ancient river systems

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THE OHIO JOURNAL OF SCIENCE

VOL.XXXV III MARCH,1938 No.2

PH Y S IO G R APHIC FEATURESOFSO UTHEASTERN O HIO

W I L B E R S TO U TA N D G. F. L A M B

INTRODUCTION

In a general way the physiographic featuresof southeasternO hio, that is, the area south and east of the glacial boundary,appear complex due to the series of events that have takenplace in the region. The results, largely the work of water,now appear as peneplains, straths, cuestas, stream changes,terraces, fills, and other features of less importance. Asidefrom water, other agenciesand modifying influences are, directand indirect action of glaciers, crustal movements,dip of strata,kind of rock on outcrop, affectibility of strata by weathering,ease of suspension, etc. The work of sculpturing the landsurface began with uplift at the close of Permian time and hascontinued to the present. The quantity of work accomplishedat different times has varied due to the agencies at work, tothe intensity of the forces and to the time they were active.The area contains many featuresof interest.

PHYSIO GRAPHIC FEATURE S AND O R D E R OF E V E N T S

The prominent physiographic factorsin southeastern O hiom ay be listed in the following order, beginning withthe oldest.(1) Monadnock hills and ridges, representing possiblerem-

nants of the original surface.(2) Harrisburg peneplain, the oldest well defined erosion

surface.A. Uplift and rejuvenation.

(3) L exington penep lain, best developedto the west.B . Uplift and rejuvenation.

(4) Parker strath with Teays, Pittsburghand Dover drainagesystems developed.

49


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50 WILBER STOUT AND G. F. LAMB V ol. X X X V I I I

C. Flooding and filling of valleys through damming byearly drift sheet, possibly Jerseyan.D. Uplift and rejuvenation.

(5) Deep stage drainage with Cincinnati, Newark and Pomeroydrainage developed.E. Cutting of valleys much below that of the older system.F. Advance of Illinoian ice with consequent changes.

(6) Post-Illinoian drainage with the development of the NewMartinsville, Post-Illinoian Muskingum and Post-IllinoianHocking rivers.G. Cutting of cols and formation of new valleys.H. Advance of Wisconsin ice with again a shift of drainage.

(7) Present d rainage system of the O hio, Tuscarawas, Mus-kingum, Hocking, and Scioto Rivers.I. Rem oval of outwash, formation of terraces, new chan-

nels, etc.

MONADNOCK HILLS AND RIDGES

Throughou t southeastern O hio many knobs and ridgesstand out as monadnocks, which are elevations projectingabove the surface of a peneplain. M any of these are definiteand distinct. The num ber and distribution of these suggestthat they are the remnants of a once higher level or of theoriginal surface. In either case it was destroyed by succeedingcycles of uplift and erosion. Near the close of the Paleozoicera crustal movements resulted in the building of the Appa-lachian Mountains and also in the uplifting, to where erosive

agencies became active, of much territory (such as theAllegheny Plateau) bordering these highlands. During theMezozoic era that followed, these land areas were severelyattacked by erosion and eventually brought to a base leveledcond ition. Again other cycles of uplift and erosion furtherreduced the highland areas, and produced the plateau surfacesas we now know them.

The monadnock hills and ridges are well distributed oversoutheastern O hio, yet their crests lack uniformity, indicating

th at they are only mere remnan ts of a higher surface. InColumbiana, Jefferson, Belmorit, and Monroe counties thesefeatures stand out from a peneplain with an elevation varyingfrom 1,260 to 1,280 feet. The common average is consideredat 1,270 feet.


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N o . 2 SOUTHEASTERN O HIO 5 1

In Columbiana County the outstanding hill, the highest insoutheastern O hio, is Round Knob located in Section 22,Madison Township, and having an elevation of 1,447 feet.It is capped w ith the M organtown sandstone, a bed prominently-developed to the southwest in Jefferson Co unty . In W ayneTownship west of Madison some of the high knobs which risefrom 1,350 to 1,385 feet also carry the Morgantown sandstoneas the cap rock. These deposits are thu s outliers from the mainfield and have been cut off by erosion. In all, in Hanover,West, Center, Wayne, and Madison townships eleven knobsor ridges have elevations above 1,365 feet and four of themabove 1,410 feet.

To the southwest of this in Jefferson County the entirearea has been reduced close to the peneplain surface as thehighest knob rises only to 1,388 feet and as only four are above1,345 feet. These knobs, however, rise much higher geo-logically as some of them extend well up into the Dunkardseries of the Perm ian. The upper surface of Carroll Coun tyis also well reduced as the ridge crests remain rather constantlyat 1,260 feet. The only no teworthy exceptions are two knobsin Fox Township, one rising to 1,350 feet and the other to1,370 feet. The ridges all end geologically in the Conem aughseries.

The monadnocks in Belmont County show some increase inelevation, are more numerous, and are more widely distributed.The highest knob, 1,400 feet, is in Goshen Township and thenext highest, Galloway knob, 1,397 feet, in Smith Township.In all ten knobs or ridges rise from 1,350 to 1,400 feet. Therocks capping these are strata well up in the Dunkard series,the highest being shales and sandstones above the Ninevahcoal.

These special features, high knobs and ridges, are mostoutstanding in Monroe County where six hills rise above 1,400feet and tw en ty or more above 1,360 feet. Mainly the caprocks are beds in the Greene formation of the Dunkard series,and are thus the highest strata in the consolidated rocks ofO hio. In eastern Harrison Coun ty a few knobs in Archer,German , Rumley, L ee, and Cadiz townships rise to 1,350 feetor more, the highest being approximately 1,370 feet. Most ofthese are capped with rocks in the basal portion of theMonongahela formation. In the western part of the area theridge crests remain close to the1,260-1,280 foot peneplain level.


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To the west of this highland area or in Tuscarawas,Coshocton, Guernsey, Muskingum, Washington, Noble, Mor-gan, Athens, Hocking, Jackson, Pike, Meigs, Gallia, Lawrenceand Scioto counties, the destructive agencies have been severe,the results being a basin in which few ridges rise above the1,260-1,280 foot level and in which in large areas the generalridge crests are much below this contour. Th e lower plainis th a t of the L exington peneplain, discussed late r.

Th e high plain with monadnock knobs and ridges in southern

Columbiana, eastern Carroll, Jefferson, eastern Harrison, Bel-mont, and Monroe counties constitutes the highland area ofsoutheastern O hio. The num ber and wide distribution of theseelevations show that they are remnants of much additionalstra ta th at escaped complete destruction. Th e thickness orquantity removed is not known but was certainly more thanone hundred feet, probably much more. If the Perm ian rockswere laid down in this area to the full thickness shown in WestV irginia, then several hundred feet was lost throug h baseleveling. Th e monadnocks thu s appear as rem nan ts of a highersurface that through severe erosion has lost distinctive features.

HARRISBURG PENEPLAIN

GENERAL FEATURES

A careful survey of the highland area in sou theastern O hioin Columbiana, eastern Carroll, Jefferson, eastern Harrison,Belmont, and Monroe counties shows that most of the higherridges reach a ra ther uniform elevation of about 1,260-1,280feet. These flat surfaces on the ridges m ark th e position ofthe Harrisburg peneplain. Generally these ridges are promi-nently broad and fiat and are the sites for towns, villages,farm hom es and highways. Th e culture in this area is thu s,in the main, on the ridges and not in the valleys or it is in directcon trast to what it is in the area to the west. Th e highlandarea of eastern O hio with its well-developed Harrisburg pene-plain is distinctive in many ways, especially physiographically.

FLUSHING ESCARPMENTThe western boundary of this highland area is an out-

standing physiographic feature of the region and is marked bythe escarpment and the change in the pattern of the contourswhere the Harrisburg peneplain breaks down to the lower


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No. 2 SO UTHEASTERN O HIO 53

L exington level. Th is distinc t modification is called by th ewriters the Flushing escarpment from the name of the villagein Belmont County where the change is so conspicuouslydeveloped. Diagram 1, taken from the Flushing topograph icsheet, shows this change of contour pattern very well.

The pattern east of the Flushing escarpment in this respectlacks the deep indentations of th at to the west. Th us thesurface east of the escarpment in contrast to that to the westhas wider ridges, less directrelief, fewer small streams, and ingeneral more uniformity. Th e boundary is on the old water

Diagram I

Contour interval 100ft

Diagram 1. Flushing Escarp me nt.

divide separating major streams of Teays time. Th is escarp-ment is readily traced by the change in elevation of the ridgesummits and by the difference of contour pattern.

