Drift (geology)

Rounded erratic boulders of crystalline rock composition that have been drifted next to Ordovician limestone bank along the shoreline in NW Osmussaar, Estonia.

In geology, drift is the name for all material of glacial origin found anywhere on land or at sea,[1] including sediment and large rocks (glacial erratic). Glacial origin refers to erosion, transportation and deposition by glaciers.

In the UK the term 'drift' is commonly used to describe any deposits of Quaternary age.

The Driftless Area refers to an unglaciated portion of North America devoid of the glacial drift of surrounding regions.

See also

References

  1. Press, F., and R. Siever, 1986, Earth, 4th ed., W.H.Freeman and Company, NY, p. 248
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