Origins March 1, 2010

The geologic story of the Lake Superior region is rooted in fire and ice. Ancient lava flows emerged from a mid-continental rift. As this molten rock cooled, its weight pushed down on the earth's crust creating a bowl shape that would one day be Gitchi-Gummi. Glaciers scoured the landscape and their melting filled the bowl with water to form Glacial Lake Duluth. Water levels in modern day Lake Superior are hundreds of feet below the level of this ancient lake.