Corrie

Corrie (Gaelic coire, 'a caldron' or 'large pot'), a term applied in Scotland and Ireland to semi-circular recesses or cirques in mountains, generally flanked by steep and lofty cliffs. They vary in character according to the nature of the rocks. In some the declivities are rounded and smooth, but generally they are broken and rugged, the bounding cliffs rising to heights of 1000 or even 2000 feet. Similar features are recognised in many mountain-regions all the world over. The origin of corries has been a subject of some controversy by geologists. There can be no doubt, however, that they are due in the first place to denudation—to the action of torrents and springs and frosts, aided and directed by the natural division-planes of the rocks. Many of the corries in Scotland and other mountainous countries have been occupied by glaciers—the grinding action of which has tended to modify the form of the ground. Not a few corries are occupied by mountain-tarns.