rhizoverbBeta
DictionarymoraineGlacial debris
noun

moraine

muh-RAYN/məˈreɪn/

Rock and soil debris deposited by a glacier.

A ridge of moraine marks the glacier's former edge.

An alpine glacier ending behind a prominent curved ridge of unsorted gray and ocher rocks, boulders and brown soil in the foreground. The ice tongue has visibly retreated a short distance beyond the ridge, leaving rough bare ground between. A small meltwater stream escapes to one side. The debris ridge, not a mountain peak or snowbank, dominates.
Etymology
moraineSavoy dialectmound of earth

The earlier meaning “mound of earth” became a geological name for a ridge of rocky debris deposited along a glacier’s edge.

In context

HISTORY33:04
This is a glacial moraine, the remnants of a glacier which once filled the valley.
DANGER & AWE IN YOSEMITE VALLEY | How The Earth Was Made (S2, E5) | Full Episode | History

More examples

  • The melting glacier leaves a moraine of rocks and soil.
  • Several moraines cross the valley below the ice.
  • Loose stones tumble down the steep side of the moraine.

Forms

moraine · moraines

morainal adjective — Relating to debris deposited by glaciers.

Similar words

till
Specifically names unsorted sediment deposited directly by glacial ice.
debris
Covers scattered remains from many sources, not just glaciers.
sediment
Includes material deposited by water or wind, not only glaciers.