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hanging valley

noun
1.
a valley, the lower end of which opens high above a shore, usually caused by the rapid erosion of a cliff.
2.
a tributary valley whose mouth is set above the the floor of the main valley, usually as a result of differences in glacial erosion.
Origin of hanging valley
1895-1900
First recorded in 1895-1900
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2017.
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British Dictionary definitions for hanging valley

hanging valley

noun
1.
(geography) a tributary valley entering a main valley at a much higher level because of overdeepening of the main valley, esp by glacial erosion
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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hanging valley in Science
hanging valley
  (hāng'ĭng)   
A side valley that enters a main valley at an elevation high above the main valley floor. Hanging valleys are typically formed when the main valley has been widened and deepened by glacial erosion, leaving the side valley cut off abruptly from the main valley below. The steep drop from the hanging valley to the main valley floor usually creates cascading waterfalls.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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