Final answer:
A cirque marks the place where an alpine glacier originated, forming as snow accumulates and compresses into ice that moves under its own weight.
Step-by-step explanation:
A cirque marks the place where an alpine glacier originated. Glaciers are massive bodies of ice that form when snowfall accumulates faster than it melts away, subsequently moving under their own weight. This movement of ice sculpts the landscape over time, creating features such as U-shaped valleys and leaving behind telltale signs like moraines, which are mounds of rock and soil deposited at a glacier's furthest extent. Alpine glaciers originate in cirques, which are bowl-shaped depressions found at the head of a valley. These depression areas indicate where the glacier began its flow down the valley. Such glaciers can be seen in the Alpine region of Europe, as well as in other mountainous areas across the globe, including Glacier National Park in Montana, USA.