Driftless

/ˈdrɪftləs/ adjective

Definition

Not having glacial drift deposits; describing areas that were not covered by glaciers during the ice age, or more generally, lacking drift or aimlessness.

Etymology

From 'drift' plus the suffix '-less' (without). In geology, it specifically means areas untouched by glaciation and therefore lacking glacial drift materials.

Kelly Says

The Driftless Area of the Upper Midwest became famous because glaciers mysteriously skipped over it during ice ages—scientists still debate why this Wisconsin-Minnesota-Illinois region escaped when everything around it was buried.

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