Glacial history of Minnesota
Okay, imagine Minnesota is a big ice cream sundae. But instead of being made of ice cream, it’s made of ice! How did that happen?
A long time ago, around 2.5 million years ago, thick sheets of ice called glaciers started to form over Canada. These glaciers were incredibly big – they could be over a mile thick! They slowly moved south, pushing dirt and rocks in front of them.
As the glaciers moved further south, they covered Minnesota in ice. This made the landscape of Minnesota look very different than it does now. The ice was so heavy and powerful that it made deep valleys and hills in the land underneath.
Some parts of Minnesota were covered by more than one glacier! Each glacier left behind a layer of dirt and rocks, called till. It’s like if you were making a sandcastle and kept adding more layers of sand, each layer would be different.
When the glaciers finally melted, they left behind huge lakes and rivers. The largest lake was called Lake Agassiz and it was as big as some of the Great Lakes! As the water in these lakes and rivers started to recede, new plants and animals moved in.
Now, when you visit Minnesota, it may not look like an ice cream sundae anymore, but you can still see the effects of the glaciers. The land is hilly because of the valleys and hills made by the glaciers. There are still big lakes all over the state, like Lake Mille Lacs and Lake Superior, because of the leftover water from the glaciers. So even though the ice is all gone now, its legacy can still be seen in the beautiful landscape of Minnesota.
A long time ago, around 2.5 million years ago, thick sheets of ice called glaciers started to form over Canada. These glaciers were incredibly big – they could be over a mile thick! They slowly moved south, pushing dirt and rocks in front of them.
As the glaciers moved further south, they covered Minnesota in ice. This made the landscape of Minnesota look very different than it does now. The ice was so heavy and powerful that it made deep valleys and hills in the land underneath.
Some parts of Minnesota were covered by more than one glacier! Each glacier left behind a layer of dirt and rocks, called till. It’s like if you were making a sandcastle and kept adding more layers of sand, each layer would be different.
When the glaciers finally melted, they left behind huge lakes and rivers. The largest lake was called Lake Agassiz and it was as big as some of the Great Lakes! As the water in these lakes and rivers started to recede, new plants and animals moved in.
Now, when you visit Minnesota, it may not look like an ice cream sundae anymore, but you can still see the effects of the glaciers. The land is hilly because of the valleys and hills made by the glaciers. There are still big lakes all over the state, like Lake Mille Lacs and Lake Superior, because of the leftover water from the glaciers. So even though the ice is all gone now, its legacy can still be seen in the beautiful landscape of Minnesota.
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