Mapping quaternary landforms and deposits in the Midwest and Great Plains by means of ERTS-1 multispectral imagery

ERTS-1 multispectral images are proving effective for differentiating many kinds of Quaternary surficial deposits and landforms units in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, and South Dakota. Examples of features that have been distinguished are: (1) the more prominent end moraines of the last glaciation; (2) certain possible palimpsests of older moraines mantled by younger deposits; (3) various abandoned river valleys, including suspected ones deeply filled by deposits; (4) river terraces; and (5) some known faults and a few previously unmapped lineaments that may be faults. The ERTS images are being used for systematic mapping of Quaternary landforms and deposits in about 20 potential study areas. Some study areas, already well mapped, provide checks on the reliability of mapping from the images. For other study areas, previously mapped only partly or not at all, our maps will be the first comprehensive, synoptic ones, and should be useful for regional land-use planning and ground-water, engineering-geology, and other environmental applications.