esker

[ es-ker ]
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nounGeology.
  1. a serpentine ridge of gravelly and sandy drift, believed to have been formed by streams under or in glacial ice.

Origin of esker

1
First recorded in 1850–55, esker is from the Irish word eiscir ridge of mountains

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British Dictionary definitions for esker

esker

eskar (ˈɛskɑː, -kə)

/ (ˈɛskə) /


noun
  1. a long winding ridge of gravel, sand, etc, originally deposited by a meltwater stream running under a glacier: Also called: os

Origin of esker

1
C19: from Old Irish escir ridge

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for esker

esker

[ ĕskər ]


  1. A long, narrow, steep-sided ridge of coarse sand and gravel deposited by a stream flowing in or under a melting sheet of glacial ice. Eskers range in height from 3 m (9.8 ft) to more than 200 m (656 ft) and in length from less than 100 m (328 ft) to more than 500 km (310 mi).

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