Dissected Till Plains

Physiographic section of the central United States

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Find sources: "Dissected Till Plains" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (December 2007) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

|

Continental U.S. physiographic regions. Region 12e identifies the Dissected Till Plains.

The Dissected Till Plains are physiographic sections of the Central Lowlands province, which in turn is part of the Interior Plains physiographic division of the United States, located in southern and western Iowa, northeastern Kansas, the southwestern corner of Minnesota, northern Missouri, eastern Nebraska, and southeastern South Dakota.[1]

The Dissected Till Plains were formed during the Pre-Illinoian Stage. Glacial scouring and deposition by the Laurentide Ice Sheet and the later accumulation of loess during the Wisconsin Stage left behind the rolling hills and rich, fertile soils found today in the region.

The region is also the western edge of the Corn Belt.

## Geology

[edit]

As a part of the Central Lowland geomorphic province. It is a glacier till plain from flat to rolling plain that slopes towards either the Missouri or Mississippi rivers. It is moderately dissected. Local relief is 20 to 165 feet (6.1 to 50.3 m). The region is pocketed by small human landform, i.e., strip-mines among a hummocky or ridge-swale topography. Streams drain and erode the area, moving soils and depositing them downstream. Elevation ranges from 600 to 1,500 feet (180 to 460 m).[2]

Loess (unconsolidated aeolian silt), as much as 25 feet (7.6 m) thick thins toward the east, covers most uplands. Pleistocene (pre-Illinoisan) till lies beneath the loess, covering the bedrock up to 300 feet (91 m) deep. Along the edges, it thins to less than 30 feet (9.1 m). The Mississippi and Missouri floodplains have up to 150 feet (46 m) of unconsolidated Tertiary and Quaternary alluvium (gravel, sand, silt, and clay) over the bedrock, thinner in the river valleys.[2]

Bedrock appears along the margins. Cretaceous shale and sandstone occur in the northwestern corner, the Nebraska, Minnesota and Iowa boundary section. Permian sandstone is along the western margin or the Missouri Valley. Pennsylvanian shale, limestone, and coal is beneath nearly the entire geologic unit. Mississippian, Devonian and Ordovician shale and carbonate are the bedrock along the eastern and southern areas. Bedrock is visible along the deeper drainage's and in eroded "windows" of the unconsolidated surface soils.[2]

## Geography

[edit]

The Dissected Till Plains is a sub-unit of the Central Lowlands in the Interior Plains of North America. It is centered on the Iowa-Missouri state line. The eastern border is the Mississippi River and bounded on the south by the Missouri River Valley across central Missouri. Its western boundary is about 100 miles (160 km) west of the Missouri Rivers border along the Kansas/Missouri – Nebraska/Iowa state line. Its northern border is a line dipping from the Sioux River valley of South Dakota and Minnesota, south into Iowa along a line demarking the Missouri valley from the interior lowlands of Iowa, then curving northward again on a line demarking the interior lowlands of Iowa, from the Mississippi River valley on the east.[3]

* Missouri – The northern tier from the Missouri Valley between St. Louis and Kansas City north to the Iowa border.[3]
* Iowa – A U-shaped area including the Missouri River valley on the west and the Mississippi hill country on the east.[3]
* Kansas – Eight counties in the northeast corner.[3]
* Nebraska – Thirty eastern counties from the Missouri River to about the 98 latitude or about 100 miles (160 km) of the state.[3]
* South Dakota – An L-shaped section along the Sioux River from north of Sioux Falls down to its junction with the Missouri River and then west up the Missouri for about 100 miles (160 km).[3]
* Minnesota – Three counties in the southwestern corner along the Sioux River and eight counties in the southeast in the Mississippi River hill country around Rochester.[3]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "US Geological Survey: A Tapestry of Time and Terrain". Archived from the original on 15 May 2006. Retrieved 9 September 2009.
2. ^ a b c Ecological Subregions of the United States; Chapter 28; Prairie Parkland (Temperate), Section 251C--Central Dissected Till Plains; U.S. Forest Service; Rocky Mountain Region, Denver, Colorado; Obtained January 8, 2019
3. ^ a b c d e f g A Tapestry of Time and Terrain; José F. Vigil, Richard J. Pike, and David G. Howell; Pamphlet to accompany Geologic Investigations Series I–2720; U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Department of the Interior; United States Government Printing Office; Washington, D.C.; 2000

* v
* t
* e

State of Iowa

Des Moines (capital)

