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Geological Formation

Moraine

Landform Concepts

A moraine is an accumulation of unconsolidated rock debris, sometimes called glacial till, that has been carried and then deposited by a glacier or ice sheet, found in regions that are or once were glaciated. The material in a moraine ranges from large boulders, in a form sometimes called boulder clay, down to gravel and sand set in a fine clayey matrix known as glacial flour, with individual fragments typically worn to sub-angular or rounded shapes rather than left sharp edged. A lateral moraine builds up along the side of a glacier, a terminal moraine marks the farthest point the ice reached, a ground moraine spreads a till sheet across the land the glacier has retreated from, and a medial moraine forms where two glaciers meet and their lateral moraines merge; because moraines record where a glacier's edge once stood, they are important evidence for reconstructing past glaciation.

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Caused By

Glaciation, Processes
Source Moraine (Wikipedia)

In Discipline

Source Moraine (Wikipedia)
Sources
Moraine (Wikipedia)
  • In Discipline: Geomorphology, Lead paragraph
    A moraine is any accumulation of unconsolidated debris (regolith and rock), sometimes referred to as glacial till, that occurs in both currently and formerly glaciated regions and that has been previously carried along by a glacier or ice sheet
  • Caused By: Glaciation, Lead paragraph
    A moraine is any accumulation of unconsolidated debris (regolith and rock), sometimes referred to as glacial till, that occurs in both currently and formerly glaciated regions and that has been previously carried along by a glacier or ice sheet
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