Glacial lake

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The Seven Rila Lakes in Rila, Bulgaria are typical representatives of lakes with glacial origin

The Great Lakes as seen from space. The Great Lakes are the largest glacial lakes in the world.

Jökulsárlón, a glacial lake in Iceland. To the right, the mouth of the glacier Vatnajökull.

A glacial lake is a lake with origins in a melted glacier.

Glacial lakes can be green as a result of pulverized minerals (rock flour) that support a large population of algae.^[1]

A retreating glacier often leaves behind large deposits of ice in hollows between drumlins or hills. As the ice age ends, these will melt to create lakes. These lakes are often surrounded by drumlins, along with other evidence of the glacier such as moraines, eskers and erosional features such as striations and chatter marks.

These lakes are clearly visible in aerial photos of landforms in:

• Canada
• the northern US
• Russia
• the flat areas of Argentina
• southern New Zealand
• Tibet
• Scotland
• Norway
• Sweden

and other regions that were glaciated during the last ice age. The coastlines near these areas are typically very irregular, reflecting the same geological process.

By contrast, other areas have fewer lakes that often appear attached to rivers. Their coastlines are smoother. These areas were carved more by water erosion.

[edit] See also

• Great Lakes
• Glacial history of Minnesota
• Proglacial lake
• Moraine-dammed lake

[edit] References

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