and winding, often resembling a snake.

Kames are irregularly shaped hills or mounds composed of stratified sand and gravel. They are formed by the deposition of sediment from meltwater streams that flow into depressions on the surface of a stagnant or retreating glacier, or into crevasses. When the ice melts, these deposits slump down to form kames.

Kettle lakes, or kettles, are depressions in glacial outwash plains formed by the melting of buried blocks of ice (ice blocks or dead ice) that were left behind by a retreating glacier. As the surrounding sediment is deposited, the buried ice block melts, leaving a depression that may fill with water.