Date: 2001

AVAILABLE FORMATS: Publication: $25.00 (33 p., 8.5 x 11, includes folded map and cross sections), B099

Map: $20.00 (flat, 29 x 19 inches), B099_plate1

CD-ROM: $25.00 (digital data and PDFs), B099-DI

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A report that describes the glacial geology of Waukesha County, Wisconsin, has been published by the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey, a part of the University of Wisconsin–Extension.

The report, Pleistocene geology of Waukesha County, Wisconsin, complete with a full-color geologic map and cross sections, explains the origin and distribution of materials and landforms deposited by glaciers. The author, Lee Clayton of the Survey, describes the physical characteristics of the surficial materials in the county, explains its Pleistocene history, and describes some of the interesting and unusual features that can be readily seen by residents and visitors to the area.

Waukesha County was mostly recently covered by glaciers between approximately 14,000 and 25,000 years ago. Most of the topography of Waukesha County formed during that time. Glacial features in Waukesha County include hummocks, drumlins, eskers, and moraines. Probably the most well known feature is the Kettle Moraine, an irregular ridge that cuts through several counties, including the southwest corner and the north-central edge of Waukesha County. Clayton provides a summary of explanations for the origin of Kettle Moraine and offers his own theory.