A
Zungenbecken, also called a
tongue basin or
tongue-basin, is part of a succession of
ice age geological landforms, known as a
glacial series. It is a hollow that is left behind by the ice mass, as the
snout of the glacier (German:
Gletscherzunge) recedes, which initially fills with
meltwater, forming a
proglacial lake, and later may be filled with
surface water from streams or precipitation. When the glacier has more fully retreated this produces a finger lake or glacial piedmont lake (German:
Zungenbeckensee, known as a
Gletscherendsee of the glacial series in the
Alpine Foreland). The term
Zungenbecken is of German origin, but used in English language sources.