The Laurentide Ice Sheet - Pro Glacial Lakes Flashcards
What caused the creation of proglacial lakes?
The edge of the giant ice sheet and its associated lobes also dammed the natural drainage of the area. This created a number of proglacial lakes.
Which was the largest proglacial lake in the area?
The largest of these was Lake Agassiz.
Where was Lake Agassiz located?
Lake Agassiz, a small part of which occupied the present Red River valley of Minnesota and North Dakota.
What blocked the natural northward drainage of the area?
Glaciers to the north blocked the natural northward drainage of the area.
What size did the proglacial lake reach at its maximum?
At its maximum, this lake covered 440,000 km2, which is a similar size to the present-day Black Sea.
Where did the water from the proglacial lake overflow?
The water overflowed the watershed at Brown’s Valley, Minnesota, drained through the Traverse Gap and cut the present Minnesota River valley.
What was the impact of the water discharge from the proglacial lake?
The amount of discharge was staggering. It helped the adjacent Mississippi River to form a very large valley in southeastern Minnesota.
What is the name of the river that drained from Lake Agassiz?
The river that drained from Lake Agassiz is called the Glacial River Warren.
What did the lake leave behind after draining?
When the lake finally drained, it left behind fertile silt deposits, producing the rich farmland of the Red River valley.
