Roadside Geology of Minnesota

Minnesota's lakes may be its most famous features, but the glaciated countryside disguises a much longer history of volcanoes and plate collisions--not surprising when you learn that Minnesota was at the active edge of the fledgling North American continent for several billion years.

Richard W. Ojakangas grew up on glacial till in Warba, Minnesota. He received a bachelor's degree in geology from the University of Minnesota-Duluth and a doctorate from Stanford in 1964. He taught at the University of Minnesota-Duluth for thirty-eight years and is the author of numerous articles and other publications on geology, including Minnesota's Geology. Dick lives with his wife, Beatrice, in Duluth and celebrates his Finnish heritage whenever he gets the chance.