Topics|

* Archaeology
* Area codes
* Attorney General
* Auditor of State
* Capitol
* Climate change
* Code
* Congressional districts
* Crime
* Delegations
* Representatives
* Senators
* Elections
* Caucuses
* Environment
* Flag
* Governor
* Gun laws
* History
* Historic Places
* Index
* Legislature
* House
* Senate
* LGBT rights
* Museums
* People
* Native Americans
* Political parties
* Democratic
* Libertarian
* Republican
* Seal
* Secretary of Agriculture
* Secretary of State
* State Parks
* Supreme Court
* Symbols
* Treasurer of State

Regions|

* Coteau des Prairies
* Des Moines metropolitan area
* Dissected Till Plains
* Driftless Area
* Great River Road
* Honey Lands
* Iowa Great Lakes
* Loess Hills
* Omaha–Council Bluffs metropolitan area
* Quad Cities
* Siouxland

Largest cities|

* Ames
* Ankeny
* Bettendorf
* Burlington
* Cedar Falls
* Cedar Rapids
* Clinton
* Council Bluffs
* Davenport
* Des Moines
* Dubuque
* Fort Dodge
* Iowa City
* Marion
* Marshalltown
* Mason City
* Muscatine
* Ottumwa
* Sioux City
* Urbandale
* Waterloo
* West Des Moines

Counties|

* Adair
* Adams
* Allamakee
* Appanoose
* Audubon
* Benton
* Black Hawk
* Boone
* Bremer
* Buchanan
* Buena Vista
* Butler
* Calhoun
* Carroll
* Cass
* Cedar
* Cerro Gordo
* Cherokee
* Chickasaw
* Clarke
* Clay
* Clayton
* Clinton
* Crawford
* Dallas
* Davis
* Decatur
* Delaware
* Des Moines
* Dickinson
* Dubuque
* Emmet
* Fayette
* Floyd
* Franklin
* Fremont
* Greene
* Grundy
* Guthrie
* Hamilton
* Hancock
* Hardin
* Harrison
* Henry
* Howard
* Humboldt
* Ida
* Iowa
* Jackson
* Jasper
* Jefferson
* Johnson
* Jones
* Keokuk
* Kossuth
* Lee
* Linn
* Louisa
* Lucas
* Lyon
* Madison
* Mahaska
* Marion
* Marshall
* Mills
* Mitchell
* Monona
* Monroe
* Montgomery
* Muscatine
* O'Brien
* Osceola
* Page
* Palo Alto
* Plymouth
* Pocahontas
* Polk
* Pottawattamie
* Poweshiek
* Ringgold
* Sac
* Scott
* Shelby
* Sioux
* Story
* Tama
* Taylor
* Union
* Van Buren
* Wapello
* Warren
* Washington
* Wayne
* Webster
* Winnebago
* Winneshiek
* Woodbury
* Worth
* Wright

Iowa portal

* v
* t
* e

State of Kansas

Topeka (capital)

Topics|

* Index
* Abortion
* Cannabis
* Culture
* Climate change
* Crime
* Demographics
* Economy
* Education
* Geography
* Gun laws
* History
* Bleeding Kansas
* Timeline
* Homelessness
* Landmarks
* LGBT rights
* People
* Politics
* Symbols
* Tourist attractions

Politics|

* Constitutions
* Capitals
* Capitols
* Delegations
* Governors

Regions|

* Cherokee Strip
* Cross Timbers
* Dissected Till Plains
* East Central
* Four State Area
* Flint Hills
* High Plains
* KC metro area
* North Central
* Osage Plains
* Ozarks
* Red Hills
* Santa Fe Trail Region
* Smoky Hills
* Southeast

