Lake Jordan (Montana)

Lake Jordan
Map of Montana showing Lake Jordan.
Location of Lake Jordan in Montana, USA.
Location of Lake Jordan in Montana, USA.
Lake Jordan
Location of Lake Jordan in Montana, USA.
Location of Lake Jordan in Montana, USA.
Lake Jordan
LocationGlacier and Glacier, Montana along the Jordan River (Montana).
Coordinates47°31′02″N 106°17′09″W / 47.517223°N 106.285833°W / 47.517223; -106.285833
Lake typeGlacial lake (former)
Primary inflowsLaurentide Ice Sheet
Primary outflowssouth along the ice front into Glacial Lake Glendive.
Basin countriesUnited States
Max. lengthabout 70 miles (110 km)
Max. width20 miles (32 km)
Surface areavaried
Surface elevation2,300 m (7,500 ft)
References[1]

Lake Jordan was a glacial lake formed during the late Pleistocene along the Jordan River. After the Laurentide Ice Sheet retreated, water melting off the glacier accumulated between the Rocky Mountains and the ice sheet. The lake drained along the front of the ice sheet, eastward towards the Yellowstone River and Glacial Lake Glendive.

From the lake deposits near Great Falls, Montana, the Havre lobe of the Laurentide Ice Sheet dammed the ancestral Missouri River during the late Wisconsin Glacial Period.[2]

  1. ^ Physiography and Glacial Geology of Eastern Montana and Adjacent Areas; William C. Alden; United States Government Printing Office: Washington, D.C.; 1932
  2. ^ Geologic Framework and Glaciation of the Central Area, 1-1-2006; Christopher L. Hill; Boise State University, Boise, Idaho; 2006