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boulder clay

American  

noun

Geology.
  1. a glacial deposit consisting chiefly of unstratified clay with embedded boulders.


boulder clay British  

noun

  1. an unstratified glacial deposit consisting of fine clay, boulders, and pebbles See also till 4

"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

Etymology

Origin of boulder clay

First recorded in 1855–60

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Happisburgh, home to about 1,100 people, is so susceptible to erosion because the cliffs are made from boulder clay which slumps when wet.

From BBC Dec. 30, 2022

And this boulder clay, as Mr. Jukes Brown further observes, has forced its way up the sides of the chalk, in places, to a height varying from 300ft. to 400ft.

From Records of Woodhall Spa and Neighbourhood Historical, Anecdotal, Physiographical, and Archaeological, with Other Matter by Walter, James Conway

Lyell visited Kinnordy from time to time between 1817 and 1824, and found on his father's estate and other localities in Strathmore a number of small lakes, lying in hollows of the boulder clay.

From The Coming of Evolution The Story of a Great Revolution in Science by John W.

It is not clear, but black with mud, called boulder clay, or till, made of ground rock, and mixed with fragments of all shapes and sizes.

From Earth and Sky Every Child Should Know Easy studies of the earth and the stars for any time and place by Rogers, Julia Ellen

The finest material deposited is rock meal, ground by the great glacial mill, and called "boulder clay."

From Earth and Sky Every Child Should Know Easy studies of the earth and the stars for any time and place by Rogers, Julia Ellen

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