The place where you are right now has a rich geological history that is recorded by the rocks beneath you and the fossils that they may contain. The rocks and fossils reveal the movements of continents and the evolution of new forms of life. This history helps to explain why the Earth looks like it does today. It also explains things like the distributions of natural resources, from rare minerals to rich soils for agriculture. Studying Earth's ancient climate also helps us to make sense of how the climate is changing today and how it will affect us where we live.
The goal of this part of the Earth@Home project is to explain the Earth science of the midwestern United States, which is defined here to include Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. Major regions include the Superior Upland, Central Lowland, and Inland Basin.
Contents
Overviews of Midwestern U.S. Earth Science
Superior Upland Region
Northeastern Minnesota, northern Wisconsin, and the western part of Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
Central Lowland Region
Iowa, Michigan's Lower Peninsula, western Ohio, and portions of Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
Inland Basin Region
The southernmost ports of Illinois and Indiana and eastern Ohio.
Geologic Maps, Topographic Maps, and Earth Science Quick Facts
Simple geologic and topographic maps of each state in the midwestern United States, along with quick facts about official state fossils, rocks, minerals, gems, points of highest and lowest elevation, and lists of places to visit.
Resources
Lists of supplemental and teaching resources for the Earth science of the midwestern U.S., sorted by topic.
Earth Science Careers
Information about Earth science career paths.
Credits
Most of the Earth@Home content in the Here on Earth: Earth Science of the Midwestern United States section is derived from The Teacher-Friendly Guide to the Earth Science of the Midwestern US, edited by Mark D. Lucas, Robert M. Ross, and Andrielle N. Swaby (published in 2014 by the Paleontological Research Institution; currently out of print). The citation for the original book is:
- Lucas, M. D., R. M. Ross, and A. N. Swaby (eds.). 2014. The Teacher-Friendly Guide to the Earth Science of the Midwestern US. Paleontological Research Institution, Ithaca, New York, 316 pp.
The book was adapted for the web by Elizabeth J. Hermsen and Jonathan R. Hendricks in 2022. Changes include formatting and revisions to the text and images.
Authors for the original chapters adapted for the Midwestern U.S. section of Here on Earth are as follows. Some of the content has been spread over multiple pages on this website, so links are not provided below:
- Chapter 1. Geologic history of the Midwestern US: Richard A. Kissel and Alex F. Wall.
- Chapter 2. Rocks of the Midwestern US: Richard A. Kissel and Alex F. Wall.
- Chapter 3. Fossils of the Midwestern US: Alex F. Wall and Warren D. Allmon.
- Chapter 4. Topography of the Midwestern US: Alex F. Wall.
- Chapter 5. Mineral Resources of the Midwestern US: Alex F. Wall.
- Chapter 6. Glaciers in the Midwestern US: Alex F. Wall.
- Chapter 7. Energy in the Midwestern US: Carlyn S. Buckler.
- Chapter 8. Soils of the Midwestern US: William F. Kean and Carlyn S. Buckler.
- Chapter 9. Climate of the Midwestern US: Alex F. Wall and Judith T. Parrish.
- Chapter 10. Earth Hazards of the Midwestern US: Nicole D. LaDue.