Glacial Lake Pingree Circle Tour

05/09/2026

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History DYK: The first known map that named the Fox River as the Pestekouy (Algonquin for bison) was drawn by Jean-Baptiste Louis Franquelin in 1684.

05/07/2026

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Michigan’s underground layers record two very different ancient worlds.

One left behind thick limestone filled with fossils. It records long periods when warm shallow seas covered the basin and marine life thrived.

The other left behind massive salt deposits with very little record of life at all.

For tens of millions of years, shallow seas repeatedly flooded parts of the Michigan Basin and surrounding areas while this region sat much closer to the equator than it does today. Warm tropical waters supported reefs, corals, shellfish, and other marine life that built up thick layers of carbonate sediment that eventually became limestone.

But the basin did not always stay connected to the open ocean.

As sea levels shifted and circulation became restricted, evaporation sometimes concentrated the salt faster than seawater could replace it. Conditions became increasingly hostile to most marine life.

Those periods left behind enormous salt and gypsum deposits instead of fossil rich limestone.

That cycle repeated again and again across immense spans of geological time.

Today those ancient environments are still preserved underground beneath Michigan.

Image: Middle Devonian paleogeographic reconstruction of eastern North America by Dr. Ron Blakey, modified by dhaluza and Hike395 via Wikimedia Commons.

04/24/2026

04/22/2026

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A statement from Anishinabek Nation Grand Council Chief Linda Debassige on :

04/22/2026

Grammy-nominated harpist Yolanda Kondonassis unveils latest collaboration, “Terra Infirma,” shaped by wildfire, ancient musical traditions with a call to environmental action.

04/09/2026

Meet Devon! She is the nature program coordinator at Hawthorne Hill Nature Center. 🌿

In just over a year as nature program coordinator at Hawthorne Hill for the City of Elgin, she's already made a big impact. Devon plans and leads programs, manages volunteers, and organizes events, keeping things lively and engaging for visitors of all ages.

One program she is especially proud of is Mud Day, a hands-on event she introduced. It's exactly what it sounds like—a day when kids can splash in pools of mud, learn about critters and take part in a variety of fun activities.

Her proudest accomplishment so far? Securing a grant to install four floating eco-islands at Hawthorne Hill. These plant-covered islands will grow roots into the pond, helping support the ecosystem.

Fun fact: Devon loves bugs! She even has a pet cockroach named Margo, who lives in her own enclosure in Devon's office.

If you're visiting Hawthorne Hill, don't forget to say hello to Devon (and Margo, too!).

04/06/2026

This is a great drone view of Elgin’s Jack Cook park, but all the amenities not withstanding, the geological value of the video is that it gives you a great sense of the geomorphology! You are flying over the morphological bottomlands of Glacial Lake Pingree!

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04/06/2026

03/30/2026

03/30/2026

Illinois State Geological Survey, geologists have used the term “ice-walled glacial lake” to describe the lake-on-ice formation. The lake bed that develops is deposited as an “Ice-walled glacial lake plain” upon melting.🫠

World Day for Glaciers 🌎🧊🏔️

Today we recognize World Day for Glaciers, a reminder of the vital role glaciers have played in Earth’s climate and water systems — and an opportunity to highlight how ancient ice helped shape the Ohio we know today.

While Ohio no longer has glaciers, the Laurentide Ice Sheet covered 2/3rds of the state during the last Ice Age—known to geologists as the Pleistocene Epoch—leaving behind features that continue to define our landscape. Glacial deposits, flattened plains, rolling moraines, and countless lakes and wetlands across northern and western Ohio are all lasting evidence of this powerful geologic history. These glacial processes influenced:

🩵The fertile soils that support Ohio’s agriculture
🤍The course of major river valleys, including the Scioto, Miami, Killbuck, Muskingum, Grand River, and Olentangy
🩵The distribution of Ohio’s natural resources and ecosystems

As glaciers around the world rapidly retreat due to a warming climate, today serves as a reminder of how interconnected Earth’s systems are — and how past geologic events continue to shape our present.

The Ohio Geological Survey remains committed to studying, documenting, and sharing Ohio’s geologic history so we can better understand and protect our natural resources. Learn more about Ohio’s glacial geology on our website: ohiodnr.gov/glacialgeology

Photo Caption: This diagram illustrates common glacial landforms left behind by the retreat of the Laurentide Ice Sheet, including moraines, eskers, kames, kettle lakes, outwash deposits, and regions of older and newer till. Features like these can be found across Ohio, and help geologists understand the sequence of glacial advances and retreats that shaped the state’s landscape.