{"id":11223,"date":"2024-03-28T21:30:25","date_gmt":"2024-03-28T20:30:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aboutriver.com\/?p=11223"},"modified":"2024-03-28T21:30:25","modified_gmt":"2024-03-28T20:30:25","slug":"how-was-the-mississippi-river-valley-formed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aboutriver.com\/how-was-the-mississippi-river-valley-formed\/","title":{"rendered":"How Was The Mississippi River Valley Formed"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Mississippi River Valley, a 5,000 km long river basin stretching across five US states, is one of the world’s longest rivers and a major water source. The Mississippi River is also one of the most biodiverse rivers in the world, and it’s home to a wide variety of wildlife. It’s also responsible for many of America’s greatest triumphs and tragedies. But how was the Mississippi River Valley formed? <\/p>\n

The formation of the Mississippi River began approximately 12,000 years ago during the Ice Age, when a large chunk of ice broke off from the Wisconsin Glacier and eventually melted. This glacier held back a large lake, called Glacial Lake Agassiz, which stretched from Canada down to the present day Great Lakes. As the glacier melted, it released an enormous amount of water that rushed into the Mississippi River Valley, carving out its distinctive course. <\/p>\n

After the ice age had ended and the waters receded, the Mississippi River Valley was left as a long, flat plain around 300 kilometers wide, with a deep trough in the center. The trough became the main course of the Mississippi River, while the plain on either side became the banks. The river gradually cut through these banks, forming the distinctive oxbow lakes and river bends. As the river cut through the floodplains, sediment was deposited on its banks and in the areas between them, creating the rich sediment layers that form the foundation of the valley today. <\/p>\n

The Mississippi River Valley is also home to a wide variety of ecosystems, from subtropical wetlands to temperate forests. These ecosystems provide habitat to a wide variety of plants and animals, making it a hotspot of biodiversity. The Mississippi River Valley also have many notable species, including the American alligator, bald eagle, and sturgeon. <\/p>\n