How were wetlands formed?
The same glacial processes that formed the prairie lakes also formed most of South Dakota’s wetlands. When the glaciers retreated they left depressions, scars and accumulations of glacial drift or debris. The rolling hills, e.g., Missouri or Prairie Coteau, and numerous small lakes, ponds and depressions left by the glaciers are defining characteristics of the Prairie Pothole Region. There are also wetlands located in western South Dakota created by other natural processes.
