What is a Moraine?

What is a Moraine?

• A. A bedrock fracture
• B. Edge of a glacier
• C. A deep sea feature
• D. A river channel

Answer: (B)

A moraine is an accumulation of dirt and rock that a glacier picks up and then deposits as it moves or melts. As the ice grinds along, it carries loose material, and when the glacier retreats or melts, that debris is left behind, often forming a ridge along the edge of the glacier or at its farthest advance. This edge-focused deposition is why moraines are commonly seen along the margins—lateral moraines along the sides, terminal moraines at the end, and even medial moraines where two glaciers meet. So the term describes the debris carried by the glacier and deposited at its edge or terminus, rather than a crack in bedrock, a deep-sea feature, or a river channel.

A moraine is an accumulation of dirt and rock that a glacier picks up and then deposits as it moves or melts. As the ice grinds along, it carries loose material, and when the glacier retreats or melts, that debris is left behind, often forming a ridge along the edge of the glacier or at its farthest advance. This edge-focused deposition is why moraines are commonly seen along the margins—lateral moraines along the sides, terminal moraines at the end, and even medial moraines where two glaciers meet. So the term describes the debris carried by the glacier and deposited at its edge or terminus, rather than a crack in bedrock, a deep-sea feature, or a river channel.