The Great Lakes of North America owe their existence to a “hot spot” that was active hundreds of millions of years ago. This is demonstrated by the results of a study published by Geophysical Research Letters.
Today, Cape Verde is an island nation in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. However, 300 million years ago, this point was under what would become North America during the era of the supercontinent Pangea.
“The hot spot heated and stretched the Earth’s crust, creating lowlands. When the glaciers came in, about 20,000 years ago, they destroyed the region and left behind depressions that were then filled with meltwater.
Today, these lakes contain about 20 percent of the world’s fresh water,” the article reports Noi.md with reference to .
The authors note that this discovery links ancient mantle activity to the modern geography of the Great Lakes.
“This underscores how Earth’s internal processes over millions of years can shape features that have profound effects on ecosystems and human life,” the scientists say.
