Ptarmigan Cirque is a west-facing glacial cirque between Mt. Rae and Mt. Arethusa in Kananaskis Country along the border of Alberta and British Columbia. Glacial cirques are formed as snow freezes in areas protected from sun and wind on a mountainside. As the ice forms, it increases the load on the mountainside cracking the bedrock below and allowing for multiple erosional processes to occur, such as frost-wedging, rock-plucking, and abrasion. The load and erosion that are present on three of the four slopes create a convergence zone of ice and debris. As this ice melts, the distinguishable bowl shape seen in image B-1 is left behind. The accumulation of ice causes disintegration of the rocks below, seen as fine sediments in images A and C. Image C-1 shows the geologic features of uplift, tilting, and folding that would have occurred during mountain building. The landscape in image D, facing west out of the bowl shows remnants of glacial erosion by the loose sediments and till that are left scattered throughout the base of the bowl, as well as a stream and vegetation.