ISGS - September 2005 Activity Highlights

Natural Disaster Planning for Chicago

The ISGS is assisting several consultants who are working on the Chicago Hazard Mitigation Plan, which will address natural disasters that may impact the city. The ISGS first provided information on the history of the location, estimated magnitudes, and documented impacts of central U.S. earthquakes on Chicago. This earthquake history goes back to 1804 when the first earthquake was felt at Fort Dearborn in Chicago. Additionally, ISGS staff provided interpretations of the estimated impacts as presented in the U.S. Geological Survey's Earthquake Hazard Probability Maps, which are the basis for the level of building construction standards as defined in building codes.

The ISGS is also working with the Polis Center of the Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, which is using computer programs to estimate the impact of various earthquake scenarios on the structures and population of the city. This program estimates nearly every aspect of the impact, including casualties at various hours of the day, number of homeless to be housed, amount of debris generated, and direct and indirect economic impacts from business interruption. The ISGS is assisting in developing the magnitude and location of various earthquakes to be used for these scenarios and providing advice on how the soils in Chicago may amplify earthquake ground motions.(Contact: Bob Bauer).

New Geologic Maps Completed for ISGS StateMap Effort

Ten 1:24,000-scale maps were delivered to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to fulfill ISGS contractual obligations under the USGS National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program's (NCGMP) STATEMAP. The NCGMP is a federally mandated program within the USGS that operates under guidelines found in the National Geologic Mapping Act of 1992 (reauthorized in 1997 and 1999). STATEMAP funds are obtained through an annual competitive grant process in which the state agrees to match every federal dollar. Mapping areas are selected based on issues or needs to solve or address critical earth science problems.

In Illinois, mapping is done for the entire USGS 7.5-minute quadrangle covering the area of interest. STATEMAP's mandate is to produce accurate geologic maps and three-dimensional framework models that help problem solvers and decision makers, both public and private, to understand how and where geology affects land-use decisions. The mapping includes the surficial and bedrock geology that provides the base data used to produce derivative maps showing the location of potential geologic hazards (landslides, mined-out areas, karst, and possible flood zones) and potential earth resources (water, coal, oil, and aggregates).

ISGS will release most of the maps as Illinois Preliminary Geologic Maps (IPGMs) (http://www.isgs.illinois.edu/maps-data-pub/ipgm.shtml) by the end of October 2005. These maps will then be available for download (http://www.isgs.illinois.edu/maps-data-pub/ipgm.shtml). The maps to be delivered to the USGS include these ten:
Bedrock Geology of Ava Quadrangle, by F.B. Denny
Bedrock Geology of Freeburg Quadrangle, by W.J. Nelson
Surficial Geology of Grantfork Quadrangle, by D.A. Grimley and A.C. Phillips
Surficial Geology of Highland Quadrangle, by A.C. Phillips
Surficial Geology of Libertyville Quadrangle, by M.L. Barnhardt
Surficial Geology of New Douglas Quadrangle, by D.A. Grimley
Bedrock Geology of Oraville Quadrangle, by L.M. Williams, J.A. Devera, and J.R. Staub
Bedrock Geology of Raddle Quadrangle, by J.A. Devera
Bedrock Geology of Rockwood Quadrangle, by R.J. Jacobson and J.D. McLeod
Bedrock Geology of Willisville Quadrangle, by W.J. Nelson

These and other STATEMAP products can be viewed on the ISGS Web site (http://www.isgs.illinois.edu/maps-data-pub/statemap.shtml). With the delivery of surficial geology maps of the New Douglas, Grant Fork, and Highland Quadrangles, surficial mapping of Madison County at the 1:24,000 scale is nearly complete. Only a few square miles, which comprise small portions of quadrangles along the eastern county border, have not yet mapped. Map information has already been used by county officials, private individuals, and private consulting companies for a variety of applications. (Contacts: F. Brett Denny, W. John Nelson, D. Grimley, A. Phillips, M. Barnhardt, J. Devera, R. Jacobson).

Illinois Coastal Management Program Update: Workshop for the Calumet Region

Members of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) team for developing the Illinois Coastal Management Program held a one-day workshop for government officials, interest groups, and the general public concerning the proposed boundaries for the Illinois coastal zone in the Lake Calumet region. The workshop was held near Chicago's far south lakeshore at the East Side United Methodist Church. With its extensive network of lakes, wetlands, and waterways, the Lake Calumet region is the most complex setting within the proposed Illinois coastal zone. The proposed coastal boundaries for this region include Lake Calumet, the Calumet River, and a corridor along select segments of the Little and Grand Calumet Rivers. In addition to the city of Chicago, south suburban municipalities that will have land area within the proposed coastal zone are Blue Island, Calumet Park, Riverdale, Dolton, Burnham, and Calumet City. Maps showing the finalized Illinois coastal zone will be prepared for distribution at the next round of public workshops scheduled for November. Once the Illinois Coastal Management Program is approved by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, IDNR will manage a grant program that will bring to Illinois approximately $2 million each year in federal money. Grants will be used for projects along the Illinois coast that include planning studies, research, education and outreach, and land acquisition. The target for submitting the Illinois application is spring 2006. (Contact: Michael Chrzastowski).

