Outwash - GCSE Geography Definition

Outwash is a term used in geography to describe the layer of materials like sand, gravel, and silt that are carried away and deposited by meltwater from a glacier, typically at the snout of a glacier. When the ice from a glacier melts, the water flows out and picks up small pieces of rock and soil, moving them along and spreading them across a landscape. This outwash creates flat and fertile plains, often found in front of where the glacier once was. These materials are usually sorted by size because the flowing water drops heavier pieces first and lighter ones further away. These outwash plains are important to study because they help us understand past glacial movements and can affect how water flows in an area.