Kames are water-laid deposits of sand and gravel that form in crevasses near the edges of melting glaciers. Similar to kames are eskers water-laid deposits of sand and gravel which form in meltwater rivers flowing on, within, or beneath the ice. No eskers are observable on the portion of I-70 described in this guide. Outwash deposits also consist primarily of sand and gravel and form as debris-laden meltwater flows away from the ice, loses velocity, and drops the material formerly held in suspension. Outwash deposits viewed from this segment of I-70 generally appear as broad, flat plains and terraces adjacent to major streams and rivers.
Glacial meltwater is funneled away from the glacier in a partially buried river valley.
Sand and gravel and other debris are deposited in crevasses along the ice margin, below the ice in tunnels, and out in front of the ice in the old river valley. Two slowly melting blocks of ice in front of the glacier have become partially buried in the sand and gravel deposit forming below the ice front. After the retreat of the glaciers the end moraine appears as a low-lying, rolling ridge. Streams develop and flow along the back and front sides of the moraine and empty into a larger stream that has developed in the depression of the former river valley. Sand and gravel left by the glacier remain in the form of slightly eroded kame, esker, and valley-train deposits.