A kettle (also known as a kettle lake, kettle hole, or pothole) is a depression/hole in an outwash plain formed by retreating glaciers or draining floodwaters. The kettles are formed as a result of blocks of dead ice left behind by retreating glaciers, which become surrounded by sediment deposited by

meltwater Meltwater is water released by the melting of snow or ice, including glacial ice, tabular icebergs and ice shelves over oceans. Meltwater is often found in the ablation zone of glaciers, where the rate of snow cover is reducing. Meltwater can be ...

streams as there is increased friction. The ice becomes buried in the sediment and when the ice melts, a depression is left called a kettle hole, creating a dimpled appearance on the outwash plain. Lakes often fill these kettles; these are called kettle hole lakes. Another source is the sudden drainage of an ice-dammed lake. When the block melts, the hole it leaves behind is a kettle. As the ice melts, ramparts can form around the edge of the kettle hole. The lakes that fill these holes are seldom more than deep and eventually fill with sediment. In acid conditions, a kettle

bog A bog or bogland is a wetland that accumulates peat as a deposit of dead plant materials often mosses, typically sphagnum moss. It is one of the four main types of wetlands. Other names for bogs include mire, mosses, quagmire, and muskeg; a ...

may form but in alkaline conditions, it will be kettle peatland.

Overview

Kettles are

fluvioglacial landform Fluvioglacial landforms are those that result from the associated erosion and deposition of Sediment, sediments caused by Meltwater, glacial meltwater. These landforms may also be referred to as glaciofluvial in nature. Glaciers contain suspended s ...

s occurring as the result of blocks of

ice calving Ice calving, also known as glacier calving or iceberg calving, is the breaking of ice chunks from the edge of a glacier.Essentials of Geology, 3rd edition, Stephen Marshak It is a form of ice ablation or ice disruption. It is the sudden release ...

from the front of a receding glacier and becoming partially to wholly buried by glacial outwash.

Glacial outwash An outwash plain, also called a sandur (plural: ''sandurs''), sandr or sandar, is a plain formed of glaciofluvial deposits due to meltwater outwash at the terminus of a glacier. As it flows, the glacier grinds the underlying rock surface and ca ...

is generated when streams of

flow away from the glacier and deposit sediment to form broad outwash plains called sandurs. When the ice blocks melt, kettle holes are left in the sandur. When the development of numerous kettle holes disrupt sandur surfaces, a jumbled array of ridges and mounds form, resembling

kame A kame, or ''knob'', is a glacial landform, an irregularly shaped hill or mound composed of sand, gravel and till that accumulates in a depression on a retreating glacier, and is then deposited on the land surface with further melting of the g ...

and kettle topography. Kettle holes can also occur in ridge shaped deposits of loose rock fragments called till.Tarbuck, E and Lutgens, F: ''Earth'', page 351. Prentice Hall, 2002 Kettle holes can form as the result of floods caused by the sudden drainage of an ice-dammed lake. These floods, called jökulhlaups, often rapidly deposit large quantities of sediment onto the sandur surface. The kettle holes are formed by the melting blocks of sediment-rich ice that were transported and consequently buried by the jökulhlaups. It was found in field observations and laboratory simulations done by Maizels in 1992 that ramparts form around the edge of kettle holes generated by jökulhlaups. The development of distinct types of ramparts depends on the concentration of rock fragments contained in the melted ice block and on how deeply the block was buried by sediment. Most kettle holes are less than two kilometres in diameter, although some in the U.S. Midwest exceed ten kilometres. Puslinch Lake in Ontario, Canada, is the largest kettle lake in Canada spanning . Fish Lake in the north-central Cascade Mountains of the U.S. state of Washington is . Kettle-glacial-lake-form-isunngua-greenland

Kettle-glacial-lake-form-isunngua-greenland

The depth of most kettles is less than ten meters. In most cases, kettle holes eventually fill with water, sediment, or vegetation. If the kettle is fed by surface or underground rivers or streams, it becomes a kettle lake. If the kettle receives its water from precipitation, the groundwater table, or a combination of the two, it is termed a kettle pond or kettle wetland, if vegetated. Kettle ponds that are not affected by the groundwater table will usually become dry during the warm summer months, in which case they are deemed ephemeral.