The Flushing escarpment passes from the drift border nearKensington, Columbiana County, southward through Morris-town, Mechanicstown, Harlem Springs, and Kilgore, CarrollCounty, through Germano, Folk, and Cadiz, Harrison County,through Flushing, Morristown, Bethesda, Speidel, Barnesville,and Boston, Belmont County, and through Monroefield,Lewisville, Woodsfield, Mt. Carrick, Round Bottom, Mortonand Goodwin to the O hio River about two miles above Hannibal,,


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54 WILBER STOUT AND G. F. LAMB V ol. XXXV III

Monroe County. Along most of this course the Flushingescarpment is well and definitely defined but locally it is evi-dently modified, suggesting local shifting through streamadvancement.

CO NTRAST O F HARRISBURG AND L EXINGTO N AREAS

The Harrisburg and L exington peneplain areas show differ-ences worthy of comm ent. The proportion of land abovethe 1,260 foot contour is much greater in the Harrisburg area

than it is in the L exington where the forces of erosion were

Diagram 2aDiagram 2b

Diagram 2a. Pine Creek in L awrence Coun ty Typical of the L exington Area.Diagram 2b. Baker Fork near Woodsfield in Monroe County Typical of the

Harrisburg Area.

more in evidence in reducing the uplands and in dissecting theplains. The ridge flats of the former generally carry a ratherdefinite type of soil, evidently formed in part from materialsleft by the degrading forces with subsequent weathering andleaching. The Harrisburg and L exington areas are con-trasted also in the patterns of the streams and in the gradientsof the floors. In the Lexington area the streams havedeveloped mature dendritic patterns whereas in the Harrisburgthe y are far less sculptured. This is best shown by diagrams2a and 2b.


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No. 2 SO UTHEASTERN O HIO 5 5

This dissimilarity in pattern is due to the difference ofintrenchment developed by the streams from their inceptionto the close of Teays time. This long erosion cycle thu s gave

Diagram 3a

Diagram 3a.

6 8 / 0

Miles

Grad ient of Ice Creek, L awrence Cou nty.

1000

90 0

80 0 '

70 0

60 0

50 0

LJ

rise to the surface sculpturing of the upland s. W est of theFlushing escarpment or in the L exington area th e valleys weremore deeply intrenched and more mature than were those east

Diagram 3b

\I3OO

IBOO

1100

1000

900 %H i

80 0

70 0

60 00 2 4 6 8

MilesDiagram 3b. Gradient of Pipe Creek, Belmont County.

of this break or in the H arrisburg area. The cause for this isnot clear, but appears to be that the area west of the escarpmentwas in the lower par t of a great d rainage basin whereas tha t eastof this physiographic line was at the headwaters of streams that


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56 WILBER STOUT AND G. F. LAMB Vol. X X X V II I

had far to flow before reaching the sea. Further, the natureof the rock was, to some extent, a modifying factor. The softshale of the Conemaugh series gaveway more readily than thefresh-water limestones of the Monongahela or the massivesandstones of the Allegheny and Pottsville.

The difference in stream gradients is quite marked in thetwo areas. Th is featureis shown in diagrams 3a and 3b.

The streams in the Lexington area havelow gradients alongtheir lower courses with littleor no intrenching. The cuttingis mainly at the headw aters. Such streams show m atu rityin the cycle of erosion. The streams in the Harrisburg area, incontrast, have rather high and uniform gradients throughout.Intrenchment is still going on throughout much of their courses.

HARRISBURG LEVEL WEST OF FLUSHING ESCARPMENT

Throughout that part of O hio south of the drift borderand west of the Flushing escarpment the Harrisburg peneplainlevel is identified by the higher ridge crests throughout muchof the area. The common elevation, however, descendscon-siderably below that in the highland area east of the Flushingescarpment. Throughout muchof Carroll, Tuscarawas, Holmes,western Harrison, southwestern Ross, western Pike,and easternAdams counties many ridges reach the 1,260 foot level. Inmuch of Coshocton, Guernsey, Muskingum, Noble, Wash-ington, Morgan, Hocking, and Athens counties they rangebetween 1,100 and 1,260 feet, whereas in Meigs, Gallia,L awrence, and Scioto counties they seldom exceed1,100 feetand many are much below this. These ridge crests thu s appea rto mark the floor of some ancient drainage basin that gaverise to the base leveling and drained southwest into Kentucky.

HIGHLAND AREAS WITHIN THE DRIFT

O ther highland areas withinthe State, but within the fieldof drift, comparable in elevation (1,260-1,280 feet) to tha tin eastern O hio, are found around L oudonville in Morrow,Richland, Ashland, and Knox counties, near Chardon inGeauga, near Zanesfield in Logan and Champaign, and around

Chillicothe in Ross. The first mentioned area includes north-eastern Morrow, southern Richland, northern Knox,andsouthwestern Ashland counties. Th isis really the highlandarea of Ohio as the general elevation of the ridge crests is higherhere than elsewhere in the State. The region is considerably


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smoothed by drift. Th e area around Chardon is relativelysmall and belongs at the crest of the wall of the Portage escarp-ment that stretches eastward from Cleveland to Albany,New York. Th e area in western O hio in L ogan and Champaigncounties is capped by Campbell Hill, 1,550 feet, the highestpoin t in the S tate. It is drift covered. The Zanesfield areaincludes eastern L ogan and, with less definition, eastern Cham-paign Cou nty. In the Chillicothe area the highest ridges areeast of the Scioto River in the vicinity of Mount Logan andsouth of Pa int Creek near th at of Copperas M ountain. These

widely scattered remnants thus show that the1,260-1,280 footlevel was defined across the State.

U P L I F T A ND R E JU V E N AT IO N

Harrisburg peneplanation was brought to a close by upliftand rejuvenation, regional in extent and in influence. This-movement was certainly not violent but appears to have beenslow and orderly. In Columbiana Cou nty the to ta l rise was-some 140 feet and in V inton Coun ty not far from 100 feet.After this event another long period of crustal stability gaverise to the second stage of base leveling resulting in the Lex-ington peneplain.

LEXINGTON PENEPLAIN

GENERAL FEATURES

The L exington peneplain, also known as the W orthington,.received its name from the regularity of the ridge crests in theBluegrass region near L exington, Ke ntucky. In the unglaciatedpar t of O hio this erosion level is best represented in easternScioto, L awrence, Gallia, Meigs, Jackson, and V inton counties.During the upwarping the streams with renewed activities sooncut deep valleys in the older surface and during the long periodof crustal quiescence that followed they gradually developedwide gradation plains along their courses and also reduced thewater divides between many basins to much lower levels.

W est of the Flushing escarpment the L exington level is welldenned but east of this it is commonly only a strath stage andin some areas without apparent definition. It appears asshoulders, from 1,100 to 1,160 feet, along L ittle B eaver andWest Fork in Columbiana County, along Short Creek inJefferson, along Wheeling, McMahon, and Captina creeks in


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58 WILBER STOUT AND G. F. LAMB V o l. X X X V I I I

Belmont, and along Sunfish Creek in M onroe. W est of theFlushing escarpment the common crest level along the dividesis 930 to 990 feet. Th is surface is best defined in easternScioto, L awrence, Gallia, Meigs, Jackson, and V inton countiesand is marked to a less extent in eastern Hocking, westernAthens, western Morgan, Perry, and central Muskingumcounties. The general effect is th a t of a low flat basin thetrough of which slopes in a general way southwestward intoKentucky. Lexington peneplanation is accredited to lateTertiary time.

Certain features warrant the assumption that the high-levelsurface east of the Flushing escarpment, called Harrisburg, isreally the same in age and in origin as the one from 250 to 300feet lower to the west of the divide, known as L exington. Thetwo, however, differ not only in elevation but in intensity ofsculpturing and in m atu rity of drainage. Such distinctionsmay be due to many contributing elements operating undersomew hat different conditions. Th e area east of the Flushingescarpment was drained by a stream flowing eastward to thesea, whereas that west of the divide was drained by one flowingwestward to the gulf. These master streams differed in thelength of the courses, in the gradient of the floors, in the physio-graphic provinces traversed, in the nature of the rocks eroded,in the dip of the strata and in other factors of less importance.Such causes may be sufficient to account for the distinctivefeatures of the two areas, truly correlative in age.

