The extent and drainage
patterns of the lakes formed at the southern front the northern glaciers during
the last ice age have been demonstrated. I am more familiar with the North
American situation. The overflow of glacial Lake Aggasiz (with the
then-tributary Lake Superior), dug new river valleys so that the Upper
Mississippi and upper Missouri now flow south to the Gulf of Mexico. This was a
humongous amount of water. Where I live, in Northeast Iowa, the Mississippi is a
deep gorge with high cliffs on either side.
The situation in Europe was
similar. At the height of the Ice Age, all access to the Arctic Ocean and
North Sea was blocked by ice. Huge freshwater lakes formed at the front of the
glacier. All of Central and Eastern European waters, and the waters of Western
Siberia flowed to the then-freshwater Euxine Lake, and thence to the Med. By
8,000 BCE, the glaciers had sufficiently retreated to allow European rivers
access to the North Sea and the Ob and Yenisey Rivers access to the Arctic
Ocean.
> Mark Odegard
wrote:
>
> > These lakes took their path to the sea via a
much
> > increased Aral and Caspian, the Euxine and then to the
>
> Med. Some maps I've seen suggest Aral-Caspian-Euxine were
> >
united as one huge fresh-water lake.
>
> Are there any geological
data supporting this? What would be
> the timeline for those
events?
>
> Michal