The Mazon River or Mazon Creek (), is a

tributary A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage ...

of the

Illinois River The Illinois River ( mia, Inoka Siipiiwi) is a principal tributary of the Mississippi River and is approximately long. Located in the U.S. state of Illinois, it has a drainage basin of . The Illinois River begins at the confluence of the D ...

in the United States. The

confluence In geography, a confluence (also: ''conflux'') occurs where two or more flowing bodies of water join to form a single channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main stem); o ...

is near

Morris, Illinois Morris is a city in and the county seat of Grundy County, Illinois, United States and part of the southwest Chicago metropolitan area. The population was estimated at 15,053 in 2019. Description Morris is the Grundy County seat and has a larg ...

. The Mazon River is associated with the

Mazon Creek fossils The Mazon Creek fossil beds are a conservation ' found near Morris, in Grundy County, Illinois. The fossils are preserved in ironstone concretions, formed approximately in the mid- Pennsylvanian epoch of the Carboniferous period. These concretio ...

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 The Paleozoic (or Palaeozoic) Era is the earliest of three geologic eras of the Phanerozoic Eon. The name ''Paleozoic'' ( ;) was coined by the British geologist Adam Sedgwick in 1838 by combining the Greek words ''palaiós'' (, "old") and ' ...

era and is a world-famous Lagerstätten site. The Mazon River is approximately in length,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data
The National Map
, accessed May 13, 2011 with the West Fork considered the main branch. The river was named in honor of William Mason, a pioneer settler.

Cities and counties

The following cities, towns and villages are within the Mazon watershed: * Braidwood * Coal City *

Dwight Dwight may refer to: People * Dwight (given name) * Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969), 34th president of the United States and former military officer *New England Dwight family of American educators, military and political leaders, and authors * ...

* Gardner *

Mazon Mazon may refer to: Places in the United States * Mazon, Illinois, a village * Mazon Creek fossils * Mazon River * Mazon station, Mazon, Illinois * Mazon Township, Grundy County, Illinois Organizations * MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger, a no ...

Morris Morris may refer to: Places Australia *St Morris, South Australia, place in South Australia Canada * Morris Township, Ontario, now part of the municipality of Morris-Turnberry * Rural Municipality of Morris, Manitoba ** Morris, Manitob ...

The following counties are at least partly drained by the Mazon River: * Grundy County *

Kankakee County Kankakee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 113,449. Its county seat is Kankakee. Kankakee County comprises the Kankakee, IL Metropolitan Statistical Area. History St ...

* Livingston County *

Will County Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...

References

External links

American WhitewaterPrairie State CanoeistsPrairie Rivers NetworkUSGS Real-time Stream Gage Mazon RiverUpper Illinois/Mazon River watershed map (PDF)
Tributaries of the Illinois River Rivers of Illinois Rivers of Grundy County, Illinois Rivers of Kankakee County, Illinois Rivers of Livingston County, Illinois Rivers of Will County, Illinois {{Illinois-river-stub

Cities and counties

See also

References

External links