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Can't see it Min. The moraines could hold back the sort of flood that created the 'Badlands' surely? There is evidence for ice melting in the centre in Iceland but that was with heat from beneath. A programme I watched here in the UK (Discovery) was quite explicit on the 'Ice Dam' idea so there must...

Damn you Min! I wanted to say that but the wife was with me!

Whoa there Stan! The period of horse ownership amongst the plains Indians was of only relatively short duration. They adapted their living to the horse, maybe, but surely prior to that what were they, sedentary or migratory?

Yep! Good points all. But we are still left with the original question that we are no nearer resolving. How does an ice sheet several miles thick melt in its centre? Anyone got any ideas on that?

Here in the UK it's 'Taurus excretia intelligencia perplexit,' which is reputed to translate into 'Bull shit baffles brains.'
Just thought you might like to know.

I do not dispute any of what has been posted since my earlier post, but I would point out that nothing of what has been said answers what me and Min keep asking, which is, what mechanism would cause massive ice fields to melt in the centre? Crustal movements would. Remember, when Darwin postulated h...

Afternoon Min. Let me just clarify one point, I am not suggesting that the Earth's mantle slipped, only that such an idea answers problems that other theories don't. That does not guarantee that the mantle slipped, only that as a possible solution it should be examined. When the first bones of Neand...

Well Min, I'll call it a day and hope someone can come up with an answer. I must cofess I love it when the experts pass all this information to us, explaining what this flood must have been like, complete nowadays with computer animation, but then dodge the awkward bit. Like what makes an ice filed ...

True Min, but I wasn't working on that basis. As I understand it, at the moment the Yellowstone plume is making one of its periodic moves towards the surface. Logic says that radiant heat from the ground must increase as the plume moves nearer to the surface, and several miles of ice would have been...

It seems more than odd. If I was a member of the club I would fall back on the usual 'we can't explain it so it didn't happen!' What about the Yellowstone magma dome as a candidate? There's enough enegy there to melt the ice, is/was it far enough North? Is there any evidence of activity anywhere in ...

Surely Min I have to accept that the Earth's crust might be depressed under the weight of that much ice and so be lower in the centre. But come on Min, that doesn't mean liquid water!
That far north of the 32 degree thermocline it would have been b---dy cold.

Which brings me back to my original question Min, why the Hell would several miles depth of ice melt in the middle. I suspect the easiest answer is that the 32 degree line moved in relation to the ice and left the leading edge in a frigid zone. All other alternatives seem even more implausible.

I'm getting out of step here. Just to muddy the water further on the subject of river flows, apparently the Nile at one time flowed West, towards the Niger. So along come idiot politicians and use rivers as boundaries then want us to fight when the river changes its course.
I need some tea!

Good point Min. Point taken. So where do we stand on non continuous Moraines? Could shorter Moraines have been an effective barrier or are we back to an 'ice dam'?
My head aches!

Blimey we're busy tonight! Agreed Min, but all pwdered/small minerals have a natural angle of repose. Pour some salt into a heap and no matter how high the pile the included angle will always remain the same, therefore if a Moraine has weathered down there should still be evidence of the base having...