Counties|

* Allen
* Anderson
* Atchison
* Barber
* Barton
* Bourbon
* Brown
* Butler
* Chase
* Chautauqua
* Cherokee
* Cheyenne
* Clark
* Clay
* Cloud
* Coffey
* Comanche
* Cowley
* Crawford
* Decatur
* Dickinson
* Doniphan
* Douglas
* Edwards
* Elk
* Ellis
* Ellsworth
* Finney
* Ford
* Franklin
* Geary
* Gove
* Graham
* Grant
* Gray
* Greeley
* Greenwood
* Hamilton
* Harper
* Harvey
* Haskell
* Hodgeman
* Jackson
* Jefferson
* Jewell
* Johnson
* Kearny
* Kingman
* Kiowa
* Labette
* Lane
* Leavenworth
* Lincoln
* Linn
* Logan
* Lyon
* Marion
* Marshall
* McPherson
* Meade
* Miami
* Mitchell
* Montgomery
* Morris
* Morton
* Nemaha
* Neosho
* Ness
* Norton
* Osage
* Osborne
* Ottawa
* Pawnee
* Phillips
* Pottawatomie
* Pratt
* Rawlins
* Reno
* Republic
* Rice
* Riley
* Rooks
* Rush
* Russell
* Saline
* Scott
* Sedgwick
* Seward
* Shawnee
* Sheridan
* Sherman
* Smith
* Stafford
* Stanton
* Stevens
* Sumner
* Thomas
* Trego
* Wabaunsee
* Wallace
* Washington
* Wichita
* Wilson
* Woodson
* Wyandotte

Places|

* Cities
* Townships
* Census-designated places
* Unincorporated communities
* Ghost towns

Kansas portal

* v
* t
* e

State of Minnesota

Saint Paul (capital)

Topics|

* Index
* Outline
* Biking/Cycling
* Cities
* Climate (Climate change)
* Colleges and universities
* Congressional districts
* Delegations
* Ecology
* Geography
* Geology
* Governor
* Hiking
* Historical Landmarks
* History
* Indian reservations
* Lakes
* Legislature
* Local government
* Townships
* People
* Political parties
* Rivers
* School districts
* High schools
* Scouting
* State fair
* Statutes
* State parks
* Symbols
* Territory
* Tourist attractions
* Mall of America
* Transportation

Society|

* Abortion
* Culture
* Crime
* Demographics
* Economy
* Education
* Homelessness
* Law
* Cannabis
* Guns
* LGBT
* Movies and TV
* Music
* Newspapers
* Politics
* Religion
* Sports
* Theater

Regions|

* Arrowhead
* Boundary Waters
* Buffalo Ridge
* Central
* Coteau des Prairies
* Dissected Till Plains
* Driftless Area
* Iron Range
* Minnesota River Valley
* North Shore
* Northwest Angle
* North Woods
* Pipestone
* Red River Valley
* Siouxland
* Southeast
* Twin Cities metropolitan area

Largest cities
pop. over 25,000|

* Andover
* Apple Valley
* Austin
* Blaine
* Bloomington
* Brooklyn Center
* Brooklyn Park
* Burnsville
* Chanhassen
* Chaska
* Coon Rapids
* Cottage Grove
* Duluth
* Eagan
* Eden Prairie
* Edina
* Elk River
* Fridley
* Inver Grove Heights
* Lakeville
* Mankato
* Maple Grove
* Maplewood
* Minneapolis
* Minnetonka
* Moorhead
* Oakdale
* Owatonna
* Plymouth
* Prior Lake
* Ramsey
* Richfield
* Rochester
* Rosemount
* Roseville
* St. Cloud
* St. Louis Park
* Saint Paul
* Savage
* Shakopee
* Shoreview
* Winona
* Woodbury

Counties|

* Aitkin
* Anoka
* Becker
* Beltrami
* Benton
* Big Stone
* Blue Earth
* Brown
* Carlton
* Carver
* Cass
* Chippewa
* Chisago
* Clay
* Clearwater
* Cook
* Cottonwood
* Crow Wing
* Dakota
* Dodge
* Douglas
* Faribault
* Fillmore
* Freeborn
* Goodhue
* Grant
* Hennepin
* Houston
* Hubbard
* Isanti
* Itasca
* Jackson
* Kanabec
* Kandiyohi
* Kittson
* Koochiching
* Lac qui Parle
* Lake
* Lake of the Woods
* Le Sueur
* Lincoln
* Lyon
* Mahnomen
* Marshall
* Martin
* McLeod
* Meeker
* Mille Lacs
* Morrison
* Mower
* Murray
* Nicollet
* Nobles
* Norman
* Olmsted
* Otter Tail
* Pennington
* Pine
* Pipestone
* Polk
* Pope
* Ramsey
* Red Lake
* Redwood
* Renville
* Rice
* Rock
* Roseau
* Saint Louis
* Scott
* Sherburne
* Sibley
* Stearns
* Steele
* Stevens
* Swift
* Todd
* Traverse
* Wabasha
* Wadena
* Waseca
* Washington
* Watonwan
* Wilkin
* Winona
* Wright
* Yellow Medicine

Minnesota portal

* v
* t
* e

State of Missouri

Jefferson City (capital)

