How Does Water Shape Michigan?
How does water shape Michigan?
Michigan is a natural resource because of water and is part of a large, renewable water cycle. Michigan is full of rivers and lakes, but it is most importantly known for its great lakes, making Michigan the “Mitten State.” That being said, it is no surprise that water has a large effect on the state, shaping the land with the erosion and deposition that occurs with lakes and rivers, to the glacial movement a million years ago. How has water shaped the mitten shape of Michigan not only today, but also during the glaciers of the Ice Age?
The glaciers that covered Michigan over one million years ago scraped the top layer of the landscape as they moved, carving landscapes throughout the land. As the glaciers melted, rivers streamed through the channels created by the glacier. The streams that formed from the glaciers spread the materials caught in the glacier throughout the land down south. The glaciers aimed to travel the least resistant path and thus the great lakes provided a great path, as they were riverbeds …show more content…
Dams can cause excess erosion on downstream of a dam due to the lack of sediments in the water. The sediments instead come from the bed and banks. Break walls can also affect the sediment levels as well as the flow of the water causing a change in the water based on the side of the break wall. An example of this could be the dam in Marquette, which upon inspection down the dam, you can see the distinguished erosion lines on the riverbanks due to the lack of natural sediment in the water.
Reservoirs can lead to the chance of flooding which would not only affect the land but also the life. This could greatly affect life nearby the flooding, including loss of plant and animal life, which would have a huge impact on the areas ecosystem. Reservoirs also affect the sediment levels of water and thus lead to higher levels of erosion
Michigan is a natural resource because of water and is part of a large, renewable water cycle. Michigan is full of rivers and lakes, but it is most importantly known for its great lakes, making Michigan the “Mitten State.” That being said, it is no surprise that water has a large effect on the state, shaping the land with the erosion and deposition that occurs with lakes and rivers, to the glacial movement a million years ago. How has water shaped the mitten shape of Michigan not only today, but also during the glaciers of the Ice Age?
The glaciers that covered Michigan over one million years ago scraped the top layer of the landscape as they moved, carving landscapes throughout the land. As the glaciers melted, rivers streamed through the channels created by the glacier. The streams that formed from the glaciers spread the materials caught in the glacier throughout the land down south. The glaciers aimed to travel the least resistant path and thus the great lakes provided a great path, as they were riverbeds …show more content…
Dams can cause excess erosion on downstream of a dam due to the lack of sediments in the water. The sediments instead come from the bed and banks. Break walls can also affect the sediment levels as well as the flow of the water causing a change in the water based on the side of the break wall. An example of this could be the dam in Marquette, which upon inspection down the dam, you can see the distinguished erosion lines on the riverbanks due to the lack of natural sediment in the water.
Reservoirs can lead to the chance of flooding which would not only affect the land but also the life. This could greatly affect life nearby the flooding, including loss of plant and animal life, which would have a huge impact on the areas ecosystem. Reservoirs also affect the sediment levels of water and thus lead to higher levels of erosion