Local Geology Sites

(Click on the location names for more information.)

Local Geology Related Web Pages
UW-River Falls (Wisconsin Mineralogy), UW-Eau Claire, The Chippewa Valley Geological Society
Wisconsin Public Television's Interactive Timeline of Wisconsin's History
Wisconsin's Stories (includes Digging and Discovery: Wisconsin Archeology)
Geology and Landforms of Wisconsin (from UW-Stevens Point)
Geology and Geophysics, University of Minnesota (Twin Cities)
The Geological History of Rib Mountain, Wisconsin (by Keith Montgomery, UW-Marathon County)
The Baraboo Ranges and Devil's Lake Gorge, Wisconsin (by Keith Montgomery, UW-Marathon County)

Red Cedar State Trail and Red Cedar River Valley
Menomonie, Wisconsin

Geology of the Red Cedar Valley

Written by Larry Lynch and illustrated by Karen Shepard for the Red Cedar State Trail.  Revised April 1995.  See also Wisconsin's Foundations by Gwen Schultz.  (Reprinted with permission.)

Geologic substructure of the Pierce and Dunn county area.   This profile is based upon 6 core samples shown in the diagram.
[Made available for Mr. Skrove's science classes at Boyceville H.S.]

Very nice trail that borders the Red Cedar River.  I have seen Eagles roosting and flying on every canoe trip that I've taken down the river.  The trail and river pass by the old Downsville Cut-Stone Quarry (see pictures) and interpretive site at mile 10 (about 2 miles South of Downsville).  The Mabel Tainter Historical landmark and theatre in Menomonie was constructed with these cut sandstone blocks.   One gets a nice view of some Cambrian (or pre-Cambrian) sandstone cliffs just South of Irvington.  The trail is a converted rail-line from the big Lumber-era of the late 1800's.  Where the trail intersects Rt 29, there is an information building.  In this building you will find a very nice description of the local geology with rock samples, fossils, and pictures.

Hydrograph and pictures of the Red Cedar river flowrate.

Devil's Punch Bowl (Menomonie, WI)

Description, map, and virtual tour

National Ice Age Center (Chippewa Moraine Ice Age National Scientific Reserve)

It is located just East of New Auburn, WI.   (Follow county road M as you exit Route 53.)  Some very scenic trails that pass through Ice Age Moraines.  Particularly good hiking during the Fall when the leaves are changing colors.  There is a Nature Center with an excellent display of Ice Age information.  Good for families with kids.

Click here for a pictorial tour of one of the trails and the glacial landforms.

Wisconsin Ice Age Trail

This is a continuous trail that is over 1,000 miles long (some parts still under construction) and passes through much of Wisconsin's glacial formations.  The trail passes about 20 miles North of Menomonie, WI.   Here is the Ice Age Trail Information Center.

Interstate State Park (Glacial Potholes)

Nice hiking trails.  Very scenic along the St. Croix river.  The glaciers have weathered unique holes, called glacial potholes, in the rock formations.

Pictures and geology description from Interstate State Park, in Minnesota and Wisconsin

A weathering resistant rock formation sprouts up high above the Mississippi river in the town of Red Wind.  Nice place to watch the sunrise or sunset.  At the beginning of the trails that climb up the bluff there is an interpretive plaque describing the rock formations and their ages.

Barn Bluff Geology Description
Close-up View of Rock Strata (Diagram), What It "Really" Looks Like (Picture)

Crystal Cave
Spring Valley, Wisconsin

Hour-long guided tours, Gift Shop and Fudge Shop, Lucky Miner Gem Panning
May 15-Labor Day, Daily 9am-6pm (Sept. & Oct. 9am-5pm)
More information call 1-800-236-CAVE

This is a nice journey into a system of caves.   The surrounding rock is a Cambrian period sandstone (and some limestone).

Local Asteroid Impact Site
Pierce County, WI

A 450 million year-old crater just North of Nugget Lake county park in Pierce County, WI.

UW-Madison Geology Museum
1215 West Dayton St.
Madison, WI

Very nice collection of minerals and rocks from Wisconsin and around the world.  Just outside the building is an impressive rock garden with an identification of the rocks.  This museum also has a good collection of fossils and fossil replicas.  This includes a wooly mammoth.  Here are some pictures from the museum in July of 2004.

Geology of National Parks

For questions or comments regarding these pages contact Dr. Alan Scott / scotta@uwstout.edu / this page was last updated September 14, 2006