Outwash plains include many different features. Meltwater from the glacier carries sediment and deposits it in a fan-shaped feature in front of the ice. Small streams of meltwater interfinger across the surface of the plain. Kames and kettle lakes may be part of this environment. Photograph courtesy of Eugene Domack, Hamilton College.
Eskers mark the positions of the tunnels after the glacier has retreated.
When the meltwater stream reaches the glacier nose, it is no longer confined. The streams are braided, which means that they move and change direction rapidly, making an entwined stream. As the streams spread, they begin to slow down. Faster moving water can carry larger particles than slower moving water. As the streams slow down, they drop the material that they are carrying.