Starved Rock State Park

Starved Rock State Park: "

Photographer: Dale L. Hugo
Summary Author: Dale L. Hugo; Jim Foster; Stu Witmer

Believe it or not, there are canyons in the prairie state of Illinois! The photo above was taken in Starved Rock State Park hard on the banks of the Illinois River. These canyons were created predominantly by glacial meltwater at the end of the last ice age. My Grandson, like many other young lads, couldn’t resist rambling around in these layered glens, which are carved out of St. Peter Sandstone. This layer of sediment lies beneath much of the U.S. Midwest and was named in 1847 after the St. Peter River (now called the Minnesota River). The canyon bottoms are bone dry this autumn but in years when rainfall is much above normal, water from ephemeral streams forms scenic waterfalls at the canyon heads. Starved Rock is one of the most visited parks in the Midwest.

Photo details: Camera Maker: Samsung Techwin; Camera Model: <Samsung D70 / D75 / S730 / S750>; Focal Length: 5.8mm (35mm equivalent: 35mm); Aperture: f/2.8; Exposure Time: 0.022 s (1/45);
ISO equiv: 200; Exposure Bias: none; Metering Mode: Matrix; Exposure: program (Auto); White Balance: Auto; Flash Fired: No; Color Space: sRGB. 

• Starved Rock State Park Coordinates: 41.31306, -88.9675
• Related Links
  
  • Another View of Starved Rock State Park
  • Antelope Canyon
  • More about the St. Peter Sandstone
  • Geological Origins of St. Peter Sand
  
  
• Earth Observatory
  
  • Flooding Along the Illinois River
  
  

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