The term "
molasse" refers to the
sandstones,
shales and
conglomerates formed as terrestrial or shallow
marine deposits in front of rising mountain chains. The molasse is deposited in a
foreland basin, especially on top of
flysch, for example that 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 once the
orogeny stops, or once the mountains have eroded flat.