Valley Trains

The accumulations of outwash deposited by rivers in their valleys downstream from a glacier.

This photo (below) shows summer meltwater issuing from a glacier on Bylot Island in eastern Canada. Gravel and sand are deposited in bars to form a braided channel system called a valley train.

Glacial drift over bedrock photo

This photo (below) shows the valley train further from the glacier margin. The interesting pattern shown in the lower left of the photo is patterned ground formed by freezing and thawing of the active layer in a permafrost area. Photos by W.H. Johnson.

Glacial drift over bedrock photo