Final answer:
Glaciers from the last Ice Age changed the landscape by eroding rocks, forming new topographies, creating various soil materials, and sculpting valleys and lakes. These transformations influenced human migration patterns by creating land bridges and altering climate conditions.
Step-by-step explanation:
The glaciers of the last Ice Age profoundly transformed the land they covered in several key ways. As these massive sheets of ice advanced, they ground down rocks, pushed soil out of the way, and sculpted the underlying earth. Upon their retreat, they left behind a variety of soil materials such as sands and clays, leading to the development of new soils. The topographies of many regions were also significantly altered, with the creation of slopes and depressions where none had existed before. In North America, glacial activity formed distinctive landscapes, such as the mounds of rock and soil known as moraines, indicating the presence of past glaciers. Furthermore, as glaciers melted, they released vast amounts of water, contributing to the sculpting of valleys and creation of lakes.
Glaciers also transported large rocks and debris, known as glacial erratics, far from their original locations. The last glacial era, which peaked around 18,000 years ago, saw ice sheets covering substantial portions of the northern hemisphere, impacting Earth's sea levels and ecosystems extensively. These glacial processes not only shaped the physical landscape but also influenced the movement and development of human populations by creating land bridges and altering climates.