Field Courses 

Tuesday, September 23, 2025

7:30am-5:00pm

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Fee: $150 per person ($195 after 8/1/25)

Minimum Number of Attendees to run the course: 25

Maximum Number of Attendees: 50

Leaders: Bill Rochford - Coordinator, Yuki Galisanao, Dan Ferris, and Joe Schulenberg, MWRD - Lockport Powerhouse;  and Don Mikulic

Activity Level: Easy to moderate, some walking

Recommended Equipment: Hiking shoes, hat, and sunglasses

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Stop 1: McCook Reservoir (Yuki Galisanao) The McCook Reservoir is located adjacent to the Interstate 55 traffic corridor and between the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal (CSSC) and the Des Plaines River. The project will permit a capacity of 10 billion gallons and benefits over 3 million people in Chicago and 36 suburbs. It is composed of two reservoirs separated by a rock weir structure. Stage 1 has been in operation since 2017, and Stage 2 is currently under construction. At the site, approximately 30 to 70 feet of glacial drift overlies Silurian dolomitic bedrock. The overburden contains till, lacustrine sediment, and outwash. The perimeter of the reservoir and the weir structure consist of pre-split rock faces with rock reinforcement as required. To manage groundwater infiltration and exfiltration a double row grout curtain and overburden slurry cut-off wall was installed around the reservoir perimeter. The overburden in the Stage 1 Reservoir is stabilized with different types of retaining walls including a gabion wall, soil nail wall, and concrete block retaining wall. (estimated time– 1 hr)

 

Stop 2 - Fish Barrier (Joe Schulenberg) The Fish Barrier project is a very unique effort to implement controls to prevent aquatic invasive species (very large jumping Asian carp) from migrating between the Mississippi River basin and the Great Lakes.  The site visit will discuss the site geology and the approach taken to control the movement of the Asian carp  (estimated time – 1 hr) 

 

Stop 3 – Lockport Lock & Dam (Dan/Youa/MWRD) The project functions to control the water levels of the rivers in and around the City of Chicago and part of the system that reversed the Chicago River.  The Lockport Lock provides a navigation link between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River.  The lock and dam are founded on Silurian age dolomitic limestone that was exposed following breach of the Valparaiso glacial moraine which created the waterway.  Recently, the lock was dewatering allowing inspection and mapping of the bedrock surface.  Other key features creating the overall project include an embankment section creating a 30+ foot change in the waterway and a hydropower unit.  The field course will present the project features and some of the history of this unique engineering project (estimated time – 90 min)

 

On the bus (MWRD) - During the trip, will include a history of the Chicago Waterway from the time of the last glaciers, the flood that carved the waterway, the historic portage between Lake Michigan and the Des Plaines River, the reversal of the Chicago River, and the MWRD Deep Tunnel project.

Tuesday, September 23, 2025

8:00am-4:00pm

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Fee: $150 per person ($195 after 8/1/25)

Minimum Number of Attendees to run the course: 25

Maximum Number of Attendees: 48

Leaders: Bill Rochford – Coordinator; Brandon Curry; Jan Merl; Robbie Sliwinski

Activity Level: Easy to moderate, some walking

​Recommended Equipment: Hiking shoes, hat, sunscreen, sunglasses, and insect repellent.​

 

Stop 1 – Sandy Ridge Nature Preserve (Brandon Curry) The Quaternary geology of Chicagoland is introduced, focusing here on the ancient shoreline deposits of Lake Michigan. The Sandy Ridge Nature Preserve is located in a particularly well-expressed swath of beach ridges (the Toleston Beach) along the southern shores of Lake Michigan. Based primarily on several years of geologic mapping in this region by the Illinois State Geological Survey, the Quaternary geological framework of Chicagoland will be introduced; the architecture, age, and regional relationships of the Toleston Beach Ridge complex is featured (estimated time – 1 hour).

 

Stop 2 – Indiana Harbor and Canal – Confined Disposal Facility (Jan Merl or Mike Cook): Purpose of facility is to contain contaminated sediments from the Indiana Harbor and Canal. The site is a former petroleum refinery that went bankrupt and became classified as a RCRA site.  The project includes a perimeter soil-bentonite cutoff wall and steel sheet pile wall through fill and sand (relic beach) deposits that overlie glacial till.  An automated groundwater extraction system manages existing contaminated groundwater and any water borne contaminates from the dredged materials.   A containment dike was constructed over the original refinery grounds, which created some challenges. A pool of water is maintained over the impounded sediments to limit air emissions and particulates. A perimeter cap with a layer of compacted clay beyond the embankment prevents contact with underlying contaminated soil.  Extensive air and groundwater level monitoring is being performed.  Expansion of the CDF was recently completed to increase the capacity and allowed an opportunity to improve some of the challenges identified during the initial operations of the facility. (estimated time – 1 hour)

 

Stop 3 – Northerly Island Visitors Center – 3a. Subsurface geology of the Chicago Loop east to Northerly Island (Anjali Thota, Brandon Curry and Alessandra Rotta Loria). A three-dimensional model of the Chicago Loop will be presented to aid participants in envisioning subsurface conditions. The marriage of Quaternary stratigraphy with soil engineering properties, including thermal properties, will be discussed. A new geologic unit, the Blodgett member of the Equality Formation is featured. New mapping on the Jackson Park Quadrangle and Anjali’s modeling shows this unit thickening from the new Obama Center north to Lincoln Park. The Blodgett unit  is primarily fine-grained lacustrine sediment that was deposited adjacent to the waning glacier (Lake Michigan lobe). The Blodgett’s high moisture content, low strength, and compressibility have challenged Chicagoan structural and engineering geologists for more than 100 years. Construction of deep structural support for taller and taller buildings in this geological environment led to the innovative developments in soils engineering by Terzaghi, Peck, and others (estimated time – 1 hour).); 3b. Northerly Island Ecosystem Restoration Project (Robbie Slowinski):  The site has a varied history, initially being constructed as part of the 1933 World’s Fair, afterward becoming Meigs Field Airport in 1947.  In 2003, the airport was decommissioned, and the current project was implemented to create a nature preserve completed in 2018. (estimated time – 1 hour).

