11 Yet, the loss in habitat and population would be regained through the opportunity of new land. Since the glaciers brought material from the north down to Illinois, once the glaciers melted, new materials like soil, sediment, and minerals can be sourced there. This brings the opportunity for new plants and animals to cultivate here. Land that was once frozen, would now become grasslands and forests that inhabit new plants and animals that specifically reside in that type of habitat. New animal species like white-tail deer, cottontail rabbit, and raccoon, live in this bioregion.1 The Pleistocene brought opportunities for Illinois to improve the ecosystem and the environment. This improvement includes the minerals that are sourced from the Fox River. The Wisconsin Glaciation improved the natural resources located in the Fox River bioregion during the Pleistocene Epoch. The north region of Illinois was covered with glaciers while the rest of the state was a tundra because of the extremely low temperatures and lack of glaciers. This type of land yielded no resources because the topsoil was completely frozen. As the glaciers shifted south, they brought soil, glacial deposits, and raw material towards Illinois. It was not until the temperatures increased during the end of the Wisconsin Glaciation; global temperatures increased 6 degrees Celsius annually.2 Thus, causing healthier land and melting glaciers to distribute the resources throughout the land. The majority of the silt, gravel, and sand were distributed to the lower levels of land, which outlined bodies of water.3 Coal, zinc, clay, oil, and gas, were found under the soil.7 The land prior to glaciation held no value because of the frozen land restricting the obtention of resources. Similar to animal and plant populations during the Wisconsin Glaciation, the 1 Illinois State. Geology of Illinois. Illinois State Geological Survey, (2022) https://www2.illinois.gov/dnr/education/Documents/OnlineIntroIllinoisNatRes(56).pdf#:~:text=GLACIATION%20IN%20ILLINOIS%20About%2085%20percent%20of %20what,are%20known%20as%20the%20pre- Illinoian%2C%20Illinoian%20and%20Wisconsinian 2 Stauffer, B., H. Hofer, H. Oeschger, J. Schwander, and U. Siegenthaler. “Atmospheric CO2 Concentration During the Last Glaciation.” Annals of Glaciology 5 (1984): 160–64. doi:10.3189/1984AoG5-1-160-164 3 Illinois State. Glaciers Smooth the Surface. Illinois State Geological Survey, (2022.) pp 1-10. https://isgs.illinois.edu/outreach/geology-resources/glaciers-smooth-surface
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