UPLIFT AND REJUVENATION

Again regional uplift prevailed with consequent rejuvenationand with the initiation of ano ther cycle of erosion. In generalthe floors of the new streams thus formed in the unglaciatedpa rt of O hio were from 150 to 190 feet below the L exington or260 to 340 feet below the older Harrisburg peneplain. At theother extreme of the unglaciated area, Scioto County, thefloors of the major streams of this cycle of erosion now standfrom 640 -to 740 feet above tide. This causes them to fall from190 to 250 feet below th e L exington level here the main peneplain

for reference. Th e la tte r condition, or inte rva l, is no t fardifferent in the other counties west of the Flushing escarpment.


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No. 2 SO UTHEASTERN OHIO 59

PARKER STRATHTEAYS DRAINAGE STAGE

GENERAL STATEMENT

The third well-defined modification of the surface throughthe work of erosive agencies is the Parker strath which is thename applied collectively to the remnants of old valleys formed

MAP OFTEAYS DRAINAGE SYSTEM

W. STOUT AND G.F.LAM81936

Figures denote elevation of valley floor

by stream action just prior to the first ice invasion or in late

Te rtiary tim e. This general stage of erosion is commonlyreferred to as Teays because the master stream, as now known,of that period was the Teays which was of wide lateral extent,had important modifying influences, and left many interestingfeatures for future study. Th e Parke r str ath m ay be defined


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60 WILBER STOUT AND G. F. LAMB V ol . X X X V I I I

as an immature peneplain or erosion level, the work of streamsduring Teays time. (See map of Teay s Drainage System.)

WO RK DO NE DURING TEAYS TIME

This new cycle of erosion was inaugura ted by a slow upliftingof the land that brought to a close the long period of quiescencewhich resulted in the formation of the L exington penep lain.As a consequence of this upward movement of the surface byinternal forces the streams were rejuvenated and began carving

valleys in the recently elevated plain. The Parker cycle wasshort compared to the more remote Lexington and Harrisburgbut yet it was of sufficient duration for a large amount of workto be done. Th e streams of Teay s time m aturely dissectedmuch of the older gradation surfaces and lowered many of thewater divides. In general the y cut rathe r broad valleys withmoderate slopes from 150 to 250 feet below the mean level ofthe L exington peneplain. Th e uplifting appears to have beengradual or at least without prolonged pauses as rock cut terracesare not conspicuous at any position on the valley walls. Th eParker cycle was brought to a close by the advance of an earlyice sheet, probably Jerseyan which caused general modificationand rearrangement of the drainage systems of the entire region.

EARL Y RECO GNITIO N O F O LD STREAMS

Drainage modifications are so conspicuous in the unglaciatedpart of the State, especially the southern portion, that theywere noted by most of the geologists that worked in this field.Prominent deserted valleys, sudden changes in soils, peculiartypes of clays, beds of gravel and sand, buried wood, roundedstones, etc., were evidences that attracted the attention andled to speculation if not to definite records. The history ofdrainage changes goes back to the recorded observations of thatgreat scientist and master mind, Dr. S. P. H ildreth, of M arietta .In th e First Annual Report of the Geological Survey.of O hio,dated January 17, 1838, he states under the title "Fossil freshwater shells,Bed of ancient L ak e" :1

"O n M r. L awton's farm, in Barlow township, WashingtonCounty, in the midst of the marl region, is a locality of fossilfresh water shells, of the genusUnio. They are imbedded incoarse sand or gravel, cemented by ferruginous ma tter . The

xFirst Annual R epo rt, Geological Survey of O hio, 1838, p . 50.


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specimens are casts, replaced by an argillaceous oxide of iron.The spot in which they are found, has once evidently been thebed of an ancient lake or pond. It is now a beautiful valleyof a mile or more in width, by four miles in length, surroundedby low hills. O n the south side, a small branch drains thesuperfluous water into the L ittle Hocking. In digging wellsfor domestic use, in this tract, beds of sand, gravel and plasticclay, are passed to the depth of 30 feet, containing imbeddedbranches of trees, leaves and fragments of wood, of recent andliving species. Similar valleys and levels are found in theuplands of the western part of the county, lying between thehead waters of the creeks, and are a kind of table land. Fromthe frequency of these flat lands between the head waters ofthe L ittle Hocking and the south b ranch of Wolf creek, it isquite possible that, at some remote period, the waters of Wolfcreek were discharged in to th e O hio river instead of the Mus-kingu m. This opinion is strengthened from the fact, th at th ehead branches of the south fork now rise within two miles ofthe O hio, and run northerly, parallel with and opposite to,the course of the Muskingum for 12 miles, and joins that river,20 miles from its mouth. Th e remains of its ancient bedswould form pools and ponds of standing water, furnishing fitresidences for the fresh water shells, whose fossil remains arenow found there. Great changes have , evidently, been madein the direction of all our water courses, before they foundtheir present levels."

The old stream here described, was of Teays time, rose inthe upper reaches of w hat is now the Meigs Creek basin, flowedsouthward past Waterford, Watertown and Barlow to the oldM arietta River at th e village of L ittle Hocking, on the O hio.

The geologists contributing to the survey of O hio in 1869and 1870 made a few comments but no lengthy discussions ondrainage changes. Read, however, in 1878, describes withconsiderable detail the ancient river systems in Knox Countyand O rton, in the same year, traces the old streams connectingth e valleys of the two Miamis in W arren County. Th e drainageof western Pennsylvania became of interest between 1890 and

1900 when Foshey, Hice, Cham berlin, and L everett began totrace the old water ways with much care. Tight in 1897 beganserious work on the old drainage systems in central O hio andin 1903 wrote his masterpiece on the Teays in southern O hioand adjacent parts of W est V irginia and Ken tucky. O ther


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62 WILBER STOUT AND G. F. LAMB Vo l . X X X V I I I

workers of this time were Bownocker, Todd, Fowke, Clark, andDavis. Since 1900 considerable work has been done on localmodifications or on special phases of ancient drainage by-Cam pbell, L am b, Scheffel, H ubbard , Hy de, Conrey, Stout,Coffey, L amborn, V er Steeg, W hite, Scranton, Sharp, Cole,Happ, and others.

TEAYS RIVER

The master stream, the Teays River, rose far out in thePiedm ont of No rth C arolina and V irginia, flowed northw est-ward to Charleston, W est V irginia, thence westward alongthe rou te now followed by the Chesapeake and O hio Railwaypast St. Albans, Milton, and Barboursville to the presentvalley of the O hio River at Hun tington. From this place itscourse was much the same as that of the present stream, theO hio River, to W heelersburg, O hio, where the two courseschange radically. From Hu nting ton to W heelersburg, how-ever, the old Teays floor is well recognized by wide flats southof Ashland, Kentucky, and by prominent terraces betweenFranklin Furnace and Wheelersburg on the O hio side. FromWheelersburg the present stream flows westward towardsPortsmouth and Cincinnati, whereas the preglacial Teays Rivercontinued northward past Minford, Stockdale, Glade, Beaver,Givens, W averly, Richmondale, and V igo to Chillicothe, beyondwhich the old valley is buried with a thick mantle of glacialdrift. From Chillicothe, however, the course is traced withsome certa inty to n ear C ircleville where, from work of V erSteeg, the stream turned and then flowed northwestward pastthe St. Marys Reservoir, finally ending in the Gulf then extendedfar northward.

The rock floor of the old Teays River as determined has anelevation of about 670 feet a t Scary, W est V irginia, 660 feetat Huntington, 650 feet at Russell, Kentucky, 650 feet onDogwood Ridge near W heelersburg, O hio, 640 feet a t G lade,640 feet at Waverly, and 630 at Chillicothe, beyond whichthe floor is deeply buried by drift. For this distance th egradient of the old floor is low, only about 4 inches per mile.Th e stream w as thus quite mature and had reached its maximumdepth of cutting.

The width of the valley proper varies from 1 to 2 milesbut averages not far from 1.45 miles. In general fromHun ting ton , W est V irginia, to Chillicothe, O hio, the width is


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rather uniform, widening somewhat down stream through theinfluence of various tribu taries , some of fair size. Throughoutthis part of the course the depth of cutting or the relief at thatperiod was abou t 300 feet. Th is is the difference between thefloor level of the Teays River at 630 to 660 feet and that of theridge summ its of the L exington peneplain a t 930 to 960 feet.Such differences, however, decreases as the tributary streams,as the Marietta, Portsmouth, Albany, Zaleski, etc., are followedheadward.

