Distinguishing Glacial Till from Alluvium: A Guide, You dig into material in a region you know has been glaciated. Explain how you could tell you are digging into glacial till rather than alluvium.

Distinguishing Glacial Till from Alluvium: A Guide

Glacial till is a type of soil that has been formed by the movement of glaciers. It typically consists of a mixture of clay, silt, sand, gravel, and boulders. Alluvium, on the other hand, is sediment that has been deposited by a river or other body of water. Both glacial till and alluvium can be found in regions that have experienced glaciation, so it is important to be able to differentiate between the two in order to properly identify them. When determining whether the material you are digging into is glacial till or alluvium, the size and shape of the sediment can be the most important indicator (Mikucki and Stone, 2019). Glacial till typically consists of a mix of coarse and fine sediment, while alluvium is generally composed of more uniform-sized sediment. Additionally, alluvium will often have a more rounded shape due to the water-sorting process, while glacial till particles are usually more angular in shape due to the abrasive nature of the glacier (Benn and Evans, 2010). The composition of the material can also be helpful in distinguishing glacial till and all… Cont…