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- Glacial: Glaciers covered much of Iowa 10,000 years ago. As the glaciers gradually receded and chunks of ice broke off, the melting ice left behind basins that filled with water, forming some of Iowa’s most popular and iconic lakes (e.g., Iowa Great Lakes, Clear Lake, Black Hawk Lake). Bigger blocks of ice formed deeper lakes.
www.waterrocks.org/lakes-in-iowa
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- Waves of Change
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- Mining Iowa’s Treasures
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- Geology Today
Iowa is far from an ocean or vast lake, but water still has played an important role in shaping its land. Water has at least three major roles in geology. 1. Water erodes rocks. Rain, ice, waves and creeping glaciers break rocks into smaller pieces. 2. Fast moving water carries away eroded rocks and soil as sediments. 3. When moving water slows, it...
Although the plate became more stable as it moved close to its current location, it hasn’t stayed dry for long. Frozen water in the form of mile-thick glaciers creeped across parts of Iowa at least four different times. The glaciers pushed a mix of loose gravel and soil, called till, across Iowa. This glacial till forms the base of Iowa’s rich farm...
The rocks and soil of Iowa have provided the raw materials for many occupations. Native Americans found chert in the Nishnabotna River valley in western Iowa. They chipped this sedimentary rock to make arrowheads and spear points. Early European explorers discovered deposits of lead and zinc near Dubuque. These ores were mined and refined. Coal was...
Geology is not all about work—it has also created some of Iowa’s most interesting places to play. Iowa’s great lakes in the north central part of the state were formed when huge hunks of ice broke off and melted slowly in one place. Caves with stalactites and stalagmites are common in the limestone rocks near the surface in northeast Iowa. Geode hu...
A lot is known about Iowa’s geologic history, but there is still much to be studied. Water washed away much of the evidence from millions of years ago. Geologists working with the Iowa Geologic Services Bureau and many universities are trying to piece together what happened during that time. Farmers study their soil to determine how to best use it....
The Iowa Great Lakes region was formed 13,500 years ago along the southwest edge of the Des Moines lobe ice sheet as it pressed south into Iowa. [10] The deepest part of the lake is 136 feet (41 m) in West Okoboji Lake.
- Vic Lang'at Junior
- Big Spirit Lake. Big Spirit Lake is one of the most famous lakes in this region. The lake is located to the northern city of Spirit Lake covering a total area of 5,684 acres.
- Little Spirit Lake. Little Spirit Lake runs through Minnesota and Iowa covering an approximate area of 15,707 kilometers with a coastline of about 10.1 miles.
- West Okoboji Lake. The West Okoboji Lake is in west of the city of Okoboji and to the northwest of Arnolds Park. The lake also forms a chain with other five connecting lakes apart from being one of the Iowa Great Lakes.
- East Okoboji Lake. The East Okoboji Lake is located in Dickinson County which is the northwest of the state of Iowa. The lake covers an approximate area of 7.43 square kilometers.
Iowa Great Lakes, popular resort area in Dickinson county, northwestern Iowa, U.S., just south of the Minnesota border. Included are Spirit (or Big Spirit), West Okoboji, East Okoboji, and Silver lakes, all of which are of glacial origin. Spirit Lake, the largest—4 miles (6 km) long and 3 miles (5.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
The Iowa Great Lakes region was formed 13,500 years ago along the southwest edge of the Des Moines lobe ice sheet as it pressed south into Iowa. [10] The deepest part of the lake is 136 feet (41 m) in West Okoboji Lake.
Uncommonly thick deposits of wind-blown silt (loess) create a distinct landscape along Iowa’s western border. Seasonal meltwater floods carried the silt, finely ground by glaciers to the north, down the Missouri River.