In general the hills bordering the Teays River and its largertribu taries are low and well rounded , the resu ltant of prolonged,rath er m ature erosion. Their height and shape, however, areinfluenced by the na ture of the rocks composing them . W hereshales predominate the relief is much more gentle than wheresandstones are the dominating strata. W ithin the entireTeays basin in O hio south of the drift border the streams h avem aturely dissected the uplands. The pa ttern is decidedlydendritic, even to the small runs and rills at the headwaters.The floor gradients also show an advanced stage in the erosioncycle.

Th e old Teays V alley is well preserved and open for studyin many places along its course. In W est V irginia the out-standing examples are along the route of the Chesapeake andO hio Railway from St. Albans to Barboursville and the wideflats southeast of Huntington. In Kentucky the floor with itscharacteristic silts is well defined south of Ashland and Russel.In O hio the course of the T eays River is clearly marked all th eway from Wheelersburg in Scioto County to Chillicothe inRoss. From the Sun Hill near W heelersburg one may gazeeastward across the Teays V alley, northward down the courseof this ancient stream, sou thward into the valley of the O hio,with the Deep Stage buried by about 100 feet of silt, sand, andgravel, and westward to the col between the Teays and Ports-m outh rivers. Th e village of Minford in northern HarrisonTownship, Scioto County, is the type locality for Minfordsilt, here so well exposed in the cut of the Chesapeake andO hio Railway . Th e old valley with only minor modificationsis well defined northward from Minford past Stockdale to Gladewhere it was joined by the Marietta R iver. From Gladewestward past Beaver and Givens to the Scioto River both theTeays and the present drainage forms interesting studies.Northeast of Waverly the Teays and present drainage parallels


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6 4 WILBER STOUT AND G. F. LAMB V o l. X X X V I I I

one another, the streams flowing in the opposite directions.From R ichmondale northward to V igo, to L ondonderry, andon to Chillicothe the old valley is much modified by depositsfrom the Illinoian and Wisconsin drift.

MlNFORD SILT

Throug hout southern O hio and in adjacent par ts of W estV irginia and Kentucky , th e preglacial drainage lines are allmuch choked with highly laminated silt, fine sand, and, very

locally, coarse rubble. Such materials are found not onlyalong the main waterways of the Teays drainage systems,bu t also far up the smaller tribu taries. Th e deposits on theold floors are best preserved in the parts of these valleys thatdo now form divides between present streams and in the partsthat were abandoned through piracy, meanders, and otheradjustments.

The outstand ing deposits in these old valleys are the plastic,highly laminated silts which are well distributed throughout

the entire basin, being present locally on the small tributariesas well as on the main stream. The thickness of such depositsvaries from 10 to possibly more than 80 feet, but usually themeasurements range from 20 to 40 feet.

These silts, called Minford from exposures near that village,are always highly laminated, the laminae being closely andregularly spaced. The material is extremely fine in grain, has asticky plasticity with little dry strength and has a smooth feel,either wet or dry . The unoxidized color is dark bluish gray

and the weathered is brownish gray to drab shades.The following analyses are representative:

AnalystDowns Schaaf.. No. 1 No. 2 No. S No.4

Silica, SiOs. 55.91 50.02 53.40 57.35Alumina, A12O3 17.30 23.10 28.08 24.16Ferric oxide, Fe2O3 8.58 7.08 4.50 5.25Ferrous oxide, FeO 1.33 1.16Titanic oxide, TiO2 1.00 .74 .75 .80Phosphorous pentoxide, P2O 5 .18 .75 .10 .11Manganous oxide, MnO 06 .05 .02 .03Calcium oxide, CaO 90 .86 .66 .48Magnesium oxide, MgO 2. 41 2.8 0 1.94 1.46Potassium oxide, K2O 3.25 4.40 4.40 4.84Sodium oxide, Na2O 45 3.43 trace . 10Sulphur, S .04 .015 ,


17/35


Water, hydroscopic, H2O 2.52 2.771 K -.q ri nWater combined, H2O + 5.27 3.23/Carbon, organic, C 25 .05 .50 .10Carbon dioxide, CO2 72 .04 .30 noneNo. 1. Sample taken by R. E. L amborn, 1929, at cut at Minford,

south central Section 33, Madison Township, Scioto County.No. 2. Sample taken by W. Stout and DownsSchaaf, 1928. Sample

taken mainly from upper layer at same locality.No. 3. Sample taken by W. Stout and DownsSchaaf, 1928, east

central Section 25, Union Township, Pike County.No. 4. Sample taken by W. Stout and DownsSchaaf, 1928, northeast

quarter Section 18, Seal Township, Pike County.The Minford silts are characterized by fineness and uni-

formity of grain, by high plasticity, by closely spacedlaminations, by high content of sericitic mica and by a con-sistency of character throughout a wide area. They weredeposited in rather deep and comparatively quiet waters whichwere ponded to lake-like conditions throughout the valleyshad slight motion and stood well towards the rims of the basins.The high content of sericitic mica indicates that the Minfordsilts were derived largely from the schists of the Piedmontand therefore the streams headed well out on this old highland.Through obliteration of the lower courses of the Teays streamsby glacial action and through flooding of the remaining partsof the courses new drainage lines were established simply bythe ponded waters pouring over low divides and cols, thusseeking new ways for outlet to the sea. Th e new streams,known as Deep Stage drainage, flowed undisturbed until they

cut youthful valleys much below the former, or Teays, drainagelevel.

TRIBUTARIES O F TEAYS

In sou thern O hio the master stream of the Teays systemwas joined by a number of tributaries a few of which wereof fair size. The largest of these was the M arietta River, astream that gathered its headwaters near Marietta, flowedsouthwestward past Parkersburg, W est V irginia, L ittle Hocking,

Coolville, Tuppers Plains and Chester, O hio, to Hartford, W estV irginia, thence across Mason Co unty in th a t state to Cheshire,O hio, thence southwestward along the present valley of theO hio to near G allipolis where its course was deflected no rth-westward past Rodney, Rio Grande, Centerville, Clay, Camba,


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Keystone, Jackson and Cove to Glade, there joining the TeaysRiver. Some of the larger tribu taries of the M arie tta werethe Albany River, Zaleski Creek, and Barlow Creek.

PORTSMOUTH RIVER

The Portsmouth River rose near Manchester in AdamsCounty, flowed eastward along what is now the valley of theO hio past Rome and B uena V ista to Portsmouth, thencenorthw ard past L ucasville, W akefield and Piketon to nearW averly where it united with the Teays. Rem nants of theold Portsm ou th V alley, no t greatly disturbed, are found eastof L ucasville, east of Clifford, at the mo uth of Camp Creek,east of W akefield and east of Piketon . In fact, from Po rts-mouth to Piketon the present Scioto occupies no large part ofthe old Portsmo uth V alley.

LOGAN RIVER

The Logan River, a stream of Teays time, headed nearthe Athens-Hocking County line on the present HockingRiver, flowed northward past Haydenville, Logan and Lan-caster to either a large tributary or to the main stream of theTeay s River. O ld floor levels with Minford silts are presentin many places near Union Furnace , L ogan, Haydenville, W ebbSummit and Greendale. Th e northern portion of the valleyis filled with outwash and glacial drift.

PUTNAM CREEK

In Muskingum, eastern Licking and northeastern Perry

counties remnants of drainage of Teays time are quite distinctin local areas. Th is stream may be called Pu tna m Creek as theold floor is so well preserved west of this place. It gathered itsheadwaters south of Crooksville in northeastern Perry County,flowed no rthw ard p ast Roseville, South Zanesville and Pu tna mto Shannon, thence westward to Newark where the old flooris lost in drift. A trib utary of this stream rose near the Morgan-Muskingum County line, flowed northw ard p ast Philo to Sonora,thence westward joining Putnam Creek a few miles north of

Zanesville. Rem nants of old floors are well defined nea rChand lersville, Sonora, Gilbert and Shannon. Typical MinfordSilts are present near Roseville, Moxahala, South Zanesville,and Putnam, indicating that this stream was a direct tributaryto the Teays . The elevation of the floor of Pu tna m Creek is


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N o . 2 SOUTHEASTERN O HIO 67

not far from 780 feet at Moxahala, 770 feet at Putnam, and760 feet at Shannon, and that of the tributary 780 feet atCarlwick and 770 feet near Sonora. Along the course of thisstream the bordering hills are commonly low and well rounded,a maturity indicative of that of the Teays.

