Glacial Till & Outwash Plain
Geography: KS3, topic 10.1.7
Glacial Till and Outwash Plains
When glaciers melt, meltwater streams flow outwards from the glacier and the rock debris that they were transporting gets deposited
Glacial till
- Lots of rock debris can be found inside glaciers.
- When this rock debris is deposited at a glacier’s snout, we call it glacial till.
- Glacial till is usually made up of a combination of rocks and clay.
Outwash plains
- Large amounts of rock debris are transported away from glaciers by meltwater streams.
- This debris ranges from heavy rocks to much lighter and smaller particles.
- These smaller particles are transported furthest. The plains that form when they are eventually deposited are known as outwash plains.
Test yourself on Glacial Till & Outwash Plain
What do we call the rock debris that gets deposited at a glacier's snout?