| Mazon River | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Greenfield Township, Grundy County, Illinois |
| • coordinates | 41°11′02″N 88°15′13″W / 41.183921°N 88.2536703°W |
| Mouth | |
• location | Confluence with the Illinois River, Morris, Illinois |
• coordinates | 41°21′11″N 88°25′11″W / 41.3530°N 88.4198°W |
• elevation | 489 ft (149 m) |
| Length | 28 mi (45 km) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Coal City, Illinois |
| • average | 373 cu/ft. per sec.[1] |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Mazon River → Illinois → Mississippi → Gulf of Mexico |
| GNIS ID | 413173 |
The Mazon River or Mazon Creek (/məˈzɒn/), is a tributary of the Illinois River in the United States. The confluence is near Morris, Illinois.[2]
The Mazon River is associated with the Mazon Creek fossils of the Francis Creek Shale, which are also exposed in strip mines and quarries near the River. This fossil bed includes well-preserved fossils from the Pennsylvanian period of the Paleozoic era and is a world-famous Lagerstätten site.
The Mazon River is approximately 28 miles (45 km) in length,[3] with the West Fork considered the main branch.
The river was named in honor of William Mason, a pioneer settler.[4]
- ^ "USGS Current Conditions for USGS 05542000 MAZON RIVER NEAR COAL CITY, IL".
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Mazon River
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map Archived 2012-03-29 at the Wayback Machine, accessed May 13, 2011
- ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 202.