Mining in Manitoba |
Pleistocene Glaciation |
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Manitoba Glaciation |
The glaciation of the Pleistocene epoch greatly
modified the pre-existing topography of Manitoba and the deposits left following the
retreat of the glaciers. The pre-existing surface was scoured by the glaciers to exposed
fresh bedrock. Broken material was carried forward during the advance of the glaciers and
then dropped when they melted, forming large moraine, drumlin, eskers, and outwash plains.
During the retreat of the glaciers, a thick ice-sheet blocked the natural drainage to the
north, and vast glacial lakes formed in front of this barrier. Large deltas formed where
major streams entered this lake, beach deposits formed along the shorelines at different
levels during the successive stages of the lake, and lake silts and clays were deposited
on the bottom.
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