Glaciers are the source of many Illinois landforms.
The state of Illinois has a vast history of glacier movements and other historical events that have shaped its geography, leaving behind a number of distinctive landforms. These landforms support the agriculture of Illinois and are tourist attractions for locals and visitors alike.
The Charles Mound
The Charles Mound is the highest natural point in the state. Located a quarter mile from the Wisconsin border, this 1,235-foot-tall landform is a popular attraction within the state. The mound lies inside of the Driftless Area, a region of Illinois and surrounding states that was not covered or compressed by the last of round of continental glaciers. Charles Mound is currently located within a vast area of farmland. As of 2011, the land owners allow public access only on the first full weekends of the months of June through September.
The Central Plains
The Central Plains region of Illinois is an area that covers a little more than 90% of the entire state. This gently rolling landform of Illinois was created when many glaciers during the Ice Age carved, molded and leveled the area into what is still visible today. The Central Plains start at the Western side of Lake Michigan and run south through the state. This landform is divided into three specific sections: the Great Lakes Plains, the Till Plains and the Driftless Plains.
The Great Lakes Plains
The Great Lakes Plains is a low, flat stretch of land along Lake Michigan that was once covered by the waters of Lake Michigan. This area of fertile lowland runs along the entire shoreline of the Great Lakes from Wisconsin through Ohio. Today the lake has receded, and this landform is composed of small hills, lakes and marshes. This area of dark, rich soil is sometimes called the Moraine Region because moraines are hills of soil and rocks that were deposited by melting glaciers at the end of the last ice age.
The Gulf Coastal Plains
The Gulf Coastal Plains is an Illinois landform located in the southern-most area of the state. This land between the Eastern Ohio River and the Western Mississippi River is sometimes referred to as "Egypt" because it shares a close resemblance to the great Nile Delta. South of the Shawnee Hills, the Gulf Coastal Plain becomes hilly, but flattens out toward the Illinois border with the state of Kentucky.
Tags: Great Lakes, Central Plains, Charles Mound, Great Lakes Plains, Gulf Coastal, Lake Michigan
