Elevations

Pembina - 798 feet
Grand Forks - 834 feet
Fargo/ Moorhead - 901 feet
Breckenridge - 963 feet
Lake Traverse - 976 feet

Geological History of the Red River Valley
Lake Agassiz formed about 12,000 years ago after a large continental glacier that covered the area retreated. As the glacier moved north it left behind it the glacial lake.

During its existence, the lake took many different shapes and sizes. The waters depth over the Fargo-Moorhead region averaged 200 feet while it averaged 700 feet over Winnipeg. At one point, the lobe in which the Red River valley is located, almost completely dried up. About 9,300 years ago the glacier retreated completely and the lake drained out. Lake Agassiz left behind the very flat and fertile Red River Valley and you can still see the ancient beach lines of the lake if you travel east of Moorhead on Highway 10.

View Lake Agassiz at different stages from its history: slide 1, slide 2, slide 3

Glacial History
The glacial lake drained in several different locations due to the changing levels of the ice. When the glacier was further south it would drain out into the Minnesota River Valley and when the glacier was in a more northern location, it would drain into the Great Lakes. As ice blocks broke, the drainage path was changed and the lakes outlet was in the north.

The Red River is well known for its flood hazard in Manitoba. The flat prairie landscape of the Red River Valley is conducive to broad, slow-moving floods that form periodically from snow melt in the spring. You can learn more about the general geoscience and the flood problems that persist on the Red River of the North.

MN DNR - Reduce sediment in the Red
There are many sources of sediment in the Red River. Some of it is naturally occurring, some comes from our urban environment with its hard surfaces and some from agricultural practices. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture's webpage describes some of the programs that are available to MN rural landowners to reduce the amount of sediment in the Red.