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Bluff recession rates along the Lake Michigan shoreline in Illinois

January 1, 1992

For two time periods, 1872-1937 and 1937-1987, rates of retreat vary from 10 to 75 cm/yr between discrete segments of bluffs (defined by lithology) and between time periods for a given bluff segment. The average retreat rates for the entire area, however, do not vary significantly between the two time periods and are approximately 20-25 cm/yr. The temporally constant regional retreat rates and the regular shape of the local shoreline indicate that a long-term uniform rate of retreat prevails and that local variations in rates balance out through time to produce long-term parallel (in map view) bluff retreat in the area. 

Publication Year 1992
Title Bluff recession rates along the Lake Michigan shoreline in Illinois
DOI 10.2113/gseegeosci.xxix.2.103
Authors R. W. Jibson, J.-M. Staude
Publication Type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Series Title Bulletin of the Association of Engineering Geologists
Index ID 70016751
Record Source USGS Publications Warehouse