Great Lakes Geography
The state of Michigan is surrounded by the Great Lakes, the largest bodies of fresh water. We are so lucky to have the lakes around us. Michigan was shaped thousands of years ago and what we have now is the cause of many glaciers, rivers and lakes, and human made alterations. The Great Lakes began to form in the last glacier period about 14,000 years ago, since then they have been a big part of transportation, trade and growth for our country. (https://www.google.com/search?q=areas+and+volumes+of+the+great+lakes)
How is the majority of the fresh water for the United States in these five lakes, you may ask? Well each of these lakes can hold a large amount of water and all together they hold about 6 quadrillion gallons of water with a total …show more content…
The retreat of the ice sheet left behind a large amount of meltwater (see Lake Algonquin and Lake Chicago) that filled up the basins that the glaciers had carved, thus creating the Great Lakes as we know them today. Because of the uneven nature of glacier erosion, some higher hills became Great Lakes islands. The Niagara Escarpment follows the contour of the Great Lakes between New York and Wisconsin. See also Glacial Lake Iroquois and Champlain Sea. Land below the glaciers "rebounded" as it was uncovered. Because the glaciers covered some areas longer than others, this glacial rebound occurred at different rates.” (Wikipedia, …show more content…
The Great Lakes were formed many years ago and help shaped this wonderful state that we get to live in. Without the Great Lakes, Michigan would not be here. We look at the glaciers from the past that helped form this area, we look at how the lakes are effected by the rivers and streams connected to them and we look at the ways that we as people effect the lakes. We have to look at the ways we can stop polluting these lakes and keep them the freshest bodies of water. The Great Lakes have been a huge part of the world we live in today and will continue to be if they can stay as fresh as they
How is the majority of the fresh water for the United States in these five lakes, you may ask? Well each of these lakes can hold a large amount of water and all together they hold about 6 quadrillion gallons of water with a total …show more content…
The retreat of the ice sheet left behind a large amount of meltwater (see Lake Algonquin and Lake Chicago) that filled up the basins that the glaciers had carved, thus creating the Great Lakes as we know them today. Because of the uneven nature of glacier erosion, some higher hills became Great Lakes islands. The Niagara Escarpment follows the contour of the Great Lakes between New York and Wisconsin. See also Glacial Lake Iroquois and Champlain Sea. Land below the glaciers "rebounded" as it was uncovered. Because the glaciers covered some areas longer than others, this glacial rebound occurred at different rates.” (Wikipedia, …show more content…
The Great Lakes were formed many years ago and help shaped this wonderful state that we get to live in. Without the Great Lakes, Michigan would not be here. We look at the glaciers from the past that helped form this area, we look at how the lakes are effected by the rivers and streams connected to them and we look at the ways that we as people effect the lakes. We have to look at the ways we can stop polluting these lakes and keep them the freshest bodies of water. The Great Lakes have been a huge part of the world we live in today and will continue to be if they can stay as fresh as they