Tarn (lake)

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

• 
  Lake Tear of the Clouds (tarn) in the Adirondack Mountains, New York, photo c. 19th century
• 
  Veľké Hincovo, the largest and deepest tarn in Slovakia
• 
  Lousy Lake (tarn) in N.Cascades National Park, Pickett Range, Washington

See also

• Pond
• Cirque

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. 

Ponds, pools and puddles
Ponds	Ash pond Balancing lake Ballast pond Beel Cooling pond Detention pond Dew pond Evaporation pond Facultative lagoon Garden pond Ice pond Immersion pond Kettle pond Log pond Melt pond Mill pond Raceway pond Retention pond Sag pond Salt evaporation pond Sediment pond Settling pond Solar pond Stabilization pond Stepwell Stew pond Stormwater management pond Polishing pond Tailings Tarn Treatment pond Waste pond
Pools	Anchialine pool Brine pool Natural pool Plunge pool Reflecting pool Spent fuel pool Stream pool Swimming pool Tide pool Vernal pool
Puddles	Bird bath Coffee ring effect Puddle Puddles on a surface Seep puddle
Biota	Beaver dam Duck pond Fish pond Goldfish pond Koi pond
Ecosystems	Freshwater ecosystem Lake ecosystem Lentic ecosystem Aquatic ecosystem
Related topics	Aerated pond Bakki shower Big fish–little pond Body of water Full pond Hydric soil Phytotelma Water aeration Pond of Abundance Pond liner Ponding Puddle (M C Escher) Spring Swimming hole Water garden Water Lilies (Monet) Water well