CLIMATE HISTORY AND GEOLOGY


THE SHIFTING COURSE OF THE MISSOURI RIVER

REVISED APRIL 2010

A virtual field trip to see how the geology of the northern Great Plains and the course of the Missouri River have been altered by the great Ice Ages of the past.  The field trip is in several segments, ordered by the stopovers at the ends of each segment.

Along the way we cross the path of the epic journey of Lewis and Clark.  At some of those points our observations illuminate their discoveries.

  1. Great Falls to Fort Benton
  2. Fort Benton to Geraldine: The Shonkin Sag
  3. Fort Benton to Big Sandy
  4. Big Sandy to Winifred: The Missouri Breaks
  5. Big Sandy to Havre
  6. The Old Course of the Milk River in Alberta
  7. The New Course of the Milk River: Havre to Glasgow
  8. Eastern Montana
  9. The Missouri Coteau in North Dakota
  10. A Landforms Map of the Region



This web site has been created and maintained by Gerald Davidson, PHD
http://www.onemain.com/~gdavids/index.htm.

Please send comments, suggestions, and corrections to
Gerald Davidson.
P.O. Box 1466
Red Lodge, MT 59068