Landscapes made by Glacial Deposition

Deposition from ice happens mostly when the temperature is high enough. The lowlands at the edge of ice sheets and glaciers have deposits that have been made by melted ice (fluvioglacial). Glacial deposits are those dropped directly underneath the ice. The table below shows many of the features of a landscape made by melting ice.


FeatureHow it was formedAppearance
MoraineRock carried by the glacierMakes the ice look "discoloured"
Terminal MoraineMaterial "bulldozed" by a glacier and left at the end of the ice sheet or glacierA low curved ridge. Lies across a valley when made by a glacier
Till (boulder clay)The moraine from the ice is dropped directly downA unsorted deposit, that is a jumble of rock fragments of different sizes mixed together
Moraine-dammed LakesWater melting from ice is trapped behind a terminal moraineOften long and narrow
Outwash PlainMelt water streams dropped layers of depositsFlat area with sorted deposits, that is separated into layers with similar sized fragments
EskersMelt water streams flowing through the ice become choked with deposits. The deposits are left after the ice has meltedLow, winding gravel ridges, roughly parallel to the direction of ice flow
LoessFine grains of moraine which has been transported and deposited by windFlat or gently undulating lowlands
DrumlinMoving ice moulds the moraine underneath itLow hills in the shape of half an egg
FeatureHow it was formedAppearance