Book 5, Question 53
Ice Age Leftovers! Why Are Some Lakes Left by Ice?
During the ice ages, glaciers dug out hollows in the ground as they moved. When the ice melted, water filled many of those hollows and made lakes. Some lakes we see today started that way.
From the book
Page from A Million Whys Book 5
More fun facts
- Huge sheets of ice carved the U-shaped valleys that hold New York's Finger Lakes.
- When the glaciers pulled back north about 10,000 years ago, they left piles of gravel that dammed streams.
- The dammed-up valleys filled with water and became lakes.
- Seneca and Cayuga, the two largest Finger Lakes, are among the deepest lakes in North America.
- Cayuga Lake is about 435 feet deep, so its bottom is below sea level.
- The Finger Lakes got their name because they are long and side by side, like fingers.
Sources: NASA Science, National Geographic Education
Questions kids ask
How can ice make a lake?
Glaciers dig out deep valleys, and when they melt, gravel they leave behind can dam the water in.