Types of maps

Bedrock maps show solid rock (bedrock) buried beneath Wisconsin’s glacial material or exposed at the earth’s surface in places like the Baraboo Hills (in Sauk and Columbia Counties) or at Copper Falls (in Ashland County). The above map shows a detail from the Bedrock Geology of Marathon County, Wisconsin by G.L. LaBerge and P.E. Myers.

Glacial maps show the sediments and landforms (such as drumlins and moraines) that were left by glaciers. These maps may be called Quaternary (referring to the period) or Pleistocene (referring to the epoch). The map above is a detail from Glacial Geology of Dane County, Wisconsin (part of A Guide to the Glacial Landscapes of Dane County, Wisconsin, by D.M. Mickelson and M.C. McCartney).

Water-table maps show the approximate elevation of the top of the saturated zone, where all underground cracks and pores are water-filled. The above map is a detail from the Preliminary Water-Table Elevation Map of Columbia County, Wisconsin, by S.M. Sellwood.