Question

Name the types of moraines.

Answer 1

Depending on the location of the deposits, moraines can be divided into 4 types:

1. Ground moraines: If the lower part of a glacier is heavily charged with debris which it cannot transport, the excess load is deposited as ground moraine. It consists of an irregular sheet of glacial drift over the valley floor.
2. Lateral moraines: Lateral moraines form along each side of a valley glacier. It is a ridge of glacial load by the side of a glacier or lying along the side of a valley which was formerly occupied by a glacier.
3. Medial moraines: When two glaciers flow side by side, they do not unite. The result is that two lateral moraines of these glaciers mingle together, giving rise to a medial moraine
4. Terminal moraines: End moraines that mark the farthest advance of the glacier's snout are called terminal moraines. When the snout remains stationary for a long period of several years, an arcuate ridge comprising glacial debris is built up.