terminal moraines

Terminal moraines are large ridges of debris—such as rocks, soil, and sediments—that are deposited at the edge of a glacier. When a glacier advances, it pushes material in front of it; when it stops or melts back, this material is left behind, forming a prominent ridge. These ridges mark the furthest point the glacier reached and can be seen as natural markers of past glacial movement. They provide valuable clues about climate history and glacier behavior, and are commonly found in areas that experienced glacial activity during past ice ages.