CAMBRIDGE RIV ER

The headwaters of the Cambridge River, the old stream ofTeays time, was the same as that now drained by Wills Creek.It rose just west of the Flushing escarpment and had maturelydissected the area. Its course was northw estward pas t Cam-bridge, Kim bolton, Birds Run and Plainfield to W est L afayettewhere it entered the great valley now occupied by theTuscarawas. From W est L afayette the course of the Cam-bridge River is not so definite as there is little evidence insupport of either rou te. Th e main trend would project it pastCoshocton and Warsaw to Millwood beyond which the bed isdeeply buried by drift. Such a course would place a col onthe Muskingum River near Adams Mills and another on theTuscarawas near G nade nhu tten. Rem nants of old floorsare seen near Cambridge at an elevation of 840 feet, near Plain-field at 800 feet, and near Coshocton at 780 feet.

D O V E R R I V E R

O ne of the im po rtant early streams of southeastern O hiowas what may be called the Dover River which with tributariesdrained parts of Belmont, Guernsey, Harrison, Tuscarawas,Holmes, Carroll, Columbiana, and Stark counties. Thesestreams gathered their waters north and west of the Flushingescarpment in an area the general topography of which is muchlike th at in the Teays basin. Th e Dover River headed farsouth, less than twenty miles from the O hio River, in north -western Belmont, northeastern Guernsey and western Harrisoncounties, in an area now drained by Stillwater Creek. Theancient stream flowed northward past Freeport, Uhrichsville,Dover and Beach City to Navarre where a thick mantle ofdrift leads to obscurity. Th e Dover River was joined by

eastern tributaries, one in the valley now occupied by ConottonCreek and ano ther in th at of Sugar Creek. O wing to deepfilling of drift an d ou twash and to obliteration by the succeedingstages of drainage, remnants of the floor of the Dover Riverare no t conspicuous. Th e few observations such as at N ewp ort


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and Magnolia indicate that the main streams stood at elevationsbetween 860 and 900 feet. The evidence is in suppor t of theDover R iver flowing on northward into the L ake Erie basin.

PITTSBURGH RIVER

The course of the Pittsburgh River has been carefullytraced by Foshay, Hice, L everett, Chamberlin, Campbell,L amb and others throughout its extent south of the drift border.The main stream gathered its headwaters in the basins nowoccupied by the A llegheny and Monongahela rivers and flowednorthwestward from Pittsburgh to Beaver, thence northwardpast Beaver Falls and New Castle to Hubbard, thence westwardto Youngstown, and thence northward where it soon becomeslost under a deep mantle of drift. Evidence now availableindicates that it flowed on northward through the Grand Riverbasin to L ake Erie.

STEUBENVILLE RIVER

In O hio, aside from the lower course of the main stream ,the chief interest is a tributa ry that rose just east of the Flushingescarpment near Hannibal in Monroe County, flowed north-eastward past Clarington, Bellaire, Steubenville and EastL iverpool to Beaver, Pennsylvania, where it united w ith themain stream of the Pittsburgh River. This tributa ry, herecalled the Steubenville River for the sake of definition, drainedparts of Monroe, Belmont, Harrison, Carroll and Columbianacounties and all of Jefferson. Another small trib utary, dis-dinctively named Negley Creek, drained most of ColumbianaCounty. The Steubenville River and Negley Creek thusreceived the waters from the highland area of southeasternO hio, the western border of which is the Flushing escarpment.

Along the upper course of the Steubenville River littleevidence remains of old floors as the main stream and itstributa ries had d issected little below the level of the L exingtonpeneplain, here only a strath stage. Fu rthe r, through suc-ceeding stages of cutting the streams simply dug themselvesdeeper in the same courses, thus obliterating the early prints,th at of Teays time. Some shoulders, terraces and floorsassigned to this stage appear at 1005 feet at Wellsburg, 990 feetat Costonia, 985 feet at New Cumberland, and 960 feet nearW ellsville and Eas t L iverpool. Along Negley Creek the evi-dence is more conclusive as the old floor is distinct in many


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N o . 2 SO UTHEASTERN O HIO 69

places. Near W est Point the floor of the broad upland valleyhas an elevation not far from 970 feet and at Negley close to930 feet. The Pittsb urgh River thu s draining the highlandarea of southeastern O hio was a system separa te and distinctfrom the Teays. The former evidently discharged its wa terseastward to the Atlantic O cean and the latter carried its loadwestward through the interior basin to the Gulf of Mexico.

EFFECTS OF A N EAR LY GLACIER

The evidence supporting an early drift sheet, possiblyJerseyan , th a t touched O hio, is more from effects on drainagethan from direct deposits left from such an ice invasion. So farno deposits certainly attributed to this early ice flow are knownin the sta te. M any changes, especially drainage modifications,are apparent in wide areas, are sufficiently old in point ofphysiographic history and are difficult to account for on anyothe r assum ption than the effects of an early glacier. Depositsassigned to the Jerseyan, or to a sheet much older than theIllinoian, are present in New Jersey, in east central Penn-sylvania and locally in northwestern Pennsylvania.1 Suchdeposits are considered correlative with strata of an early sheetin the Mississippi V alley.

In O hio this early drift sheet appears to have no t seriouslymodified any of the streams, such as the Pittsburgh, and Doverrivers flowing northw ard to th e L ake region, bu t to have com-pletely blocked the western course of the Teay s. The easternstreams in passing from Teays to Deep Stage time simplysettled down deeper in their course with only slight modifications.

The Teays River, however, was completely dammed in itslower course, with the result of flooding in the main valleyand in those of all the larger tributa ries . Th is was especiallytrue of the stream s in southern O hio. Such valleys became longfinger lakes. It was during this time that the Minford siltswere deposited from the fine materials long held in suspensionand carried into the basin from headwater areas, some far outinto the Piedmont Pla teau . Such silts in southern O hio arefound at elevations as high as 840 feet and are thus plastered

well up on the valley walls of these old streams the relief ofwhich was from 250 to 300 feet, the usual position below theL exington peneplain. Even tually through continued ponding

^e ve re tt, Frank. Glacial Deposits in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania Topo-graphic and Geologic Survey, Bulletin G 7, 1934.


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the waters broke over low divides or cols and soon establisheda new system of drainage bearing little resemblance in directionor pa tter n to the older Teay s system. This second cycle ofdrainage is known as the Deep Stage on account of the depthof cutting of the valleys.

UPLIFT AND REJUVENATION

Soon after the new system of drainage was outlined regionaluplift took place with consequent active cutting of stream

beds. Through this the stream floors were degraded muchbelow the level of the Teays . At W heelersburg where theTeays and Cincinnati rivers, both major streams, were incontact, the difference is 190 feet, the floor of the formerstanding at 650 feet, and th at of the latte r at 460 feet. Thisuplift, regional in extent, took place rather rapidly as thestreams cut deep narrow valleys, a feature characteristic ofthis cycle of erosion. Com pared to Teays the time intervalof the Cincinnati cycle of erosion was not long as the streamsof the latter were unable to widen the valleys, to deepen themheadward, or to lower the bordering hills. During the period,however, much work was done as the major streams cut deepnarrow valleys through thick deposits of resistant rock.

DEEP STAGE DRAINAGE

The Deep Stage drainage was first defined by Coffey andlater detailed in parts by V er Steeg, L amborn, L amb, Scranton,Happ, W hite and others. This cycle of erosion is interglacialin that it was inaugurated by an early ice sheet, possiblyJerseyan, and broug ht to a close by the Illinoian. Its mainfeatures are the development of many new streams especiallyin the old Teays basin, the deepening of all channels below theformer levels, and the general immaturity of basin reduction.Th e im por tant stream s of Deep Stage time tha t drained sou thernO hio are next considered. (See m ap of Deep Stage Drainage.)

