MAPPING THE BEDROCK TOPOGRAPHY OF KANKAKEE COUNTY, ILLINOIS

There is a lack of adequate bedrock geologic knowledge for Kankakee County, Illinois. Previous research has attempted to complete the mapping of bedrock data, but due to insufficient data and measurements, the research has been less than complete. Depth to bedrock information is essential for many disciplines, including the agriculture and construction industry, as well as residents who need to drill wells either for private or commercial purposes. With a much improved and increased base of knowledge, drilling wells, along with many other tasks that involve digging or drilling in Kankakee County should be much more simple and effective. This research summarizes an attempt to further the knowledge of the bedrock of Kankakee County by means of collecting and analyzing county well logs, GPS field measurements, and data obtained from the Illinois State Geological Society (ISGS) and incorporating the data into ArcMap to create a map of the bedrock layer in the county by means of geostatistical interpolation methods. The final map product was then tested for accuracy by taking field measurements around the county.