Shawnee Hills
Encyclopedia
The Shawnee Hills is a region of Southern Illinois
that rests mainly in an east-west arc roughly following the outline of the southern end of the Illinois Basin
. Whereas Mississippi
an and Pennsylvania
Age rock layers are deep beneath the surface in central Illinois, these strata pierce the surface in southern Illinois. The Shawnee Hills are surface expressions of the more weather resistant limestone and sandstone
layers.
Within the Shawnee Hills, limestone
is extensively quarried from outcrops, while both north and south of the Shawnee Hills, coal is mined by surface techniques on shallow coal seams near the edges of the Illinois Basin and by deep mining techniques in the deeper parts of the Basin. Additionally, extensive faulting in and around the Shawnee Hills occurred due to deep tectonic activities and formed sites for deposition of fluorite
, a mineral used for production of the element fluorine
. At one time, about 80% of the world's fluorspar (the limestone ore containing fluorite
) was mined near the towns of Rosiclare and Cave in Rock.
A large portion of the Shawnee Hills lies within the Shawnee National Forest
; one of the largest protected Federal forests in the United States
. The beauty of the Shawnee Hills, the Shawnee National Forest, and the Ohio River Valley make the area a prime tourist destination.
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
that rests mainly in an east-west arc roughly following the outline of the southern end of the Illinois Basin
Geology of Illinois
The strata of the bedrock geology of Illinois are dominated by Pennsylvanian age rocks which occur within the Illinois Basin.- Illinois Basin :...
. Whereas Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
an and Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
Age rock layers are deep beneath the surface in central Illinois, these strata pierce the surface in southern Illinois. The Shawnee Hills are surface expressions of the more weather resistant limestone and sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
layers.
Within the Shawnee Hills, limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
is extensively quarried from outcrops, while both north and south of the Shawnee Hills, coal is mined by surface techniques on shallow coal seams near the edges of the Illinois Basin and by deep mining techniques in the deeper parts of the Basin. Additionally, extensive faulting in and around the Shawnee Hills occurred due to deep tectonic activities and formed sites for deposition of fluorite
Fluorite
Fluorite is a halide mineral composed of calcium fluoride, CaF2. It is an isometric mineral with a cubic habit, though octahedral and more complex isometric forms are not uncommon...
, a mineral used for production of the element fluorine
Fluorine
Fluorine is the chemical element with atomic number 9, represented by the symbol F. It is the lightest element of the halogen column of the periodic table and has a single stable isotope, fluorine-19. At standard pressure and temperature, fluorine is a pale yellow gas composed of diatomic...
. At one time, about 80% of the world's fluorspar (the limestone ore containing fluorite
Fluorite
Fluorite is a halide mineral composed of calcium fluoride, CaF2. It is an isometric mineral with a cubic habit, though octahedral and more complex isometric forms are not uncommon...
) was mined near the towns of Rosiclare and Cave in Rock.
A large portion of the Shawnee Hills lies within the Shawnee National Forest
Shawnee National Forest
The Shawnee National Forest, located in the Ozark and Shawnee Hills of Southern Illinois, consists of approximately 280,000 acres of federally managed lands. In descending order of land area it is located in parts of Pope, Jackson, Union, Hardin, Alexander, Saline, Gallatin, Johnson, and Massac...
; one of the largest protected Federal forests in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The beauty of the Shawnee Hills, the Shawnee National Forest, and the Ohio River Valley make the area a prime tourist destination.
See also
- Ohio RiverOhio RiverThe Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
- Shawnee National ForestShawnee National ForestThe Shawnee National Forest, located in the Ozark and Shawnee Hills of Southern Illinois, consists of approximately 280,000 acres of federally managed lands. In descending order of land area it is located in parts of Pope, Jackson, Union, Hardin, Alexander, Saline, Gallatin, Johnson, and Massac...
- Dixon Springs State ParkDixon Springs State ParkDixon Springs State Park is an Illinois state park on in Pope County, Illinois, USA, and is one of several state parks in the Illinois Shawnee Hills. The park is on a giant block of rock which was dropped along a fault line that extends northwesterly across Pope County.The park is about west...
- Cave-in-Rock State ParkCave-in-Rock State ParkCave-in-Rock State Park is an Illinois state park on in Hardin County, Illinois in the United States. The state park contains the historic Cave-in-Rock, a landmark of the Ohio River...
- Trail of Tears State ForestTrail of Tears State ForestTrail of Tears State Forest is a State of Illinois conservation area on in Union County, Illinois, United States.Trail of Tears was established in 1929 when Illinois purchased acres of Shawnee Hills land and used the resulting land to create the Kohn-Jackson Forest...