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Collapsed Glacial Outwash

Ecoregion on Great Plains in MT, ND

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The Collapsed Glacial Outwash ecoregion is an irregular, treeless plain composed of gravel and sand. Its deposits differ from the till, alluvium, terrace material, and loess of the neighboring Glaciated Dark Brown Prairie (42i). The outwash material of Ecoregion 42b was originally deposited by glacial meltwater and precipitation runoff over stagnant ice; it later collapsed in on itself to form Ecoregion 42b’s irregular topography. Groundwater is shallow and plentiful. Many more wildlife-rich ponds, wetlands, and large, shallow lakes occur in Ecoregion 42b than in Ecoregion 42i; they tend to be slightly to very alkaline depending upon the flow path of groundwater through the permeable outwash. Ecoregion 42b and its wildlife refuges attract birds that prefer large areas of open water, such as white pelicans, black terns, and Forster’s terns, as well as those living in brackish water, such as avocets and tundra swans. The Collapsed Glacial Outwash (42b) ecoregion extends into North Dakota.

— EPA

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Ecoregion