ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Kankakee Outwash Plain

Okay kiddo, so imagine a big area of land that used to be covered in ice a really long time ago. When that ice melted, it left behind a lot of sand and gravel that formed a big, flat plain. This plain is called the Kankakee outwash plain!

Now, you know how when you pour water over sand, it flows through the spaces in the sand and makes all sorts of little channels? That's kind of what happened here too. The melting ice created big rivers of water that flowed over the plain and made channels and valleys in the sand and gravel.

These channels and valleys are important because they create places where water can flow and collect. This makes the Kankakee outwash plain a great place for all sorts of plants and animals to live!

There are also some special features on the Kankakee outwash plain, like sand dunes and wetlands. Sand dunes are like big hills made out of sand, and wetlands are areas of land that are always wet and have special plants and animals living there.

So, in summary, the Kankakee outwash plain is a big, flat area of land that was created when ice melted a long time ago. It has lots of channels and valleys that make it a great place for plants and animals to live, and it also has some special features like sand dunes and wetlands.