The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1877-12-13

TIE ORIGIN OF THE GREAT
aF LAKES.


At the late meeting Of the Scientific
Association in Buffalo, paper was read
by Prof Newbury, attempting to explain
the origin of the great lakes ofthis coun'
try. He asserts the sequents Of events
in the formation Of the great lakes tc
have been as follows:
I. The Laurentian belt north of the
great lakes. which have been land sur
face since the beginning Of the Paleozo'
ic era, was formerly on high mountain
range, the degradation Of which has
supplied the mechanical materials which
compose the sheets OF Paleozoic rock
that surrounded it. The arosion ofthese
highlands has continued uninterrupted
till the present day, and was especially
rapid during this period.
2. Previous to the glacial period the
elevation of this portion Of the continent
was considerably greater tnan it is now,
and was drained by a river system which
flowed at much lower level than al
present. At that time our chain of lakes
Ontario, Erie and Huron-apparently
formed portions of the valley Of river
which subsequently became the St. Law
renee, but which then flowed between
the Adirondacks and AppalAchians, in
the line of the deeply buried channel OF
the Mohawk, passing through the trough
of the Hudson and emptying into the
ocean eighty miles northeast of New
York. Lake Michigan was apparently
then part of the river course which
drained Lake Superior and emptied into
the Mississippi, the Straits Of Mackinaw
being not yet opened.
3. With the approach of the cold PEE
Rod, local glaciers formed on the Lau~
rentains, and, as they increased in size,
gradually crept down to, and began to
excavate the plateau which bordered on
the west and south. The excavation OF
our lake basin was begun and perhaps
large part effected in this epoch.
a. AS the cold increased and reached
its maximum degree a great ice sheet
was formed by the enormouslyincreased
and partially coalescing local glaciers Of
the former epoch. This many lobed ice
sheet or compound glacier moved ra.
dainty from the southwest and western
slopes Of the Canadian highlands, its
Ohio lobe reaching as far south as Gin
cinnati. The effect of this glacier upon
Lake Erie and Lake Ontario would be to
broaden their basins by impinging
against and grinding away with incon.
ceivable power their southern margins.
s. With the amelioration of the eli
mate the widespread ice sheet of the
period of intensest cold became again
local glaciers, which completed the al
ready begun work Of cutting out the lake
basins. At first the glacier which had
flowed over the water shed in Ohio was
so far reduced as to be able to overtop
its summit. but DETECTED by it. it flowed
along its base spending its energies in
cutting the shallow basin in which Lake
Erie now lies.
6. The melting Of the glaciers was
accompanied, perhaps occasioned, by
sinking of the continent, which pro.
yressed until the waters of the Atlantic
lowed up to the valley of the St. Laws
'ence to Kingston, and up the Ottawa to
Amprior. The valleys Of the St. Law
.ence and the Hudson were connected
oy the way of Lake Champlain, and |
hus the highlands Of New England were
eft on an island. 1t is also possible
hat the sea water penetrated to the lake |
basin through the valley of the Mohawk |
md through that of the Mississippi, but
If this we have no evidence in the pres.
,nce of marine fossils in the surface
deposits. The great area of excavation
n which the lakes lie was probably at
his time filled to the brim with ice-cold
resh water.