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MORAINES
Astheicereceded,itstoppedatvariouspointsandbuiltuplandformfeaturesknownasendmoraines
ridgesthatvaryinheightandcompositiondependingonthelengthoftimetheiceremainedataparticular
pointandonthematerialsbeingeroded.
Morainesarelandformscreateddirectlybythewastingicesheet.Oftentheyarecomposedofglacial
tillasedimentofmixedcharacter,withmanyrocksandstones,laiddownastheicerapidlymelts.There
areseveraldifferentsubtypesofmoraines.
Endmorainesareirregularridgesofglacialsedimentsthatformatthemarginoredgeoftheicesheet.
Theselandformsrepresentastillstandoftheice,havingformedastheicemarginremainedinoneposition
whileinternallytheicewasbringingsedimentforwardandcontinuouslydepositingitatthemargin.
Alternatively,endmorainesmayformasaglacierreadvancesand"pushes"softsedimentinfrontofit,
creatingwhatisoftencalledasmall"pushmoraine".Theoutermostendmoraineisgiventhespecialname
"terminal"endmoraine.Allothersarereferredtoasrecessionalmoraines,sincetheymarkarecessional
positionoftheicemargin.
Endmoraines,shownbelowinblack,areridgesofglacialdrift,usuallyglacialtill,thatformattheedge
oftheicesheet.Thatis,theyare"icemarginallandforms".Morainesaretypicallyrollinglandforms,
higherthanthesurroundingcountryside.TheimagebelowisoftheimpressivePortHuronmoraine.

Eachmorainemarkstheformerpositionoftheicemargin,whereitstabilizedforafewdecadesorso.
Sometimes,themorainesmarktheendofamajorglacialreadvance,wheretheretreatingicesheetstopped
retreatingandreadvanced,pushingmaterialaheadofitandformingthemoraine.Atothertimes,they
markthelocationwheretheicefrontpausedforsometime,probablybecausetherateofadvanceofthe
ice(internally)equaledtherateatwhichmeltingwasoccurring.

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Eachmoraineformsanuplandlandscape,wherethesoilsareusuallydrier.However,endmorainesare
oftenrollingandquitehilly,andforthatreasonmanyareforestedtodaytheslopesaretoosteepforlong
termcultivation.Notehowthemoraine"loops"followtheoutlinesofthemajoricelobesthatenteredthe
state.

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MostofthemorainesinMichiganarenamedfornearbylocalities.Themapbelowprovidesthenames
ofsomeofthelargermorainesinSWLowerMichigan.ThewestsuburbsofChicagolieontheValparaiso
moraine,whereitswingsintoIllinois.ThelargehillsneartheKelloggBiologicalStationarepartofthe
Kalamazoomoraine.

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TheSaginawlobewasthinnerthantheLakeMichiganandErielobesandthereforemeltedfasterandwas
thefirsttobeginitsretreat.ItsfirsthaltafteruncoveringanareaoffourorfivetownshipsinSt.Joseph
andCasscountieswasnearSturgis,whereitbuiltthefirstandoldestmoraineinMichiganalineof
hillspassingthroughSturgisandborderingthetriangularareafirstuncovered.Thishillyridgehasbeen
namedtheSturgismoraine.FromthisoutposttheloberecededstepbystepintotheSaginawValley,andat
eachhaltbuiltamoraine,sothatitsretreatacrossMichiganismarkedbyasuccessionofmoreorless
parallelmorainesclosinginonSaginawBayfromthesouth,withtheirendstiedtothemassivemoraines
oftheErielobeintheeastandtheLakeMichiganlobeinthewest.
AfteritsbriefstopatSturgis,rapidmeltingcausedtheSaginawlobetoretreattothepositionof
TekonshawhereitbuilttheslenderTekonshamoraine.FurtherretreatbroughttheSaginawicefronttothe
positionofthelargeandwideKalamazoomoraine.Hereithaltedlongenoughtobuildupahigh,wide,
massive,veryhillyrange.TheKalamazoomoraineextendsfromHastingssouthandeastthrough
MarshalltoDevilsLakeinLenaweeCountywhereitconnectswithMississinawamorainewhichoutlines
theoutermostpositionoftheErielobeinsouthernMichigan.OnthewesttheKalamazoomoraineofthe
SaginawlobeuniteswiththemorainealsocalledKalamazoo,whichtheMichiganlobewasmakingatthat
time,extendingfromHastingsthroughKalamazooandCassopolis.ThisOuterRidgeoftheKalamazoo
morainemarksthemosteasterlyextentoftheLakeMichiganlobe.Fromthistimethepatternofmoraines
recordstheretreatsandhaltsofalltheglaciallobesErie,Huron,totheeast,LakeMichiganinthewest,
andtheSaginawlobebetween,andtheSuperiorlobeinthenorth.

Thismaterialhasbeencompiledforeducationaluseonly,andmaynotbereproducedwithoutpermission.Onecopymaybeprintedforpersonaluse.Pleasecontact
RandallSchaetzl(soils@msu.edu)formoreinformationorpermissions.

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