Summary

Fluvioglacial activity results from the enormous amounts of water released by ablation

Fluvioglacial deposits can be distinguished from glacial deposits by the rounded nature of the rocks they contain, and the fact that the deposits are both stratified and sorted (graded)

Braided streams transport debris from the melting glacier and deposit it across huge areas to form outwash plains or sandur

When meltwater streams flow into lakes, layers of summer and winter sediment are deposited to form varves

Kames are steep-sided mounds of fluvioglacial material of various shapes and sizes with a variety of possible origins

Eskers are long, sinuous ridges of sand, gravel and pebbles that snake across areas of gentle relief – possibly formed from subglacial streams

The largest landform of fluvioglacial erosion is the meltwater channel. These carried excess water in great volumes from melting glaciers or overflowing lakes