Bogs

If water in a kettle becomes acidic due to decomposing

organic Organic may refer to: * Organic, of or relating to an organism, a living entity * Organic, of or relating to an anatomical organ Chemistry * Organic matter, matter that has come from a once-living organism, is capable of decay or is the product ...

plant matter, it becomes a kettle

; or, if underlying soils are lime-based and

neutralize Neutralization may refer to: * Neutralization (chemistry), a chemical reaction where a base and an acid react to form a salt * Neutralisation (immunology), pathogen neutralization caused by antibodies * Neutralisation (sociology) * Neutralizati ...

the acidic conditions somewhat, it becomes a kettle peatland. Kettle bogs are

closed ecosystem Closed ecological systems (CES) are ecosystems that do not rely on matter exchange with any part outside the system. The term is most often used to describe small, wikt:manmade, manmade ecosystems. Such systems are scientifically interesting and ...

s because they have no water source other than precipitation. Acidic kettle bogs and fresh water kettles are important ecological niches for some symbiotic species of flora and fauna. Kettle pond Hossa

The Kettle Moraine, a region of Wisconsin covering an area from Green Bay to south-central Wisconsin, has numerous kettles,

moraine A moraine is any accumulation of unconsolidated debris (regolith and rock), sometimes referred to as glacial till, that occurs in both currently and formerly glaciated regions, and that has been previously carried along by a glacier or ice shee ...

s and other glacial features. It has many kettle lakes, some of which are 100 to deep.

Examples

The

Prairie Pothole Region The Prairie Pothole Region (PPR; french: Région des cuvettes/fondrières des prairies) is an expansive area of the northern Great Plains that contains thousands of shallow wetlands known as potholes. These potholes are the result of glacier act ...

extends from northern Alberta, Canada to Iowa, United States and includes thousands of small

slough Slough () is a town and unparished area in the unitary authority of the same name in Berkshire, England, bordering west London. It lies in the Thames Valley, west of central London and north-east of Reading, at the intersection of the M4 ...

s and lakes. *Austria ** Meerauge,

Bodental The Bodental ( sl, Boden, Carinthian Slovene: ''Póden'') is a remote mountain valley in the Karawanks in the south of Carinthia, Austria. Located at just over 1,000 metres above sea level, the valley extends southwesterly and can be re ...

** Zmulner See, Carinthia (Kärnten) *Canada ** Ontario ***

Algonquin Park, Spruce Bog trail Algonquin or Algonquian—and the variation Algonki(a)n—may refer to: Languages and peoples *Algonquian languages, a large subfamily of Native American languages in a wide swath of eastern North America from Canada to Virginia **Algonquin la ...

*** Bond Lake *** Heart Lake ***

Kettle Lakes Provincial Park Kettle Lakes Provincial Park is a provincial park in northeastern Ontario, about east of Timmins. It is administered by Ontario Parks, which classifies it as a recreation park. The landscape of the park is the legacy of the retreat of an enormo ...

*** Lake Wilcox ***

Musselman Lake Musselman's Lake is a community settled adjacent to a kettle lake of the same name in the town of Whitchurch–Stouffville, Ontario, Canada. It is located about 6 km north-northwest of urban Stouffville, and is part of the Greater Toronto A ...

*** Preston Lake *** Puslinch Lake ** New Brunswick ***MacLaren Pond, Fundy National Park *Finland ** Syvyydenkaivo,

Rokua National Park Rokua National Park ( fi, Rokuan kansallispuisto) is a UNESCO Global Geopark in the Northern Ostrobothnia region of Finland. Location The national park is located on the southern side of the Rokuanvaara Hill, where old pine forests grow in the ...

