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7.2: Investigation - Longitudinal Profile of Illinois River

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    53316
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    fig-ch01_patchfile_01.jpg
    Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Illinois River near Havana, Illinois. (Ron Frazier via Wikimedia Commons; CC.)

    The Illinois River flows from Chicago to Grafton, Illinois, where the river joins the Mississippi River. The longitudinal profile of a river showcases how the river's elevation changes along its path. The longitudinal profile reveals the overall gradient of the river as well as local rises and falls on the landscape. The longitudinal profile can be obtained by plotting the river elevation against distance for a series of locations along the river from the start of the river to its end. Google Earth may be used as a tool for elevation and distance measurements.

    Longitudinal elevations of Illinois River.
    Location Distance
    (miles from Chicago)
    Elevation
    (feet above sea level)
    Chicago    
    Summit    
    Lemont    
    Lockport    
    Joliet    
    Channahon    
    Morris    
    Seneca    
    Spring Brook    
    Ottawa    
    Clayton Run    
    Goose Lake    
    Indian Spring    
    Clear Creek    
    Newhaven Lake    
    Blalock Creek    
    Peoria    
    Havana    
    Holmes Landing    
    Browning    
    Frederick    
    Reich Landing    
    Camp Creek    
    Meredosia    
    Naples    
    Valley City    
    Florence    
    Little Sandy Creek    
    Pearl    
    Campsville    
    Hardin    
    Grafton    

    This page titled 7.2: Investigation - Longitudinal Profile of Illinois River is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Likwan Cheng.

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