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molasse

Type of sedimentary rock deposit associated with the formation of mountain chains.

EntityQ304080

Subclass of: sedimentary rock

Overview

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · Read full article · Text CC BY-SA 4.0

In geology, "molasse" are sandstones, shales and conglomerates that form as terrestrial or shallow marine deposits in front of rising mountain chains. The molasse deposits accumulate in a foreland basin, especially on top of flysch-like deposits, for example, those that are left from the rising Alps, or erosion in the Himalaya. These deposits are typically the non-marine alluvial and fluvial sediments of lowlands, as compared to deep-water flysch sediments. Sedimentation stops when the orogeny stops, or when the mountains have eroded flat.

Overview

All data

15 statements · 13% with external sources · numbers in brackets are citations

Studied by: sedimentology

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15 identifiers linking molasse across the web's reference databases

Data quality

statements

13%

externally sourced

Source last edited July 10, 2026. AIDB refreshes this page daily.

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AIDB. (2026). molasse (Q304080). Retrieved from https://aidb.si/e/molasse-Q304080