Your Tour Guide…Your Tour Guide…

Welcome! I’ll be your tour guide on your virtual trip through the beautiful, and once glaciated, state of Michigan. Enjoy your trip and don’t forget to fill out your journal (aka worksheet) ! Next

The Last Ice Age…The Last Ice Age…

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Nearly 1.5 million years ago an ice age helped create glaciers that covered our state. Our Great Lakes didn’t even exist at that point! In fact, they were likely just rivers.

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The glaciers that shaped Michigan went as far south as the Ohio River valley. These glaciers left Michigan just over 10,000 years ago (that is a relatively short time in the scheme of history).

Features left by GlaciersFeatures left by Glaciers

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There are lots of features left behind by glaciers, including:

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MorainesOutwash PlainsTillKettlesErraticsEskersDrumlinsStriationsKamesGreat Lakes

MorainesMoraines

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There are lots of features left behind by glaciers. Moraines are features that can be found all over Michigan. They formed at the melting edges and front of the glacier. Moraines are ridges of till and basically look like hills. Back

Notice the moraines in Montcalm County. Can you picture where these are?

MorainesMoraines

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Although moraines can be found all over the state, not all moraines are equal. One of the more popular moraines is Boyne Mountain, a ski resort near Petoskey. An outwash plain occurs at the base of the moraine.

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Boyne Mountain, Michigan

Outwash PlainsOutwash Plains

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There are many outwash plains in Michigan. They are flat plains in front of moraines formed by deposits left behind by the glacial meltwater. They make excellent farm fields because of these fertile deposits.Back

Battle Creek, Michigan

TillTill

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Unsorted mixtures of clay, silt, sand, gravel, and boulders are known as till. Till is a common deposit left all over the state by glaciers. For instance, moraines are composed of till.

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KettlesKettles

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Kettles are depressions left behind after partially-buried ice blocks melt. Many are filled with water, and are called kettle lakes. Many of our small, deep lakes in Michigan are kettle lakes. For instance, our own Baldwin Lake is a kettle.Back

Greenville, Michigan

ErraticsErratics

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Erratics are boulders that are usually found near moraines. They were transported by ice, streams are not powerful enough to move the boulders. Erratics are commonly found in fields. At right is an erratic from the Keweenaw Peninsula.Back

Keweenaw Peninsula, Michigan

EskersEskers

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Eskers were formed from rivers inside a glacier. The water of the river deposited materials along the river path when the mouth of the river became clogged. The most famous esker in Michigan is the Mason Esker, near Mason, Michigan.Back

Mason, Michigan

DrumlinsDrumlins

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There are limited numbers of drumlin fields in Michigan. However, a prominent one is located near Traverse City. These teardrop shaped landforms are made of till and signal the direction of glacial movement.

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Traverse City, Michigan

StriationsStriations

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Striations are created when rocks at the bottom of the glacier plow through bedrock, scraping and scarring the land. Finer grain material carried by the glacier scrapes and polishes the rock. These striations are located in Calumet.

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Calumet, Michigan

KamesKames

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Conical hills, called kames (some are 350 feet high), were formed by surface rivers flowing down to the ground through cracks in the ice, depositing heaps of cone-shaped debris along the way.

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Mt. Pleasant, Michigan

Great LakesGreat Lakes

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The Great Lakes, our most recognizable glacier feature, were formed by the advancing and retreating of major ice lobes. The meltwater from these lobes filled in the depressions left by the glacial ice lobes, thus forming the Great Lakes.

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Animation of the Great Lakes forming over time. These are NOT kettle lakes.

Benefits of GlaciersBenefits of Glaciers

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All of these features created by the glaciers have benefitted Michigan’s economy. The Great Lakes, tourism, agriculture, industry, and mineral resources are just some of the glacier related items that have positively affected the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services in our area. .

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Great LakesGreat Lakes

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The Great Lakes are the largest sources of fresh water in the world. In addition, they provide important waterways for the transportation of goods not only in Michigan, but around the world.Back

TourismTourism

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The immense number of lakes, rivers, forests, rolling moraines, and dunes provide ample beauty for vacationers to enjoy. Tourism is an important source of revenue for our state.Back

AgricultureAgriculture

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Due to the rich, sorted soils created by glaciers, farming is an important part of Michigan’s economy. Just think of all the soybeans, corn, potato fields, and orchards in our region!

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IndustryIndustry

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Many industries rely on our glacial artifacts. The auto industry began in our state due to the availability of water transportation and iron deposits used to produce steel. Also, the rivers provide an important source of energy for industry.Back

Mineral ResourcesMineral Resources

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Glaciers left behind many mineral resources like sand and gravel used in construction. Clay is used to make pottery. The discovery of gypsum, salt, shales, iron, copper, and oil have brought many booms to Michigan’s economy.

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As you have seen glaciers have left their mark all over Michigan. Not only did they shape our state, but they provide us with beautiful landscapes, sources of entertainment, tourism, agricultural, industry, and mineral opportunities.

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ItineraryItinerary

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Last Ice Age

Moraines

Drumlins

Eskers

Kames

KettlesThank you for visiting! If you would like to return to any of the “places” you have visited, use the links to the right.

Erratics

Striations

Outwash Plains

Till

Agriculture

Tourism

Great Lakes

Industry

Minerals