Saturday, September 27, 2025

8:00am-4:00pm

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Fee: $150 per person ($195 after 8/1/25)

Minimum Number of Attendees to run the course: 25

Maximum Number of Attendees: 50

Leader: C. Robin Matheus, ISGS and Mitchell Barklage, ISGS

Activity Level: Low to moderate, depending on personal preference and ability. The content will be delivered at the Stop locations just few minutes from the parked vehicle(s). At the end of each presentation, there will be an opportunity for visitors to walk along the shoreline to look at some features first-hand. This will be along sandy stretches of shoreline.

Recommended Equipment: Depending on weather conditions, items such as sunscreen, hats, sunglasses, and insect repellant are useful items to have along. All ground will be level and field trip goers are asked to wear shoes they feel comfortable walking short to moderate distances in, including on a sandy beach (where shoes could be optional depending on temperature and personal preference). Water will be provided through AEG. There will also be opportunities to fill-up water bottles along route (e.g., at North Point Marina).

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This course will explore the late Holocene history of the Zion Beach-ridge Plain, one of the few large sandy promontories within the Greate Lakes region containing washboard style ridge-and-swale topography.  The course will also explore the modern shoreline along both net-erosional and net-accretionary portions of the migrating system. This stretch of coast has seen construction of submerged rubble-mound ridge, as part of a Great Lakes Restoration initiative project, and a series of emergent breakwaters as part of a $74 million State Capital Development Project (2023-2024). Both were implemented to slow shoreline retreat and create aquatic habitat, with the Illinois State Geological Survey’s (ISGS) long-term monitoring along these shorelines providing the pre-construction geomorphic template for assessing structure effectiveness. The ISGS Coastal Research Group will lead this trip, which will begin at the North Point Marina and wind up at the Illinois Beach State Park hotel. A handful of sites along the route will offer opportunities to view and discuss; 1) modern shoreline morphodynamic trends and influences of offshore and onshore infrastructure, and 2) hydrodynamic impacts on coastal development (e.g. lake-level changes, storms, winter ice-cover), and 3) relic shoreline-related terrains across the ridge plain with paleo-environmental implications. Stops will include; 1) the overlook at the south end of North Point Marina, 2) the site of an unsuccessful 2018 emergency beach-nourishment effort to save a park road, 3) the GLRI project site, 4) a dune field and the last remaining unmodified stretch of shoreline within Illinois Beach State Park. The trip will address patterns of sand erosion, transport, and deposition across events decadal timescales (as informed by observational and survey data), coupling these insights to the longer-term evolutionary history of the Zion Beach-ridge Plain, as elucidated from sediment core, subsurface geophysical, and geochronologicaldatasets.​​

Saturday, September 27, 2025

7:30am-5:00pm

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Fee: $150 per person ($195 after 8/1/25)

Minimum Number of Attendees to run the course: 25

Maximum Number of Attendees: 48

Leaders: Don Mikulic, Weis Earth Science Museum; William Rochford, USACE; Chris Stohr, ISGS retired; and Justine Stumpf

Activity Level: Easy to moderate, some walking

​Recommended Equipment: Hiking shoes, hat, sunscreen, sunglasses, and insect repellent.

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Stop 1: Stearns Quarry.  This stop will discuss the importance of the Chicago area stone industry (1820 to the present) in developing and maintaining the city’s infrastructure and the technological advances used to produce this mineral resource. Specific features to be discussed include raising the streets, recycling old quarries, and the role of this site in the TARP system planning. The role of bedrock geology in these features will be featured.

 

Stop 2: Thornton MWRDGC Reservoir. This stop will focus on the reservoir, its construction, and its role in the TARP system. As one of three large reservoirs of the Tunnel and Reservoir plan (TARP), it is designed to store up to 20,000 acre-feet of combined sanitary and storm sewer overflow from the Calumet Deep Tunnel and flood water from nearby Thorn Creek. Key features of this site are the 110-foot high roller compacted concrete dam under I-80, water entrance and exit tunnels into the reservoir, and the precision drilling and blasting techniques used to construct a stable and smooth reservoir wall. The relationship between reef geology and the development of the quarry, on the siting and construction of the reservoir, will be featured.

 

Stop 3: Thornton Quarry and reef. As one of the oldest and largest quarries in the country, the Thornton Quarry has had a significant role in developing standards for extracting and processing aggregate resources in urban areas. Since the late 1800s, innovations in aggregate production have had an important impact on the operations at Thornton. By adopting new methods, it should be possible to mine stone here well into the next century before its reserves are depleted. Scientifically, a Silurian reef has had a significant role in studying ancient reefs. The vast reef exposures produced by almost 200 years of quarrying at Thornton have produced a unique three-dimensional exposure that is known to geologists around the world. This reef has been especially important in understanding the character and development of similar oil-bearing reefs deeply buried in the adjacent Michigan and Illinois Basins. It also has had a defining role in how the site is quarried and in the location and construction of the reservoir.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​