Tarn (lake)

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.

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).

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 growing into the tarn.

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

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