Topics|

* Index
* Climate change
* Geography
* Government
* Delegations
* History
* Battles
* Civil War
* People
* Symbols
* Tourist attractions
* Transportation

Society|

* Abortion
* Culture
* Crime
* Demographics
* Economy
* Education
* Gun laws
* LGBT rights
* Politics

Regions|

* Boonslick
* Bootheel
* Four State Area
* Honey Lands
* Lead Belt
* Lincoln Hills
* Little Dixie
* Loess Hills
* Mid-Missouri
* Mississippi Embayment
* Missouri Rhineland
* Northern Plains
* Osage Plains
* The Ozarks
* Platte Purchase
* Pony Express
* St. Francois Mountains

Metro areas|

* Columbia
* Jefferson City
* Joplin
* Kansas City
* Springfield
* St. Joseph
* St. Louis

Largest cities|

* Kansas City
* St. Louis
* Springfield
* Columbia
* Independence
* Lee's Summit
* O'Fallon
* St. Charles
* St. Joseph
* Blue Springs
* St. Peters
* Joplin
* Florissant
* Chesterfield
* Wentzville
* Jefferson City
* Cape Girardeau
* Wildwood
* University City
* Liberty
* Ballwin
* Kirkwood
* Raytown
* Maryland Heights
* Gladstone
* Belton
* Grandview
* Nixa
* Raymore

Counties and
independent city|

* Adair
* Andrew
* Atchison
* Audrain
* Barry
* Barton
* Bates
* Benton
* Bollinger
* Boone
* Buchanan
* Butler
* Caldwell
* Callaway
* Camden
* Cape Girardeau
* Carroll
* Carter
* Cass
* Cedar
* Chariton
* Christian
* Clark
* Clay
* Clinton
* Cole
* Cooper
* Crawford
* Dade
* Dallas
* Daviess
* DeKalb
* Dent
* Douglas
* Dunklin
* Franklin
* Gasconade
* Gentry
* Greene
* Grundy
* Harrison
* Henry
* Hickory
* Holt
* Howard
* Howell
* Iron
* Jackson
* Jasper
* Jefferson
* Johnson
* Knox
* Laclede
* Lafayette
* Lawrence
* Lewis
* Lincoln
* Linn
* Livingston
* Macon
* Madison
* Maries
* Marion
* McDonald
* Mercer
* Miller
* Mississippi
* Moniteau
* Monroe
* Montgomery
* Morgan
* New Madrid
* Newton
* Nodaway
* Oregon
* Osage
* Ozark
* Pemiscot
* Perry
* Pettis
* Phelps
* Pike
* Platte
* Polk
* Pulaski
* Putnam
* Ralls
* Randolph
* Ray
* Reynolds
* Ripley
* St. Charles
* St. Clair
* St. Francois
* St. Louis (City)
* St. Louis (County)
* Ste. Genevieve
* Saline
* Schuyler
* Scotland
* Scott
* Shannon
* Shelby
* Stoddard
* Stone
* Sullivan
* Taney
* Texas
* Vernon
* Warren
* Washington
* Wayne
* Webster
* Worth
* Wright

Missouri portal

* v
* t
* e

State of Nebraska

Lincoln (capital)

Topics|

* Index
* Geography
* Government
* Governors
* Lt. governors
* Legislature
* Speakers of the Legislature
* State senators
* Supreme Court
* Supreme Court justices
* Congressional districts
* History
* Music
* People
* Symbols
* Tourist attractions

Society|

* Abortion
* Cannabis
* Climate change
* Crime
* Culture
* Demographics
* Economy
* Education
* Elections
* Gun laws
* Homelessness
* LGBT rights
* Politics

Regions|

* Bohemian Alps
* Dissected Till Plains
* Grand Island metropolitan area
* Kearney Micropolitan Statistical Area
* Lincoln metropolitan area
* Omaha metropolitan area
* Outback
* Panhandle
* Pine Ridge
* Rainwater Basin
* Sandhills
* Siouxland
* Wildcat Hills

Largest cities|

* Alliance
* Beatrice
* Bellevue
* Columbus
* Fremont
* Gering
* Grand Island
* Hastings
* Kearney
* La Vista
* Lexington
* Lincoln
* McCook
* Norfolk
* North Platte
* Omaha
* Papillion
* Scottsbluff
* South Sioux City
* York

