A ridge or mound of unconsolidated debris deposited by a glacier is called what?

• A. Lagoon
• B. Moraine
• C. Inlet
• D. Longshore Bar

Answer: (B)

Ridges of untidy, unsorted material left behind by a retreating glacier are called moraines. When a glacier advances and then melts, it dumps the mixture of clay, silt, gravel, and boulders (till) it has picked up along its path. Because the ice isn’t a sorting medium like water, the debris remains mixed and forms ridges or mounds at the sides or front of the glacier—lateral, terminal, or medial moraines. This makes moraines the perfect match for a ridge or mound of unconsolidated debris deposited by a glacier. In contrast, a lagoon, an inlet, or a longshore bar are coastal features shaped by water, waves, and shore processes, not by glacial deposition.