Tarn (lake)

"Tarns" redirects here. For the hamlet in England, see Tarns, Cumbria.
Glacial action forming a cirque which may host a tarn

A tarn (or corrie loch) is a mountain lake or pool, formed in a cirque excavated by a glacier. It is formed when either rain or river water fills the cirque. A moraine may form a natural dam below a tarn.[1]

Verdi Lake in the Ruby Mountains of Nevada

Etymology

The word is derived from the Old Norse word tjörn meaning pond. Its more specific use as a mountain lake emerges as it is the commonly used term for all ponds in the upland areas of Northern England. Here, it retains a broader use, referring to any small lake or pond, regardless of its location and origin (e.g. Talkin Tarn).[2]

In Scandinavian languages, a tjern or tjärn, tärn or tjørn is a small natural lake, often in a forest or with vegetation closely surrounding it or actually growing into the tarn.

Gallery

See also

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tarn (lake).
Look up tarn in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
  1. "Illustrated Glossary of Alpine Glacial Landforms". Retrieved 2007-08-05.
  2. "Fresh Water Tarns". Cumbria Wildlife Trust. Archived from the original on 2007-06-27. Retrieved 2007-08-05.


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Tuesday, April 19, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.