How Lakes Form

Summary
This lesson educates students on how lakes are formed.

Objectives
• To be able to identify the Great Lakes.

• To be able to list some of the ways that lakes are formed.

Suggested Grades
3rd Grade
4th Grade
5th Grade

Excerpt
There are many different ways in which lakes are formed. The most common ways in which lakes are formed are by natural dams, the action of waves, faults in Earth?s crust, or by the action of glaciers.

Natural Dams

In some cases, rocks and soil deposited by glaciers and landslides will block the flow of a river and forma a lake. Sometimes, river water flows so fast that it overruns the riverbed and leaves a lake that is shaped like a horseshoe or a crescent moon. This type of lake is known as an oxbow lake, because it is shaped like an old-fashioned yoke that was used to harness oxen.

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