Wetlands Section Assists Illinois Nature Preserves Commission

An ISGS wetlands geologist met with representatives from Vulcan Materials and the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission at the Vulcan Materials office in Bartlett to discuss and view mine works that are adjacent to Bluff Springs Fen. Groundwater discharge into the mine is causing a decline in water levels at the fen, and ISGS has been collecting water-level data from the fen and advising on the efficacy of grouting and other measures being used to reduce discharge. Additional measures will need to be taken to reduce the infiltration to levels agreed upon by Vulcan and the Nature Preserves Commission.

An ISGS wetlands geologist also met with representatives from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) and the Nature Preserves Commission at Lake in the Hills Fen regarding the hydrogeologic and geochemical impacts of an adjacent former gravel pit. The need and methods for restoring the IDNR-owned portion of the pit were discussed. Data collected by ISGS at the preserve suggest that groundwater supplying the fen was impacted by mining, leading to fluctuating discharge and reduced dissolved solids. Respreading spoil on the pit floor and reestablishing native vegetation will assist in mitigating the impacts to the water source, as demonstrated by a pilot project that has been monitored by ISGS. (Contact: Jim Miner)

National Karst Map Project

An ISGS geochemist attended the Midcontinent Meeting for the National Karst Map Project in Lawrence, Kansas, from August 17-18, 2005. The Karst Map Project is a $1,000,000, 2-year project that will be used as a starting point for a more comprehensive mapping initiative that has yet to be funded. The meeting was hosted by the U.S. Geological Survey and was one of several workshops that brought together karst experts from around the country to present and discuss karst mapping and karst issues. The purpose of the workshop was to discuss guidelines and standards used in the production of digital state karst maps that will be combined into a national karst map. Information about Illinois' karst map preparation, current karst mapping projects, and related research was presented. (Contact: Sam Panno)

Funding Received From USGS-Federal Geographic Data Committee

The ISGS has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Geological Survey-Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC). The ISGS project was awarded a total of approximately $50,000 as part of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) Cooperative Agreements Program. The NSDI represents a broad consortium of government agencies and non-government organizations that work together to promote more cost-effective production, ready availability, and greater utilization of geospatial data across a wide range of disciplines. The NSDI Cooperative Agreements Program was established to help form partnerships among organizations to implement the NSDI. The FGDC sponsors the Cooperative Agreements Program to promote the technologies, standards, best practices, and organizational collaboration that are vital to data integration, partnerships for data investment and speedy delivery of geospatial products to support government. The ISGS award will support activities to provide on-line access to digital ortho-imagery for the six-county Chicago urban area. New aerial photography was collected during the early part of 2005, and the new orthophotography for the Chicago urban area will be full color imagery with a 1-foot by 1-foot ground resolution. These very detailed images can provide a base map for many projects, including geologic mapping, urban and transportation planning, homeland security, water resource investigations, and more. Users will be able to access the data on-line via the Illinois Clearinghouse Web site (http://www.isgs.illinois.edu/nsdihome/). This grant marks the second award from the FGDC to the ISGS. The first award supported the initial establishment of the Illinois Clearinghouse web site in July 1997. Along with two additional grants for this project, one each from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and the Illinois Department of Public Health, a total of about $237,000 has been generated for the effort to serve the digital ortho-images on-line. (Contacts: Sheena Beaverson, Rob Krumm).

ISGS Publications Released

Two ISGS publications and eleven unpublished preliminary environmental site assessments were completed this month.

Barnhardt, M., and R. Berg, 2005, Methods and Standards Development for Three-dimensional Geologic Mapping of the Antioch Quadrangle, Lake County, Illinois—A Pilot Study, Illinois State Geological Survey, OFS2005-12 (CD-ROM).

Grimley, D.A., and S.W. Lepley, 2005, Surficial Geology of Wood River Quadrangle, Madison County, Illinois: Illinois State Geological Survey, Illinois Preliminary Geologic Map, IPGM Wood River-SG, 1:24,000.

Highlights Archive

Updated 07/19/2012 SLD