Glacial landscapes are complex and glacial till, glacio-fluvial, and glacio-lacustrine sediments often occur in close association. Because glaciers are always in motion and are very sensitive to climate fluctuation, the extent of the ice and its flow pattern are dynamic properties. This in turn results in the formation of ephemeral glacial lakes and shifting meltwater channels.
Other agents of transport, such as wind and gravity, further influence the deposition of sediments in glacial landscapes. All these factors results in the complex association of soil parent materials that we observe in the field.