📖 what
What Is a Moraine?
geologygeography
Quick Answer
A moraine is a ridge or mound of unsorted rock, gravel, and sediment deposited by a glacier as it advances or retreats.
The Full Story
As glaciers move, they carry vast quantities of debris called till. Lateral moraines form along sides, medial moraines form where two glaciers merge, and terminal moraines mark the furthest advance — acting as a geological high-water mark. Long Island, New York, sits on a terminal moraine from the last Ice Age, and many Swiss lakes are dammed by moraines. Moraines help geologists reconstruct the extent and timing of past glaciations.
Key Facts
1.The terminal moraine forming Long Island was deposited about 21,000 years ago during the Last Glacial Maximum.
2.Cape Cod in Massachusetts is also a glacial moraine deposit.
3.Some moraines in the Himalayas dam glacial lakes that can burst catastrophically (GLOFs).
YouTube Angle
Suggested video title for this topic:
"Glacial Rubble — How Moraines Map Ancient Ice Sheets"