Moraine

The snow-free debris hills around the lagoon are lateral and terminal moraines of a valley glacier in Nepal.

A moraine is any glacially formed accumulation of unconsolidated glacial debris (regolith and rock) that occurs in both currently and formerly glaciated regions on Earth (i.e. a past glacial maximum), through geomorphological processes. Moraines are formed from debris previously carried along by a glacier, and normally consist of somewhat rounded particles ranging in size from large boulders to minute glacial flour. Lateral moraines are formed at the side of the ice flow and terminal moraines at the foot, marking the maximum advance of the glacier. Other types of moraine include ground moraines (till-covered areas with irregular topography) and medial moraines (moraines formed where two glaciers meet).

Etymology

The word moraine is derived from the French root moraine, which in turn is derived from the Savoyard Italian morena, from Franco-Provençal mor, morre (“muzzle, snout”), and eventually from Vulgar Latin *murrum.

Other Languages

Afrikaans: Morene

Alemannisch: Moräne

العربية: ركام جليدي

aragonés: Morrena

azərbaycanca: Moren

বাংলা: গ্রাবরেখা

беларуская: Марэна

беларуская (тарашкевіца)‎: Марэна (геалёгія)

български: Морена

català: Morrena

čeština: Moréna