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Moraine identification and geology

A landform composed of glacially transported and deposited sediment till , formed at the margins or beneath a glacier. Terminal end moraines mark the farthest advance of a glacier, lateral moraines form along the sides, medial moraines develop where two glaciers converge, and ground moraines blanket the area beneath the ice as a sheet of till. Field: glacial geology. Example: The Oak Ridges Moraine north of Toronto is an interlobate moraine formed between two lobes of the Laurentide Ice Sheet, extending over 160 km and serving as a critical groundwater recharge area for the Greater Toronto region.. Related terms: Till, Glacier, Drumlin, Glacial retreat.

Sources, scope & corrections

These authoritative resources support category-level nomenclature, terminology, identification methods, and safety. When a specimen-specific safety warning appears, the public-health source listed here directly supports that precaution. They are not line-by-line citations for every other property on this entry, and natural specimens vary.

Editorial owner
GeoMiner
Last updated
2026-03-30T15:19:42.055955+00:00
Review status
Published; not independently peer-reviewed
  • USGS Thesaurus — U.S. Geological Survey. Controlled earth-science terminology used to describe USGS information resources.
  • Glossary of Geologic Terms — U.S. National Park Service. Geologic definitions prepared by the NPS Geologic Resources Inventory.

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Common questions

What does Moraine mean in geology?
A landform composed of glacially transported and deposited sediment till , formed at the margins or beneath a glacier. Terminal end moraines mark the farthest advance of a glacier, lateral moraines form along the sides, medial moraines develop where two glaciers converge, and ground moraines blanket the area beneath the ice as a sheet of till.
What is an example of Moraine?
The Oak Ridges Moraine north of Toronto is an interlobate moraine formed between two lobes of the Laurentide Ice Sheet, extending over 160 km and serving as a critical groundwater recharge area for the Greater Toronto region.
Which earth-science field uses the term Moraine?
Moraine is used in glacial geology.
Which terms are related to Moraine?
Related terms in this reference are Till, Glacier, Drumlin, Glacial retreat.

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