Alaskan Sampler - Glaciers and Such

Close this window to return to Alaskan Sampler

esker - a sinuous ridge of silt, sand, gravel and cobbles that were carried and deposited by a stream that flowed within the glacier and confined by walls of ice.  When the glacier melts away, these deposits are left as elongated mounds. kettle lake - a small lake or depression formed when chunks of ice break off from retreating glaciers and are buried in the glacial debris.  The ice eventually melts, leaving circular-shaped depressions called kettles. lateral moraine - a ridge-shaped moraine deposited on the sides of a glacier. medial moraine - a ridge-shaped moraine in the middle of a glacier originating from a rock outcrop or the converging lateral moraines of two or more ice streams. moraine - a mound, ridge or other distinct accumulation of glacial silt and rocks eroded from the valley walls by the moving glacier. palsa - a small dome-like frost mound, usually 10 to 20 feet high, containing layers of  peat and ice. terminal moraine - a moraine built out ahead of an advancing glacier then deposited when the glacier retreats.