*Germany ** Eggstätter Seen, Bayern ** Müggelsee, Berlin ** Oberwaldbacher See, Bayern ** Osterseen, Bayern ** Schluisee, Bayern ** Seeoner Seen, Bayern **

Teupitzer See Teupitzer See is a lake in

, Brandenburg **

Tüttensee The Tüttensee (Lake Tütten) is a small lake in the Chiemgau region, the Bavarian Alpine foothills of the Traunstein district, within the municipalities of Grabenstätt and Vachendorf. With an area of and a maximum depth of , it is one of many ...

, Bayern **

Ukleisee Ukleisee is a lake in Kreis Ostholstein, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. At an elevation of 26.5 m, its surface area is 0.32 km². This lake is (as numerous other lakes in this area) a kettle hole, remaining from Weichselian glaciation The Weich ...

, Schleswig-Holstein ** Weisser See, Berlin *India ** Sela Pass, Arunachal Pradesh *New Zealand **

Lake Matheson Lake Matheson ( mi, Te Ara Kairaumati) is a small glacial lake in South Westland, New Zealand, near the township of Fox Glacier. It was a traditional food-gathering place for local Māori. An easy walking track circles the lake, which is famous ...

*United Kingdom **England *** Aqualate Mere,

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands Cou ...

***

Barelees Pond __NOTOC__ Barelees Pond is the name given to a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in north Northumberland, England. The site is a kettle hole, a deep pond formed in the void remaining after a submerged glacial calf block melted. Barelees ...

, Northumberland ***

Breckland Breckland in Norfolk and Suffolk is a 39,433 hectare Special Protection Area (SPA) under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds. The SPA partly overlaps the 7,544 hectare Breckland Special Area of Conservation. As a la ...

, Norfolk/

Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...

called ''pingo ponds''. ***

Bomere Pool Bomere Pool is a large mere lying between the villages of Bayston Hill and Condover in the county of Shropshire, England, 4.7 miles (7.5 kilometres) south of the county town of Shrewsbury. The pool is classified as a Site of Special Scientifi ...

, Shropshire ***

Campfield Kettle Hole __NOTOC__ Campfield Kettle Hole is the name given to a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in north Northumberland, England. The site is thought to be the remains of a kettle hole, a pond formed in the void remaining after a submerged gla ...

, Northumberland ***

Hatchmere Hatchmere is a small mere and nature reserve in Delamere Forest, southeast of Frodsham, Cheshire, England. It is also the name of a hamlet near the village of Norley. Nature reserve Hatch Mere Nature Reserve covers . It lies within a Site of Sp ...

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county t ...

***

Talkin Tarn Talkin Tarn is a glacial lake and country park near Brampton, Carlisle, Brampton, Cumbria, England. The lake is a kettle hole lake, formed 10,000 years ago by mass glacial action. Situated just 20 minutes from Carlisle by road, or a short train ...

, Cumbria ***

Wormingford Wormingford is a village and civil parish in Essex, England. The ancient parish of Wormingford on the south bank of the River Stour, north- west of Colchester and south-east of Sudbury, Suffolk, covered 2,322 acres (929 hectares). The Stour fo ...

Mere, Essex ** Scotland ***

Belston Loch Belston Loch (NS 34894 16186), also recorded as Dromsmodda Loch is a small freshwater loch in the East Ayrshire Council Area, near Sinclairston, 2 miles south-east of Drongan, lying in a glacial Kettle (landform), Kettle Hole.Love, Page 197 Paris ...

*** Blae Loch *** Helenton Loch ***

Loch Brown Loch Brown, also known in Scots as Loch Broun, Broon or Broom, was situated in a kettle hole in the mid-Ayrshire clayland near Crosshands. It is nowadays (2011) visible as a surface depression in pastureland, partially flooded, situated in a low- ...