CINCINNATI RIVER

The master stream of the area, which for clearness may

be called the Cincinnati, received its waters almost entirelyfrom the basin formerly drained by the Teays. This areaincludes tha t w ithin the present basins of New, Gauley, L ittleKanawlia, Kanaw ha, B ig Sandy, L ittle Sandy and others insouthw estern V irginia, W est V irginia, and eastern K entucky,


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N o. 2 SO UTHEASTERN O HIO 71

and within those of the Muskingum, Hocking, and Sciotorivers in O hio. The headw aters of the Cincinnati River neednot be discussed here. From Charleston, West V irginia, thecourse was not along that of the Teays but along that of the

. L

MAP OFS T A G E DRAINAGE

( INTERGLACIAL STAGE)W. STOUT AND G.FLAMB

1936Figures denote elevation of valley floor

present Kanawha to Poin t Pleasan t. Here the new streamturned southwestward following within the basin but notalong the direct course of the older Marietta River to Gallipolis,thence across a divide into the old Teays valley again atHu ntington. From Point Pleasant to Hu ntington this is the


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route of the present O hio. From the latter place the CincinnatiRiver turned northwestward and closely followed the courseof the Teays to Wheelersburg, thence across a divide to theold Portsmouth River, thence across another divide into anold basin of Teays time. Th us from H untington the coursewas th at of the present O hio past Iron ton, Po rtsmou th, M an-chester and Maysville to Cincinnati, and thence on westwardto the interior basin, where it finally discharged its watersinto the Gulf of Mexico. Th e floor of the Cincinnati ha s

an approximate elevation of 360 feet at Cincinnati, 460 feet atPortsmouth, 480 feet at Kenova, and 490 feet at Point Pleasant.

NEWARK RIVER

The New ark River as defined by L amborn an d o therworkers was an important tributary of the Cincinnati Riverand drained a large area in central and sou th central O hio.This stream gathered its headwaters in part in the basin of theold Cambridge River and along that portion of the presentTuscarawas to the old divide at Gnadenhutten, which barrierseparated the north-flowing from the west-flowing streams.Near Coshocton the Newark River received an importanttributary from the north the basin of which is now drainedby Killbuck Creek and the W alhonding River. The mainstream thus formed by such contributions then flowed south-westward to Conesville, thence westward along the presentMuskingum to Trinway, thence westward through the con-spicuous abandoned valley past Frazeysburg and Black Runto Newark where the course is less evident through deep burialby glacial drift. As shown by L amborn, the main streamreceived at Newark an important tributary from the north,then flowed southwestward p ast Buckeye L ake, Basil an dCarroll to Circleville where other tributaries were receivedfrom th e north. From Circleville the course of the N ewarkRiver was southward, along the present Scioto, past Chillicothe,Richmondale, Waverly and Piketon to Portsmouth, where itjoined the m aster stream , the Cincinnati River. From Chilli-cothe to Waverly the Newark River flowed in reverse direction

to the Teays and from Waverly to Portsmouth in reverse toth at of the Portsm outh. The floor of the Newark River has anelevation of approximately 480 feet at Waverly, 500 feet atChillicothe, 520 feet at Circleville, 521 feet at North Baltimore,541 feet a t B uckeye L ake, 554 feet a t Conesville and 594 feetat Coshocton.


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N o . 2 SOUTHEASTERN OHIO 73

The Newark River had many small tributaries, a few ofwhich may be mentioned. One began near the Morgan-Muskingum County line, flowed northward past Philo, Zanes-ville and Dresden to the main stream at Trinway. Anotherbranch of some impo rtance beganat the divide near Nelsonville,.flowed northward past Haydenville, L ogan,and L ancaster,and united just north of Carroll with the Newark River. Thecourse of another Deep Stage stream is quite apparent fromSouth Bloomingville westwardto L aurelville. Im po rtant tribu-taries, now deeply buried by drift, were received from the northat Circleville and from the west at Chillicothe. The NewarkRiver and its tributaries are responsible for much physiographic-history of interest in central and southern O hio.

P O M E R O Y R I V E R

A stream of Deep Stage time of importance in southernOhio is what may be called the Pomeroy River from the nameof the place in Meigs County past which it flowed. Thisstream gathered its headwaters west of the Flushing escarpmentin the Lexington peneplain areain southern Monroe, southernNoble, and eastern Washington counties. It flowed w ithin thebasin of the Marietta River of Teays time but instead of follow-ing closely the older course it carved a new way well up on therim of the depression. The course was that now taken by thepresent O hio from M arietta past Parkersburg, Ravenswood,Racine and Pomeroy to Point Pleasant whereit united with theCincinnati River. Tributa ry divides were near Sardison thepresent O hio River, at the M organ-Muskingum county lineof the Muskingum River, and at the Athens-Hocking countyline on the Hocking River.

C L E V E L A N D R I V E R

The Deep Stage Cleveland River drained,in the main,the basin of the Teays Stage Dover River. In the headwaterareas little change was made during the second cycle exceptdeepening the channels some 200 feet below the former level.These streams were deeply entrenched, had steep abrupt

walls, and were immature in gradation and dissection. Themajor stream has been well traced by Ver Steeg and others-northward from Uhrichsville past Dover, Massillonand Bar-berton to Lake Erie at East Cleveland. It gathered itsheadwaters, north and west of the Flushing escarpment, in.


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74 WILBER STOUT AND G. F. LAMB V ol . X X X V I I I

northwest Belmont, northeast Guernsey, western Harrison andsoutheast Tuscarawas counties in territory reduced mainly tothe level of the L exington peneplain bu t within the basin ofthe north-flowing stream s. The Cleveland River shows abnor-malities in charac ter of gradient, depth of channel, and charac terof fi ll.

WARREN RIV ER

The Deep Stage cycle of stream development in easternO hio and western Pennsylvania consisted, in the main, ofsimply deepening the courses of the older Teays cycle as thelimits of the basins and as the general direction of the coursesremained much the same in both. O nly minor changes areevident. Throu ghout th e entire area the streams still haveDeep Stage characteristics: that is, they have narrow valleyswith steep walls, have few laterals, and have not prominentlyreduced the bordering hills.

The main stream was what may be known as the WarrenRiver. Its course was quite the same as th at of the P ittsburg h

River, that is northward from Pittsburgh, past Beaver Falls,New Castle, Hubbard and Youngstown to Warren where itis deeply buried by drift. Prom W arren the( stream appearsto have flowed on northward to L ake Erie. The tributaryreceiving drainage from sou theastern O hio for identificationis called the Bellaire River. Th roug hou t this area the Teaysand Deep Stage cycles of erosion were continuous or withouta definite break, the definition coming from changes andinfluences at work elsewhere.

IL L INO IAN GL ACIATIO N

GENERAL STATEMENT

O ne of the im po rtan t factors in changing the physiographyof O hio was the Illinoian glacier which had a marked influencein leveling the surface, through burial by drift, of about three-fifths of the state and further in changing the drainage systemsthrou gho ut the entire area. The position of the Illinoian icefront in northeaste rn O hio is no t known as the later W isconsindrift pushed farther south and thus obliterated the evidenceof the preceding sheet. The Illinoian drift is first eviden t nearL oudonville in Ashland County. From here the border of thisdrift extends southward past Brinkhaven, Knox County; NewGuilford, C oshocton C oun ty; Hanover, L icking Cou nty; Gratiot,


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N o . 2 ? SO UTHEASTERN O HIO 75

Muskingum County; Fultonham and Junction City, PerryCounty; Sugar Grove, Fairfield County; Haynes, HockingCounty; Chillicothe and Bainbridge, Ross County; Cynthiana,Pike County; Belfast, Highland County; Seaman, AdamsCounty, to the O hio River at Ripley, Brown C ounty.

The Illinoian was a thick sheet of glacial ice and hencehad much influence both directly and indirectly in shapingsurface features. It completely ob literated the Deep Stagedrainage in the area passed over and was effective in revampingmuch of th at in a wide area south of its border. It also leftgreat quantities of glacial debrisdrift, outwash, etc.forweathering agencies and stream forces to work upon. Th iscondition was much different from that in pre-Illinoian timewhere the mantle was only decayed rock and the stream burdenonly the wash from the hills. Sou th and east of the glacialborder the chief work caused through the Illinoian drift wasstream modification.

PO ST-IL L INO IAN DRAINAGE STAGE

GENERAL STATEMENT

The answer to the question of whether or not the Illinoianglacier blocked the northward passage of the Cleveland andW arren rivers is uncerta in. The chief evidence, however,supports the view that these streams continued undisturbedduring the time between the Illinoian and the Wisconsin icesheets. Th e older glacier certainly obliterated by b uryingwith a thick mantle of drift the Newark drainage of centralO hio from Han over to Chillicothe and the Cincinnati R iverfrom Ripley to Cincinnati. As this ice was an effective barrierthe waters from the ung laciated portion of southeastern O hioand from large areas in the states to the south sought otherou tlets and thus established new lines of drainage . (See mapof Post-Illinoian Drainage.)

