moraine

mo·raine  (m-rn)

n.

An accumulation of boulders, stones, or other debris carried and deposited by a glacier.

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[French, from French dialectal morena, mound of earth, from Provençal morre, muzzle, from Vulgar Latin *murrum.]

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mo·rainal, mo·rainic adj.

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moraine

Noun

a ridge or mound formed from debris deposited by a glacier [French]

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moraine  (m-rn)

A mass of till (boulders, pebbles, sand, and mud) deposited by a glacier, often in the form of a long ridge. Moraines typically form because of the plowing effect of a moving glacier, which causes it to pick up rock fragments and sediments as it moves, and because of the periodic melting of the ice, which causes the glacier to deposit these materials during warmer intervals. A moraine deposited in front of a glacier is a terminal moraine. A moraine deposited along the side of a glacier is a lateral moraine. A moraine deposited down the middle of a glacier is a medial moraine. Medial moraines are actually the combined lateral moraines of two glaciers that have merged.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

moraine - accumulated earth and stones deposited by a glacier glacier - a slowly moving mass of ice earth, ground - the loose soft material that makes up a large part of the land surface; "they dug into the earth outside the church"