*** Loch Fergus *** Loch Morlich *United States ** Illinois *** Volo Bog ** Indiana ***

Pinhook Bog Pinhook Bog is a unique bog in Indiana that has been designated a National Natural Landmark. It is part of Indiana Dunes National Park, an area that many citizens, scientists, and politicians fought hard to preserve.Smith, S. & Mark, S. (2009). Th ...

** Iowa *** Clear Lake ** Massachusetts *** Cliff Pond *** Fresh Pond *** Jamaica Pond ***

Houghton's Pond Houghton's Pond is a spring-fed kettle hole pond in Milton, Massachusetts, south of Boston. Like many ponds and lakes in the United States, it was formed by receding glaciers about 10,000 years ago. By the standard definition of lakes being bodie ...

***

Scargo Lake Scargo Lake is a fresh water kettle pond in Dennis, Massachusetts on Cape Cod. Legends about its formation There are many Native American Legends about the formation of Scargo Lake, and all are some variant of a tale of Princess Scargo. One stor ...

***

Spy Pond Spy Pond, also known as Spie Pond in the 17th and 18th centuries, is a kettle hole pond located near the heart of Arlington, Massachusetts, adjacent to the Minuteman Bikeway. History Geological history Fifty thousand years ago, the area of Arl ...

*** Walden Pond ** Michigan *** Heart Lake ***Tee Lake *** Thumb Lake *** Walled Lake ** New Hampshire *** Philbrick-Cricenti Bog ***

Ponemah Bog Ponemah may refer to: * Ponemah, Illinois * Ponemah, Minnesota *Ponemah, a complete physiologic data acquisition and analysis software platform used by physiologists, from Data Sciences International *Ponemah Bog, a wildlife refuge in Amherst, New ...

***

Spruce Hole Bog The Spruce Hole Bog, locally known as Spruce Hole, is a complete ecological community occupying a true kettle hole in the town of Durham, New Hampshire. According to the National Register of Natural Landmarks: "It illustrates characteristics of a ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

***

Artist Lake Artist Lake is a glacial kettle hole lake located in Middle Island, New York south of Middle Country Road ( Route 25) in central Long Island. Artist Lake holds a diverse warm water fish community including largemouth bass and pickerel. It is als ...

***

Lake Success Lake Success can refer to: *Lake Success (California), lake in California *Lake Success, New York, village in New York *''Lake Success'', a novel by American author Gary Shteyngart Gary Shteyngart (; born July 5, 1972) is a Soviet-born American ...

*** Mendon Ponds ***

Ronkonkoma Lake Lake Ronkonkoma is a freshwater lake in Suffolk County, New York. It is a kettle lake formed by retreating glaciers and is the largest freshwater lake on Long Island; it has a circumference of about and is across on average. The lake is owned ...

*** Round Lake, Saratoga County ** Ohio *** Brady Lake *** Calamus Swamp *** Lake Anna, Barberton Ohio ***

Lake Kelso Kelso Conservation Area is located near Milton, Ontario on the Niagara Escarpment and is owned and operated by Conservation Halton. This park has an area of 3.97 square kilometres and contains Lake Kelso which was built for flood control of Sixte ...

***

Stage's Pond State Nature Preserve Stage's Pond State Nature Preserve is a nature preserve with ponds in Walnut Township, Pickaway County, Ohio. The State Nature Preserve is located at 4792 Hagerty Road, north of the county seat of Circleville. The preserve was dedicated on Aug ...

***

Triangle Lake Bog, Ravenna Triangle Lake Bog or Triangle Lake Bog State Nature Preserve is a state nature preserve in the U.S. state of Ohio. It is located in Rootstown Township, south of Ravenna. Flora It is home to a number of plants including the round-leaved sundew ...

** Pennsylvania *** Conneaut Lake ** Rhode Island *** Ell Pond ** Washington ***Fish Lake *** Whidbey Island ** Wisconsin *** Elkhart Lake *** Mauthe Lake *** Kettle Moraine * Venezuela ** Kettle Mucubají

Overview

Bogs

Examples

See also

References

Further reading