NEW MARTINSV ILL E RIV ER

In this area the master stream of the post-Illinoian andpre-Wisconsin period, which for definition may be calledthe New Martinsville River from a place near the col, occupiedmuch the same valley as th at of the O hio of today except thatthe older stream was reversed in flow. The ice barrier atRipley completely obstructed drainage to the westward.


28/35


Further, no passage ways are evident south of the drift borderin the uplands of Kentucky . The ice obstruction resulted invast ponding of water east of the ice front in all the valleys ofthe Deep Stage streams. New outlets were a na tura l conse-quence. Ev entually the flood waters rose to such a heightthat they found an opening through a low divide or col nearSardis then continued down the Steubenville and Warrenrivers and finally reached the sea to the east. Th is changewas affected a pp aren tly with no great am oun t of work. Some

cutting was necessary through the highlands at the Sardis coland through the upper course of the Steubenville River. Alongmany of the older valleys, however, filling took place as thefloors of the new rivers were much above the level of the pre-ceding Deep Stage streams. Th rough these changes the NewMartinsville River thus received the drainage of southeasternO hio, northeastern Ken tucky, central and western W estV irginia and pa rts of western V irginia.

POST-ILLINOIAN MUSKINGUM RIVER

The Illinoian ice sheet at this time thus gave rise to theshaping of the present M uskingum and Hocking rivers by forcingthe flood waters over low divides from one basin to another.The Newark drainage system from Hanover to Chillicothe wascompletely buried by the ice. Th is obstruction so ponded th eheadwaters of the Newark River that a new way was openedacross the col at the Morgan-Muskingum county line, thusuniting in one stream the old north-flowing river and the south-flowing river. The result of this change was the post-IllinoianMuskingum River which, with some modifications through thelater Wisconsin drift period, has remained to the present time.

Th e ice dam a t Sugar Grove caused a discharge of th e watersof the small basin of L ancaster C reek over a low divide near theAthens-Hocking county line, close to East Clayton, and thendown the Deep Stage Athens River to the major stream,now flowing eastward. Here also little new work was requiredto m ake the change as the dividing ridge was low and narrow, asthe older streams were deeply trenched well toward their head-waters and as the floor of the new stream was raised, throughfilling with silt, sand and gravel, to a level much above t hat ofthe older one. Th is post-Illinoian Hocking River thu s createdhas undergone no radical changes since th at time. Th e laterWisconsin cycle of glaciation and erosion made some modifica-tions, mainly through filling.


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P O S T-IL L IN O IA N S CIO TO R IV E RThe part of the Deep Stage Newark River from Chillicothe

to Portsmouth was not materially changed in course duringIllinoian time . The work consisted mainly in filling the valleyquite deeply with outwash material and thereby raising thefloor level. Some side stream s, however, were considerably

MAP OFPOST ILLINOIAN DRAINAGE

W. STOUT AND G.F.LAMB

SCALE.OF MILES

modified. Salt Creek in W estern Hocking and western V intoncounties was shaped at this time. The ice dam at Haynesdeflected the waters of several small streams over a col inSection 36, Salt Creek Township, Hocking County to a streamdrain ing to the wouthwestward. At this time local changeswere effected in the lower course at Salt Creek. Brush Creekin central Adams County was altered at this time in parts ofits course.


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W ISCO NSIN GLACIATIO N

GENERAL STATEMENT

Th e last great ice sheet to invade O hio was the W isconsinglacier, the deposits of which are apparent over about two-thirds of the state. It made many changes in the surfacefeatures, leveling certain areas to a smooth plain, piling updrift in others to knobby hills, and filling certain valleys withgreat qu antities of out wash materials. In eastern O hio the

Wisconsin ice sheet extended about one-third of the way acrossthe state, whereas the older Illinoian is considered to be absentor as ye t is no t definitely recognized. Th roughout the cen tralpart of the state the two borders are not widely separated,the younger lagging a little behind the older. In westernO hio the conditions are qu ite different. Here the Illinoianpassed sou th of the O hio River, whereas the Wisconsin lackedfrom 15 to 40 miles of reaching this line of drainage. Theborder of the Wisconsin ice is defined, in a general way, by a

line from Clarkson, Columbiana County, westward throughNorth Industry, Stark County; Wilmot, Tuscarawas County;Millersburg, Holmes County; Loudonville, Ashland County,to near L exington, Richland County . At the latter place theterminal boundary turns southward, through nearly a 90angle, and extends through Gambier, Knox County, to Chilli-cothe, Ross County . Another change in direction here deflectsthe border westward through Rainsboro, Highland County;Martinsville, Clinton County; Hamilton, Warren County, andL ockland, Ham ilton C ounty, to the O hio-Indiana line nearthe village of Harrison.

The Wisconsin appears to have been a somewhat thickeror more massive ice sheet than the older Illinoian as is indicatedby the accum ulations left in typical areas. It was certainlyan effective barrier in blocking drainage along its front, producedlarge floods of water for stream work, and yielded great quan-tities of silt, sand and gravel for outwash deposits along streamsth at lead out from th e border. Beyond the ice border th eperiod was more constructive in building up new deposits thandestructive in tearing down old ones. M any changes werethus effected both through the direct action of the glacier inthe area passed over and through its secondary modificationsfar ou t in to the driftless region. Drainage alterations wereimportant.


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PRESENT STREAMSGENERAL STATEMENT

The chief effects of the Wisconsin glacier on the streams ofthe driftless area of southern O hio and of adjacent pa rt s of

MAP OFPRESENT STREAMS

IN SOUTHEASTERN OHIO

the bordering sta tes were, first, changes of d irection of flowthrough blocking some of the older lines of drainage and throughthe opening of other passages and, second, choking the adjacentvalleys with silt, sand and gravel, thus causing the new streamsto flow at higher levels. Th e courses of the present stream s


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SO WILBER STOUT AND G. F. LAMB V ol. X X X V I I I

in southeastern O hio are on this account m ore or less compositein make-up, some much so. Work may have been donethrough Teays, Deep Stage, post-Illinoian or post-Wisconsintime or through most any combination of these. Th e O hioV alley for example is the result of some action through outeach of these degradation periods. (See m ap of presentstreams.)

O H I O R I V E R

The ice advanced southward to the middle of the statein western Pennsylvania and to a line through central Colum-biana, southern Stark, northern Tuscarawas, central Holmes,southern Ashland and southern Richland counties in EasternO hio. It thus completely obliterated the northern passagesof the old Warren and Cleveland rivers, making necessarychanges in the headwa ter drainage. Th e waters from the basinof the W arren River in Pennsylvania and W est V irginia andthat from the New Martinsville Riverdraining through theW arrenin southern O hio, W est V irginia and eastern Ken-tucky were thus forced by the ice dam near Ellwood City,Pennsylvania, to find a new way to the sea. As the W isconsinglacier did not reach in southwestern O hio, the old valleyof the Deep Stage Cincinnati River with its thin veneer ofIllinoian drift, this outlet was reopened and the O hio Riveras we know it today took outline with the flow of water to thewest. M uch of the work involved in this change was simplyfilling and regrading.

TUSCARAWAS RIV ERBurial of the lower part of the basin of the old Cleveland

River by the Wisconsin glacier with stagnation of the head-waters appears to be the most plausible explanation for thepeculiar shifts of the present Tuscarawas River from Bolivarto Coshocton. Thro ugh ice advancem ent the wa ters fromthe Sandy Creek basin were deflected southward, towardsZoar, in wide valley of the older north-flowing stream . Th enthis flood of water increased by that from Conotton Creek

were forced over a col to the westward and thus cut the gorge-like valley from Zoarville to Dover. The old divide was locatednea r the present Dover dam. This constricted valley, so newin appearance, most probably was cut late in the advance ofthe Wisconsin ice sheet.


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From Dover to Tuscarawas village the present TuscarawasRiver flows in reverse direction to that of the old ClevelandRiver and at a much higher level. The accumulated w atersfrom Sandy and Conotton Creeks with that from the uppercourses of Stillwater Creek were sufficient to flow headwardup a tributary of the post-Illinoian Muskingum River whichprovided an outlet to the master stream, the O hio River.This passage way, however, is not like others of known recentorigin. The valley from Tuscaraw as village to Coshocton ha sabou t norm al width and its floor is qu ite deeply degraded. Inthese respects this part of the valley more nearly resembles thework of a Deep Stage than a Wisconsin Stage Stream.

