Prehistoric events Floods in the United States before 1901

1 prehistoric events

1.1 kankakee torrent
1.2 glacial river warren
1.3 maumee torrent
1.4 missoula floods
1.5 bonneville flood

prehistoric events
kankakee torrent

the kankakee torrent catastrophic flood occurred between 14,000 , 18,000 years ago, resulting breach of large glacial lake formed melting of wisconsin glacier. origin of flood may have been prehistoric lake chicago, may have come further east, near today center of lower peninsula of state of michigan. torrent carved out channel followed kankakee river , illinois river. appears have pushed course of ohio river further south , mississippi river further west. bluffs carved torrent can seen @ starved rock state park , kankakee river state park. in both parks, smaller streams flow on waterfalls before join main river, phenomenon known hanging tributaries.

glacial river warren

glacial river warren drained lake agassiz in central north america through series of floods 9,700 years ago. enormous outflow lake carved broad valley occupied smaller minnesota river , upper mississippi river. agassiz huge body of water, 600–700 feet (~200 m) deep, , @ various times covering areas totaling on 110,000 square miles (~300,000 km). blocked ice sheet north, lake water rose until 9,700 years ago, when overtopped big stone moraine, ridge of glacial drift left receding glacier, @ location of browns valley, minnesota. lake s outflow catastrophic @ times, , carved gorge through moraine mile (1.6 km) wide , 130 feet (~40 m) deep, known traverse gap. while active, glacial river warren cut , eroded bed 5 miles (8 km) wide , 250 feet (80 m) deep. has left valley starts @ traverse gap near browns valley, minnesota, goes southeast mankato, turns northeast twin cities.

maumee torrent

the maumee torrent caused draining of glacial lake maumee, ancestor of present-day lake erie. flood carved channel 2 miles wide, today site of little river in allen county, indiana.

missoula floods

the missoula floods series of flood outbursts took place near end of last ice age. of unique geography of eastern washington, named channeled scablands, thought have been carved during period. glacial lake, located on clark fork river in western montana thought have been source. glacial lake outburst floods thought have been result of periodic sudden ruptures of ice dam on clark fork river created glacial lake missoula. after each ice dam rupture, waters of lake rush down clark fork , columbia river, inundating of eastern washington , willamette valley in western oregon. after rupture, ice reform, recreating glacial lake missoula once again.

bonneville flood

the bonneville flood catastrophic flood 14,000 years ago, involved massive amounts of water inundating parts of southern idaho , eastern washington along course of snake river. unlike missoula floods, occurred during same period, bonneville flood happened once. flood believed second largest flood in known geologic history.