Which glacial feature describes a chain of small lakes connected by stream in a trough?

• A. Kettle lakes
• B. Tarn lakes
• C. Paternoster lakes
• D. Ice-contact ponds

Answer: (C)

A chain of small lakes linked by a stream in a glacial trough is formed when meltwater fills a sequence of bedrock basins carved into the valley floor as the glacier retreats. Each basin holds water and overflows downstream to the next, creating a continuous drainage along the trough. The term paternoster lakes reflects this beads-on-a-string arrangement, with each lake separated by a small moraine or bedrock step.

This pattern is different from kettle lakes, which are isolated ponds formed by blocks of ice buried in outwash that later melt; tarns, which are lakes in cirques at the head of valleys; and ice-contact ponds, which are meltwater pools that form directly against the glacier margin.