Laurentide and Cordilleran ice sheets shaped North American glaciation patterns. The Wisconsin ice age in North America had at least four successive glaciations followed by interglaciations The ice sheet reached as far south as the Ohio River region during glacial maximum Northern Alaska and the Bering Land Bridge connecting Alaska to Siberia were not glaciated
During the Wisconsin ice age, North America experienced at least four major glaciations. Two enormous ice sheets formed: the massive Laurentide (Antarctic-scale) and the smaller Cordilleran (Greenland-scale). Remarkably, northern Alaska and the Bering Land Bridge remained ice-free. An ice-free corridor existed between the sheets in Alberta, though it was an extremely hostile environment for any potential migrants.
Key Facts
- The Wisconsin ice age in North America had at least four successive glaciations followed by interglaciations
- The ice sheet reached as far south as the Ohio River region during glacial maximum
- Northern Alaska and the Bering Land Bridge connecting Alaska to Siberia were not glaciated
- Western Siberia was also not glaciated
- Two major ice sheets existed: the Laurentide (Antarctic-scale) and the Cordilleran (Greenland-scale)
- An ice-free corridor existed between the two ice sheets in Alberta, but was an extremely hostile environment
Source: Ancient Builders: Live Quest Presentation by The Randall Carlson