Counties|

* Adams
* Antelope
* Arthur
* Banner
* Blaine
* Boone
* Box Butte
* Boyd
* Brown
* Buffalo
* Burt
* Butler
* Cass
* Cedar
* Chase
* Cherry
* Cheyenne
* Clay
* Colfax
* Cuming
* Custer
* Dakota
* Dawes
* Dawson
* Deuel
* Dixon
* Dodge
* Douglas
* Dundy
* Fillmore
* Franklin
* Frontier
* Furnas
* Gage
* Garden
* Garfield
* Gosper
* Grant
* Greeley
* Hall
* Hamilton
* Harlan
* Hayes
* Hitchcock
* Holt
* Hooker
* Howard
* Jefferson
* Johnson
* Kearney
* Keith
* Keya Paha
* Kimball
* Knox
* Lancaster
* Lincoln
* Logan
* Loup
* Madison
* McPherson
* Merrick
* Morrill
* Nance
* Nemaha
* Nuckolls
* Otoe
* Pawnee
* Perkins
* Phelps
* Pierce
* Platte
* Polk
* Red Willow
* Richardson
* Rock
* Saline
* Sarpy
* Saunders
* Scotts Bluff
* Seward
* Sheridan
* Sherman
* Sioux
* Stanton
* Thayer
* Thomas
* Thurston
* Valley
* Washington
* Wayne
* Webster
* Wheeler
* York

Nebraska portal

* v
* t
* e

State of South Dakota

Pierre (capital)

Topics|

* Outline
* Cities
* Climate change
* Famous South Dakotans
* Geography
* Government
* Delegations
* Elections
* History
* Bibliography
* Timeline
* State Parks
* Symbols
* Tourist attractions
* Towns and villages
* Townships
* Transportation

Society|

* Abortion
* Cannabis
* Culture
* Crime
* Demographics
* Economy
* Education
* Colleges and universities
* Gun laws
* LGBT rights
* Politics

Regions|

* Badlands
* Black Hills
* Coteau des Prairies
* Missouri Coteau
* Dissected Till Plains
* Drift Prairie
* East River
* Pine Ridge
* Siouxland
* West River

Larger incorporated places
pop. over 5,000|

* Aberdeen
* Belle Fourche
* Box Elder
* Brandon
* Brookings
* Harrisburg
* Huron
* Madison
* Mitchell
* Pierre
* Rapid City
* Sioux Falls
* Spearfish
* Sturgis
* Tea
* Vermillion
* Watertown
* Yankton

Smaller incorporated places
pop. 1,000 - 5,000|

* Aurora
* Baltic
* Beresford
* Britton
* Canton
* Chamberlain
* Clark
* Clear Lake
* Crooks
* Custer
* De Smet
* Deadwood
* Dell Rapids
* Eagle Butte
* Elk Point
* Flandreau
* Fort Pierre
* Freeman
* Garretson
* Gettysburg
* Gregory
* Groton
* Hartford
* Hot Springs
* Lead
* Lemmon
* Lennox
* Milbank
* Miller
* Mission
* Mobridge
* North Sioux City
* Parker
* Parkston
* Piedmont
* Platte
* Redfield
* Salem
* Sisseton
* Springfield
* Summerset
* Tyndall
* Volga
* Wagner
* Webster
* Winner

Largest CDPs
pop. over 1,000|

* Blackhawk
* Colonial Pine Hills
* Dakota Dunes
* Fort Thompson
* Green Valley
* North Eagle Butte
* North Spearfish
* Oglala
* Pine Ridge
* Rapid Valley
* Rosebud

Counties|

* Aurora
* Beadle
* Bennett
* Bon Homme
* Brookings
* Brown
* Brule
* Buffalo
* Butte
* Campbell
* Charles Mix
* Clark
* Clay
* Codington
* Corson
* Custer
* Davison
* Day
* Deuel
* Dewey
* Douglas
* Edmunds
* Fall River
* Faulk
* Grant
* Gregory
* Haakon
* Hamlin
* Hand
* Hanson
* Harding
* Hughes
* Hutchinson
* Hyde
* Jackson
* Jerauld
* Jones
* Kingsbury
* Lake
* Lawrence
* Lincoln
* Lyman
* Marshall
* McCook
* McPherson
* Meade
* Mellette
* Miner
* Minnehaha
* Moody
* Oglala Lakota
* Pennington
* Perkins
* Potter
* Roberts
* Sanborn
* Spink
* Stanley
* Sully
* Todd
* Tripp
* Turner
* Union
* Walworth
* Yankton
* Ziebach

South Dakota portal
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template