Editing Taylor County, Wisconsin (section)

==Geography==
[[Image:Taylor County glaciation.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Maximum extent of the Laurentide Ice Sheet<ref name=Attig-1993 />]]

According to the [[United States Census Bureau|U.S. Census Bureau]], the county has a total area of {{convert|984|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|975|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|9.5|sqmi}} (1.0%) is water.<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=http://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/counties_list_55.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=August 9, 2015|date=August 22, 2012|title=2010 Census Gazetteer Files}}</ref>
[[Image:Taylor County glacial map.gif|thumb|upright=1.2|Glacial landforms of Taylor County.<ref name=Attig-1993 />]]

Taylor county's [[terrain]] was shaped chiefly by [[glacier]]s. Geologists believe that 15,000 to 25,000 years ago the [[Laurentide Ice Sheet]] pushed down from Canada across what are now the Great Lakes, and over much of the northern U.S. One of the ice sheet's lobes bulldozed down over two thirds of Taylor county, at its farthest extent covering a line from Westboro through Perkinstown to Lublin. The ice sheet pushed down that far, then melted back, leaving the band of choppy hills and little lakes that cuts diagonally across the county. This band of hills is called the Perkinstown [[terminal moraine]]. North and west of the moraine, in the corner of the county toward Jump River, that last glacier left behind a more gently rolling plain of [[glacial till]]. The striking glacial features in this area are [[glacial erratic|glacial erratic boulders]] and [[esker]]s. Along with the Mondeaux and Lost Lake eskers, there are others in the towns of Westboro, Pershing, Aurora and Taft. The southeast corner of the county toward Stetsonville and Goodrich was not covered by the last glacier, but was covered by earlier ones. Here too they left glacial till, but the land is generally flatter and less rocky since erosion has had more time to level things.<ref name=Attig-1993>{{cite journal|last=Attig|first=John W.|title=Pleistocene Geology of Taylor County, Wisconsin|journal=Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey|year=1993|volume=Bulletin 90|url=https://wgnhs.wisc.edu/catalog/publication/000114|access-date=April 15, 2011}}</ref>

Beneath the glacial till lies [[Cambrian]] and [[Precambrian]] [[bedrock]]. Outcrops have been exposed in places by the Jump and Yellow Rivers.<ref name=Soil-survey /><ref name=Attig-1993 />  An unmined copper and gold deposit known as the Bend deposit lies north of Perkinstown,<ref>{{cite web|title=Recent and Potential Metallic Mining Projects in Wisconsin|url=https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/Mines/Projects.html|publisher=Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources|access-date=June 1, 2021}}</ref> which geologists believe was formed up to two billion years ago by a [[Black smoker#Black smokers and white smokers|black smoker]], a volcanic vent under an ancient ocean.<ref>{{cite news|last=Berglund|first=Mark|title=Up around the Bend|newspaper=The Star News|date=December 7, 2011}}</ref>

The county straddles a [[Drainage divide|divide]] between three river systems. The [[Jump River]] and [[Yellow River (Chippewa River)|Yellow]] flow west into the [[Chippewa River (Wisconsin)|Chippewa river]] valley. The [[Big Rib River]] flows southeast to the [[Wisconsin River|Wisconsin]]. And the [[Black River (Wisconsin)|Black River]] flows out to the south. All eventually feed the [[Mississippi River|Mississippi]].

===Adjacent counties===
* [[Price County, Wisconsin|Price County]] - north
* [[Lincoln County, Wisconsin|Lincoln County]] - east
* [[Marathon County, Wisconsin|Marathon County]] - southeast
* [[Clark County, Wisconsin|Clark County]] - south
* [[Chippewa County, Wisconsin|Chippewa County]] - west
* [[Rusk County, Wisconsin|Rusk County]] - northwest

===National protected area===
* [[Chequamegon National Forest]] (part)