Transcript File

The Glacial
History and
Geographic
Regions of
Michigan
Geography of Michigan

Michigan: based on the Chippewa Indian word
"meicigama" meaning great water.

Mount Arvon is Michigan's highest point. Rising 1,979
feet above sea level

Michigan consists of two peninsulas that are separated
by the Straits of Mackinac, and some nearby islands

At a total of 97,990 square miles (253,793 km²),
Michigan is the largest state east of the Mississippi River

Lake Superior is the deepest of the five Great Lakes.
Lake Erie is the shallowest of the five Great Lakes

Three short rivers are vital to the economy of the state
as they carry goods among the Great Lakes: Detroit
River, St. Clair River and St. Mary's River, where the
Soo Locks are located
Kettle Lakes

Kettle Lakes: Kettles are depressions left behind after
partially-buried ice blocks melt. Many are filled with
water, and are then called "kettle lakes".

Most lakes in Michigan could be described as kettle
lakes, and the term "kettle lake" describes the way the
lake basin was formed. Kettle lake basins were formed
as the glaciers receded

Examples: Higgins Lake and Walled Lake,
The Glacial History of Michigan

The landforms of
Michigan are a result
of major changes
brought about by
continental
glaciations.

Landforms can be
depositional or
erosional in nature.
The Glacial History of Michigan
Glacial landforms dominate the surface of
the whole state except the western half of
the U.P., where eroded remnants of some of
the oldest mountains on earth are found.
 There is considerable diversity in MI—from
glacial lake plains near Detroit, to sand
dunes bordering Lake Michigan, to massive
moraines in the northern lower peninsula.

The Glacial History of
Michigan

The last ice age occurred during the
Pleistocene Epoch (a division of time).

It began 2 million years ago and ended
approximately 12,000 years ago.

We live in the Recent Epoch today
(12,000 years ago to the present).
The Glacial History of
Michigan


The last ice age was
the fourth major ice
age in Earth’s 4.6
billion year history.
In addition to the
northern U.S. and
Canada, the last ice
age created the
glacial landforms of
northern Europe and
Siberia.

Others occurred:
 2.0
billion
years ago
 600
million
years ago
 250
million
years ago (on
Pangaea!)
The Glacial History of
Michigan

During an ice age, it is not cold all the
time. Long periods of cold temperatures
and glaciations are broken up by equally
long periods of warm temperatures during
which glaciers recede and sea level rises.

The warm periods are called
interglacial's, meaning “in between times
of glaciers.”
The Glacial History of Michigan

During a glacial
period, snow fall
accumulated into
layers of ice in 4
regions of North
America.
The Glacial History of Michigan
These huge masses
of ice were up to
10,000 feet or more
in thickness.
 They moved south
into the U.S.
leveling existing
hills, filled in
valleys, blocked
drainage patterns of
rivers, and gouged
out major basins.

The Glacial History of
Michigan

The Great Lakes were carved out from river
valleys over the entire Pleistocene Epoch.

With each advance of the ice, they got wider &
deeper.
The Glacial History of
Michigan


The depth of the lake
is determined by the
thickness of the ice at
the time of
glaciations. The
farther north the lobe
of ice, the thicker it
was.
Consequently, the
lakes get more
shallow in the
southern Great Lakes
region.
LAKE:
GREATEST DEPTH:

Superior =
1,333 ft.

Michigan =
925 ft.

Huron =
725 ft.

Ontario =
283 ft.

Erie =
212 ft.
The Glacial History of Michigan

The Great Lakes are
5 of the lakes in a
5,000-mile long
string of lakes
through central and
western Canada.

Each was carved by
huge continental ice
sheets over the last
2 million years.
The Glacial History of
Michigan
The moving ice carried sediments (small pieces of rock)
long distances. Rocks from Canada have been found in
Ohio and Indiana.
 Canadian Shield: The Canadian Shield, is a large area of
exposed hard igneous rock covered by a thin layer of
soil.




stretches North from the Great Lakes to the Arctic Ocean,
covering over half of Canada; it also extends South into
the Northern reaches of the United States.
As the ice melted, the sediments were deposited,
creating huge landforms.
Some sediments were deposited in large ridges and hills
while others were carried away by vast amounts of
melt-water streaming from the melting ice sheets.
The Glacial History of
Michigan



Another major result of glaciations was
the creation of a large number of inland
lakes and wetlands.
More than 11,000 inland lakes are
largely the result of water accumulating
in depressions left by passing glaciers.
Much of the swamp land of Michigan was
drained for agriculture. This accounted
for the loss of 50% of Michigan’s wetlands.
The Glacial History of
Michigan

The flattest areas of southeast Michigan
are plains that are the result of deposits
on the bottom of ancient lakes.

Detroit and the northwest suburbs used to
be under an ancient lake!
Regions of
Michigan
What Determines A Region
 Geographic
 Vegetation
 Population
 Agriculture
Placement
Northern Michigan

Small to medium size cities

Large portion of Great Lakes
shoreline

Tourism is the main industry

Frequently known to seasonal
residents as “up north”

Landmarks: Tahquamenon Falls
State Park
Tahquamenon Falls
West Michigan

Examples of different types of areas in
the West
 Muskegon
 Grand
Rapids
 Kalamazoo

Boundaries are questionable &
uncertain

Economy: mostly agriculture (fruit,
beets, corn, soy beans)

Some automobile manufacturing
Mid-Michigan
 Mainly
farmland
 Moderate size cities
 Home to our State Capitol
(Lansing)
Flint/Tri-cities Region

2 sub regions: The Thumb & Greater TriCities

Home to Flint
 5th
largest city in MI

Many lakes & rivers

Economy is dependent on manufacturing
 Michigan
 DOW
Sugar Company
Chemical Company
 Delphi
Corporation
Southeast Michigan
 Majority
of state businesses &
industries
 Over
half of the states
population
 Home
of Detroit
State’s
largest city
Lake Effect
Wind blows across Lake Michigan from the west.
In winter, the lake’s water is usually warmer than the air
and warmer than the land.
As the west winds move over the lake, they pick up warm lake moisture.
By the time the winds reach the shore, they help to warm the land.
This makes winter temperatures less harsh.
In summer the opposite happens.
The lake’s water is usually cooler than the air and the land.
The west winds cool off as they blow over the lake and bring cool
breezes to the land
Summer
Winter
cooler
warmer
warmer
cooler
water
land
water
land