dbd-74.nd
 
March 1994
 
Ground Water Youth Guide
 
 
North Dakota State University Extension Service
Fargo, ND
 
 
 
 ICE AGE EFFECTS ON NORTH DAKOTA WATER
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
What was North Dakota like before the first Ice Age?
 
It must have been warm, because we have found remains of tropical
trees, plants and animals. We know that many rivers ran through the
state.
 
dbd-74.fig1.nd.gif
Figure 1.
 
 
 
Which direction did all of those rivers run before the first glacier
came?
 
 
 
What was the main river that ran through the state?
 
 
 
What other rivers ran into it?
 
 
 
Are any of those rivers still around today?
 
Glaciers started about two million years ago and ended 10,000 years 
ago. As the last glacier was melting and moving back into Canada, it
left behind a huge body of water called Lake Agassiz in the eastern
part of North Dakota. Lake Agassiz ran from just south of the North
Dakota border all the way up into Canada and covered many square miles
of land.The Red River now runs from south to north in the flat plain
left after Lake Agassiz drained away.
 
dbd-74.fig2.nd.gif
Figure 2.
 
What is a glacier?
 
How does it form?
 
Mow does it move?
 
What happens when it melts?
 
Can you still find a river that has not changed much in location and
direction of its flow before and after the Ice Age?
 
By studying the materials buried deep in North Dakota, we can find
that glaciers pushed over much of the state many times. Every time
that a glacier has come and gone there has been a change of the
surface. Each advance of the slow moving glaciers caused the rivers
to change their direction of flow.
 
Today, in the western part of North Dakota small rivers eventually
connect with the Missouri River that flows south. In the other parts of
the state, the Red River and Souris River flow north to Canada. Also,
most parts of the state do not have many rivers or streams, because
they were filled in by material pushed by the glaciers. Wetlands and
lakes rather than rivers are the result.
 
Many old river channels are now buried deep below the surface.
Glaciers have affected both surface water and groundwater resources.
 
The sand and gravel in the buried river channels now serve as sources
of groundwater called aquifers. You can see that the Red River still
flows in about the same place, but many changes have taken place in
the Missouri River.
 
dbd-74.fig3.nd.gif
Figure 3.
 
 
 
What part of the state was never touched by a glacier?
 
TXTEND
 
Funding for this publication was provided by the U.S.Department of
Agriculture Extension Service, under project numbr 89-EWQI-1-9006 and
the Nort Dakota State University Extension Service.
 
NDSU Extension service. North Dakota State University of Agriculture
and Applied science, and U.S. Department of Agriculture cooperating.
Robert J. Christman, Interim Director, Fargo. North
Dakota. Distributed in furtherance of the Acts of Congress of May 8
and June 30, 1914. We offer our programs and facilities to all persons
regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, handicap,
age, Vietnam era veterans status. or sexual orientation; and are an
equal opportunity employer.