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drumlin

Drumlin is a streamlined, elongated hill of glacial origin. Drumlins are typically hundreds of meters long and tens of meters high, with a rounded, blunt upstream (stoss) end and a tapered downstream (lee) end, and their long axes align with the direction of ice flow. They often occur in groups called drumlin fields and may be composed of compacted glacial till, sand, and gravel shaped by subglacial processes.

Formation and interpretation: The precise mechanism of drumlin formation remains debated. Leading ideas describe formation under

Distribution and significance: Drumlins are found in many formerly glaciated regions of the northern hemisphere, including

moving
ice
through
reshaping
and
deformation
of
subglacial
sediments,
lodgement
of
till
beneath
the
glacier,
and/or
sculpting
by
subglacial
meltwater
and
plastic
flow
of
soft
sediments.
Modern
views
often
invoke
a
combination
of
processes
in
which
bed
conditions,
sediment
properties,
and
ice
dynamics
control
drumlin
shape.
Drumlins
preserve
sedimentary
records
and
provide
clues
to
past
ice-flow
directions.
parts
of
North
America
(such
as
the
Great
Lakes
region
and
areas
of
Canada
and
the
northeastern
United
States)
and
Europe
(notably
Ireland,
Scotland,
and
the
North
Sea
region),
as
well
as
in
New
Zealand
and
other
glaciated
landscapes.
They
indicate
former
glacial
movement
and
can
influence
soil
development,
drainage,
and
land-use
patterns.
The
study
of
drumlins
supports
reconstructions
of
ice-sheet
dynamics
and
subglacial
processes.