Field Trips
Chicago’s Landscape – A Product of Glacial and Coastal Processes.
Saturday, 4 April, 7:30am-4:30pm
Itinerary
Michael J. Chrzastowski, Illinois State Geological Survey, chrzasto@isgs.illinois.edu
Despite the urbanization of Chicago’s landscape, there is notable preservation of prominent geomorphic features that record the glacial and coastal processes that shaped this setting and gave the physical reason for this city. This field trip will examine the paleo-geographic changes at Chicago over the past 14,000 years as glacial ice receded from the area, as wide fluctuations in lake level created a series of ancient shorelines, and how and why the Chicago River acquired its configuration. This field trip will also examine how the landscape provided both opportunities and challenges for the geo-engineering that was done in building Chicago. Stops on the field trip will include the outlet of Glacial Lake Chicago, the Chicago Portage National Historic Site, and the historical and present-day mouth of the Chicago River, sites over buried paleochannels, and sites along relict shorelines of ancestral Lake Michigan. min 20/max 50
Cost: $60, includes transportation, box lunch, and guidebook.
The Upper Mississippi Valley Pb-Zn District Revisited: Mining
history, Geology, Reclamation and Environmental Issues 30 Years after
the Last Mine Closed.
Saturday, 4 April, 7:00am-5:30pm
Itinerary
Bruce A. Brown, Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey, babrown1@wisc.edu; Thomas.C. Hunt, University of Wisconsin-Platteville; Dave M. Johnson, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources; Daniel D. Reid, Wisconsin Department of Transportation
This trip will travel through the unglaciated landscape of southwest Wisconsin to Shullsburg, site of the last major mine that closed in 1978. We will look at successful reclamation of the site and discuss groundwater issues related to mine closing. In Shullsburg we will take an underground tour of a mid 19th century crevice lead mine. We will travel west to Hazel Green through the heart of the historic mining district with stops at several sites to discuss environmental and reclamation issues. At Platteville we will visit the Mining Museum, which will include underground displays of lead and zinc mining. We will travel east to the historic mining town of Mineral Point, stopping on the way to see examples of the impact of mineralization on highway construction. In Mineral point we will have the opportunity to see many historic buildings that are good examples of the architecture used by the Cornish settlers in the mid 19th Century. Our final stop will be at the reclaimed site of a former zinc roasting plant. min 20/max 50
Cost: $60, includes transportation, box lunch, and guidebook.
Dunefields and Deglacial Environments of Northern Illinois.
Cancelled
The possible impact of oceanic and climatic events on the depositional patterns of Silurian rocks in northeastern Illinois.
Saturday, 4 April, 7:00AM-6:00PM
Don Mikulic, Illinois State Geological Survey, mikulic@isgs.illinois.edu and Joanne Kluessendorf, Weis Earth Science Museum
This one-day fieldtrip will examine possible relationships between the depositional history of Silurian rocks in northeastern Illinois and climatic/oceanic events along with associated biotic changes. We will visit Silurian and Late Ordovician exposures in several quarries of the region, including the famous Thornton Quarry, which contains one of the best-exposed Silurian reefs in the world. Participants should bring hardhats and safety glasses. min 20/max 50
Cost: $60, includes transportation, box lunch, and guidebook.
Friday April 3, 10:00 am
Sign up on-site
Have Questions:
If you have any questions about the field trips you should contact field trip co-chairs:
Michael Konen
mkonen@niu.edu
+1-815-753-6849
Steve Simpson, Steve.Simpson@high
land.edu
+1-815-599-3474.