{"id":13019,"date":"2025-05-21T10:52:58","date_gmt":"2025-05-21T15:52:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.agron.iastate.edu\/glsi\/?p=13019"},"modified":"2026-04-02T09:05:00","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T14:05:00","slug":"retreat-of-wisconsin-and-recent-ice-in-north-america-1959","status":"publish","type":"map","link":"https:\/\/www.agron.iastate.edu\/glsi\/map\/retreat-of-wisconsin-and-recent-ice-in-north-america-1959\/","title":{"rendered":"Retreat of Wisconsin and Recent Ice in North America (1959)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-ugb-container ugb-container ugb-31d465b ugb-container--v2 ugb-container--design-plain ugb-main-block\"><style>.ugb-31d465b-wrapper > .ugb-container__side{align-items:center !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-31d465b-content-wrapper.ugb-container__content-wrapper{width:75% !important}.ugb-31d465b.ugb-container{padding-left:60px !important}}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-31d465b > .ugb-inner-block > .ugb-block-content > *{padding-top:0px !important;padding-bottom:0px !important}}<\/style><div class=\"ugb-inner-block\"><div class=\"ugb-block-content\"><div class=\"ugb-container__wrapper ugb-31d465b-wrapper\"><div class=\"ugb-container__side\"><div class=\"ugb-container__content-wrapper ugb-31d465b-content-wrapper\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-ugb-container ugb-container ugb-9406a1f ugb-container--v2 ugb-container--design-plain ugb-main-block\"><style>@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-9406a1f > .ugb-inner-block > .ugb-block-content > *{padding-bottom:0px !important}}<\/style><div class=\"ugb-inner-block\"><div class=\"ugb-block-content\"><div class=\"ugb-container__wrapper ugb-9406a1f-wrapper\"><div class=\"ugb-container__side\"><div class=\"ugb-container__content-wrapper ugb-9406a1f-content-wrapper\"><div class=\"paragraph-widget paragraph-widget--text-html\">\n\t<div class=\"text-content\">\n\t\t<h4>This scientific map illustrates the retreat of the Wisconsin glaciation\u2014the most recent major advance of continental ice sheets in North America\u2014along with remnants of more recent ice. The map uses detailed contour lines to show the positions of the glacial front during various stages of deglaciation, spanning from roughly 18,000 to 6,000 years ago. Compiled by the U.S. Geological Survey, it emphasizes the Laurentide Ice Sheet\u2019s influence across Canada and parts of the northern United States, highlighting its massive extent and complex retreat history.<\/h4>\n\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2377\" height=\"2000\" src=\"https:\/\/www.agron.iastate.edu\/glsi\/files\/2025\/05\/Central-Lowlands-1969-Retreat-of-NA-Glaciers.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12840\" style=\"width:450px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.agron.iastate.edu\/glsi\/files\/2025\/05\/Central-Lowlands-1969-Retreat-of-NA-Glaciers.png 2377w, https:\/\/www.agron.iastate.edu\/glsi\/files\/2025\/05\/Central-Lowlands-1969-Retreat-of-NA-Glaciers-300x252.png 300w, https:\/\/www.agron.iastate.edu\/glsi\/files\/2025\/05\/Central-Lowlands-1969-Retreat-of-NA-Glaciers-1024x862.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.agron.iastate.edu\/glsi\/files\/2025\/05\/Central-Lowlands-1969-Retreat-of-NA-Glaciers-768x646.png 768w, https:\/\/www.agron.iastate.edu\/glsi\/files\/2025\/05\/Central-Lowlands-1969-Retreat-of-NA-Glaciers-1536x1292.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.agron.iastate.edu\/glsi\/files\/2025\/05\/Central-Lowlands-1969-Retreat-of-NA-Glaciers-2048x1723.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2377px) 100vw, 2377px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n<div class=\"paragraph-widget paragraph-widget--text-html\">\n\t<div class=\"text-content\">\n\t\t<p>Right-click image file to save.<\/p>\n<h4>Source:<\/h4>\n<p>U.S. Geological Survey. <em data-start=\"798\" data-end=\"852\">Retreat of Wisconsin and Recent Ice in North America<\/em>. 1959. Compiled by R.F. Flint from multiple glacial chronology sources.<\/p>\n<h4>Resolution:<\/h4>\n<p>Printed map with contour-style retreat lines in monochrome blue. Based on geomorphological and stratigraphic evidence, not raster or satellite-derived. Includes glacial maxima, proglacial lakes, and moraine boundaries.<\/p>\n<h4>Suggested Use:<\/h4>\n<p>Essential for studies in Quaternary geology, glacial geomorphology, paleoclimatology, and North American environmental history. Valuable in academic research and teaching related to Pleistocene glaciation and Holocene landscape evolution.