MUSKINGUM RIV ER

As the post-Illinoian Muskingum River proper was notreached by the Wisconsin ice no important modifications werenecessary to take care of the waters from the melting ice.The main work accomplished was in discharging m uch outwash,silt, sand and gravel, for thick deposits along the valley. Theseaccumulations are now represented by the high-level terracesvery evident locally from Coshocton to Marietta.

H O C K IN G R IV E R

The post-Illinoian Hocking River was beyond the influenceof major changes through the W isconsin glacier. O nly theheadw ater streams were directly affected. The valley, how-ever, received some contribution in the way of outwashmaterials. Fu rther, a few shifts in the line of drainage appear,the most important being new ways near Rockbridge inHocking County and at "The Plains" in Athens County.

SC IO TO R IV E R

The Wisconsin ice pushed southward to Chillicothe obliter-ating of course all drainage lines no rth of this place. As th epost-Illinoian Scioto valley from Chillicothe to Portsmouthwas especially wide and openthe work of both Teays andDeep Stage erosionthe main accomplishment from the lastice invasion was the piling up of additional masses of silt,sand and gravel, locally a hundred or more feet in thickness.These deposits are now represented in the high terraces alongthe valley walls.


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TERRACES

O ne of the results of the ice invasions is tha t the presentstreams are in general degrading in character, that is, theyare still busily engaged in removing this filling of outwashmaterial. Th roug h such action many fine terraces are foundalong these valleys. From one to four well defined terracesmay be recognized. Th is is especially true along the O hioRiver across the reach of the state, along the Tuscarawas-Muskingum from Zoar to Marietta, along the Hocking from

L ancaster to Hockingport and along the Scioto from Chillicotheto Portsmouth.

SUMMARY

The physiography of Southeastern O hio thus presents astory with the degrading agencies of nature, with rock strataof different kinds and various densities, with uplifts by thegreat forces that build land surfaces and with repeatedglaciation with profound modifications as the prime factors inleaving a surface with a multiplicity of features that attractatten tion and call for explanation. Few other regions are sorich in a jumb le of markings of na tural events. M any con-tributing elements are far from clear but this uncertaintyadds to the interest of the story and allows for new interpreta-tions by other workers. Sou theastern O hio thu s offers muchfor the student of physiography, geology, botany, biology andkindred sciences.

R E F E R E N C E S

S. P. Hildreth. Geological Survey of O hio, Re por t of 1838, page 50.Edward Orton. Geological Survey of O hio, V ol. I l l , 1878, page 381. Geology of

Warren County.M. R. Read. Geological Survey of O hio, V ol. I l l, 1878, pages 325-326. Geology

of Knox County.P. Max Foshay. Am erican Journal of Science, 1890, V ol. XL , November. Pre-

glacial Drainage and Recent History of Western Pennsylvania.T. C. Chamberlin and F. Leverett. American Journal of Science, V ol. XL V II,

April, 1894. Fu rth er Studies of the D rainage Featu res of the Upper O hioBasin.

R. R. Rice. American Journa l of Science, 1895, V ol. X L IX , February . TheInner Gorge Terraces of the Upper O hio and B eaver Rivers.

W. G. Tight. Bulletin Denison University, 1897, V ol. V III , Pa rt 2. A Con-

tribu tion to th e Know ledge of the P reglacial Drain age of O hio.J. A. Bownocker. American Geologist, 1899, V ol. X X II I, Ma rch. A Deep Pre-glacial Channel in W estern O hio and Eastern Indiana .

H. J. Davis. Bu lletin Denison Un iversity, 1890, V ol. X I. Modifications in th eJonathan Creek Drainage Basin.

W. G. Tight. O hio Sta te Aca dem y' of Science, 1900. Special Papers N o. 3,December. Some Drainage Modifications in Washington and AdjacentCounties.


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J. A. Bownocker. O hio Sta te Academy of Science, 1900. Special Pape rs No. 3,

December. History of the L ittle Miam i River.J. H. Todd. O hio Sta te Academy of Science, 1900. Special Papers N o. 3,December. ' Some O bservations of th e Preglacial Drainage of W ayne . andAdjacent Counties.

Gerard Fowke. O hio Sta te Academy of Science, 1900. Special Pape rs No . 3,December. Preglacial Drainage Conditions in the V icinity of Cincinnati, O hio.

Frank Leverett. United States Geological Survey, 1902. M onograph X L I.Glacial Formations and Glacial Features of the Erie and O hio Basins.

W. B. Clark. Bulletin Denison University, 1902, V ol. X II , June. DrainageModifications in Knox, Licking and Coshocton Counties.

W. G. Tight. United St ates Geological Survey, 1903. Professional Pape r No. 13,Drainage M odifications in Southeastern O hio and Adjacent Pa rts of W estV irginia and Ken tucky .

M. L. Campbell. Geological Society of America, 1903, Bulletin 14, GeographicDevelopment of Northern Pennsylvania and Southern New York.E. R. Scheffel. Bu lletin, Denison Un iversity, 1908, V ol. XX V , Series 4. AncientFinger L akes in O hio.

J. E. Hyde. Geological Survey of O hio, 1921. Fo urt h Series, Bulletin 23, Geologyof Camp Sherman Quadrangle.

G. W. Conrey. Geological Survey of O hio, 1921. Fo ur th Series, Bulletin 24,Geology of Wayne County.

Wilber Stout and R. E. Lamborn. Geological Survey of O hio, 1924. Fo urt hSeries, Bulletin 28, Geology of Columbiana County.

Wilber Stout. Geological Survey of O hio, 1927. Fo urt h Series, Bu lletin 31 ,Geology of V inton Co unty.

R. E. Lamborn. Geological Survey of O hio, 1930. Fo urt h Series, Bu lletin 35,Geology of Jefferson County.

Karl Ver Steeg. O hio Journal of Science, 1930, V ol. XX X , No. 5, Septemb er.Drainage Changes in the V icinity of W ooster.

George N. Coffey. O hio Journal of Science, 1930, V ol. XX X , No. 6, N ovember.Preglacial, Interglacial and Postglacial Changes of Drainage in NortheastO hio with Special Reference to the U pper M uskingum Drainage Basin.

Karl Ver Steeg. Pan-Am erican Geologist, 1931, V ol. L V . Erosion Surfaces ofOhio.

Wilber Stout and Downs Schaaf. Geological Society of Am erica, 1931, V ol. 42,Septem ber. Minford Silts of South ern O hio.

Karl Ver Steeg. O hio Journal of Science, 1931, V ol. X X X I, No. 5, September.Drainage Changes in the V icinity of L oudonville, O hio.

G. W. White. O hio Journal of Science, 1931, V ol. X X X I, No. 6, N ovember.Glaciation of Northern Holmes County.

Henry S. Sharp. Bulletin Denison University, 1932, V ol. XX X II , N o. 10, Jun e.The G eomorphic Development of Cen tral O hio.

R. E. Lamborn. O hio Journal of Science, 1932, V ol. XX X II , No. 5, Septemb er.Th e Newark D rainage System in Knox, L icking, and N orthern FairfieldCounties.

Robert Scranton and G. F. Lamb. O hio Journal of Science, 1932, V ol. X X X II ,No. 6, November. Ancient Drainage Between the O ld Cuyahoga and O ldPittsburgh R ivers.

Stafford Happ. Journal of Geology, 1934, V ol. X L I I, No. 1, January -Febru ary.Drainage History of Southeastern O hio and adjacent W est V irginia.

W. Storrs Cole. Journal of Geology, 1934, V ol. X L II, N o. 1, January-F ebrua ry.Identification of Erosion Surfaces in Ea stern an d Sou thern O hio.

George W. White. O hio Journal of Science, 1934, V ol. XX X IV , N o. 6, Novemb er.Drainage History of No rth Cen tral O hio.

Guy-Harold Smith. Geographical Review, 1935, V ol. XX V . Relativ e Relief of

Ohio.W. Storrs Cole. Journal of Geology, 1935, V ol. X L III , No. 8, November-Decemb er. Rock Resistance and Peneplain Expression.

ancient river systems

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