Most of the subsection consists of lacustrine sand or clay deposits that have flat to gently undulating surfaces. On this topography, only a few inches of elevation change can greatly alter drainage conditions. Along the shoreline and several miles inland in Sub-subsections VIII.1.1 and VIII.1.3, either bedrock or sand is at the surface. Local landforms on the sand plain include transverse and parabolic dunes, deltas, and beach ridges and swales. They may be the result of chemical or physical erosion of less resistant bedrock.
Streams are numerous on the flat lake plain.
Soils on the lake plain itself are generally lacustrine sands or lacustrine clays. Most of the clay soils were calcareous and either somewhat poorly drained or poorly drained. The sandy soils ranged from very poorly drained to excessively drained, depending on slope and depth to underlying bedrock or fine-textured soils. Many of the sands are calcareous, but often deeply leached. Thin soils over bedrock are common throughout Sub-subsections VIII.1.1 and VIII.1.3, especially near the Lake Michigan or Lake Huron shoreline.