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4>References<\/h4>\n<p>Flint, R.F. 1957. <em data-start=\"1461\" data-end=\"1494\">Glacial and Pleistocene Geology<\/em>. John Wiley &amp; Sons.<br data-start=\"1514\" data-end=\"1517\">U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), 1959. <em data-start=\"1554\" data-end=\"1608\">Retreat of Wisconsin and Recent Ice in North America<\/em>.<br data-start=\"1609\" data-end=\"1612\">Dyke, A.S., et al. 2002. <em data-start=\"1637\" data-end=\"1710\">The Laurentide and Innuitian Ice Sheets during the Last Glacial Maximum<\/em>. Geological Survey of Canada.<\/p>\n\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":12840,"parent":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0},"categories":[400],"tags":[],"location":[401],"surface-characteristic":[336,337],"class_list":["post-13019","map","type-map","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-historical-usa","location-usa","surface-characteristic-geology","surface-characteristic-glacial"],"acf":[],"featured_image_urls_v2":{"full":["https:\/\/www.agron.iastate.edu\/glsi\/files\/2025\/05\/Central-Lowlands-1969-Retreat-of-NA-Glaciers.png",2377,2000,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.agron.iastate.edu\/glsi\/files\/2025\/05\/Central-Lowlands-1969-Retreat-of-NA-Glaciers-150x150.png",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.agron.iastate.edu\/glsi\/files\/2025\/05\/Central-Lowlands-1969-Retreat-of-NA-Glaciers-300x252.png",300,252,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.agron.iastate.edu\/glsi\/files\/2025\/05\/Central-Lowlands-1969-Retreat-of-NA-Glaciers-768x646.png",768,646,true],"large":["https:\/\/www.agron.iastate.edu\/glsi\/files\/2025\/05\/Central-Lowlands-1969-Retreat-of-NA-Glaciers-1024x862.png",1024,862,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.agron.iastate.edu\/glsi\/files\/2025\/05\/Central-Lowlands-1969-Retreat-of-NA-Glaciers-1536x1292.png",1536,1292,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.agron.iastate.edu\/glsi\/files\/2025\/05\/Central-Lowlands-1969-Retreat-of-NA-Glaciers-2048x1723.png",2048,1723,true]},"post_excerpt_stackable_v2":"<p>This scientific map illustrates the retreat of the Wisconsin glaciation\u2014the most recent major advance of continental ice sheets in North America\u2014along with remnants of more recent ice. The map uses detailed contour lines to show the positions of the glacial front during various stages of deglaciation, spanning from roughly 18,000 to 6,000 years ago. Compiled by the U.S. Geological Survey, it emphasizes the Laurentide Ice Sheet\u2019s influence across Canada and parts of the northern United States, highlighting its massive extent and complex retreat history. Right-click image file to save. Source: U.S. Geological Survey. Retreat of Wisconsin and Recent Ice in&hellip;<\/p>\n","category_list_v2":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.agron.iastate.edu\/glsi\/category\/historical-usa\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Historical USA<\/a>","author_info_v2":{"name":"","url":""},"comments_num_v2":"0 comments","yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Retreat of Wisconsin and Recent Ice in North America (1959) - Geospatial Laboratory for Soil Informatics<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.agron.iastate.edu\/glsi\/map\/retreat-of-wisconsin-and-recent-ice-in-north-america-1959\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Retreat of Wisconsin and Recent Ice in North America (1959) - Geospatial Laboratory for Soil Informatics\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.agron.iastate.edu\/glsi\/map\/retreat-of-wisconsin-and-recent-ice-in-north-america-1959\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Geospatial Laboratory for Soil Informatics\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-02T14:05:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.agron.iastate.edu\/glsi\/files\/2025\/05\/Central-Lowlands-1969-Retreat-of-NA-Glaciers-1024x862.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"862\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.agron.iastate.edu\\\/glsi\\\/map\\\/retreat-of-wisconsin-and-recent-ice-in-north-america-1959\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.agron.iastate.edu\\\/glsi\\\/map\\\/retreat-of-wisconsin-and-recent-ice-in-north-america-1959\\\/\",\"name\":\"Retreat of Wisconsin and Recent Ice in North America (1959) - 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