Time-Lapse: Glacial Outburst Causes Flooding in Juneau, Alaska Glacial lakes form in valleys where ice has melted and are blocked by glaciers or debris. As these lakes fill with water, pressure can cause a sudden release downstream, known as a glacial lake outburst flood. These events are sudden and can be devastating. This time-lapse from May 1st to August 7th captures the dramatic rise and fall of water levels in Suicide Basin during the outburst. The basin was formed as rising temperatures re

The Effect of Ice Age Glaciers: Formation of Pluvial Lakes

Glacial Lake Iroquois was a massive prehistoric lake that covered much of what is now upstate New York and southern Ontario during the last Ice Age, formed as glaciers retreated around 13,000 years ago. At its peak, this ancient body of water was significantly larger than any of today’s Great Lakes and drained through the Mohawk Valley into the Hudson River. When the ice dam finally broke, the catastrophic drainage of Lake Iroquois helped carve the landscape we see today and contributed to the f