boulder clay

American  

noun

Geology.

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

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boulder clay British  

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of boulder clay

First recorded in 1855–60

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

boulder clay

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

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

They consist of pieces of chalk, similar to those which drop annually in thousands upon thousands down the cliffs from the boulder clay between Bridlington and Flamborough.

From Ancient Egyptian and Greek Looms by Roth, H. Ling (Henry Ling)

In the regions of the country where the drift soil, left by the great ice-sheet, lies deepest, the glacial boulder clay is very far down.

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

Near Ely there is a remarkable mass of chalk, evidently transported by ice, resting on and surrounded by boulder clay.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 1 "Calhoun" to "Camoens" by Various