Preglacial (Teays) and Early Glacial Drainage in the Cincinnati Area, Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana

JAMES T. TELLER Department of Earth Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

ABSTRACT River was established, approximately along its present course from Pittsburgh to southern The preglacial rivers of southwestern Ohio, Illinois. The new river closely followed the northern Kentucky, and southeastern Indiana trend of the Teays-age valleys but seldom flowed toward the north and joined with the coincided with those old meandering valleys in west-flowing trunk river, the Teays, in central the Cincinnati area. Entrenchment of the new Ohio. The main tributary valleys to the Teays Ohio River took place soon after the old River in this region—containing the Old valleys were abandoned, leaving many high- Kentucky, Manchester, and Old Licking Riv- elevation preglacial valley remnants south of ers—were meandering and incised to a depth the pre-Illinoian glacial boundary. of 30 to 60 m (100 to 200 ft) below the upland The initial post-Teays drainage pattern was level. The bedload carried by these rivers had modified in several places when Illinoian glacia- a distinctly southern source. tion, and, possibly, a second pre-Illinoian ad- During the first glacial advance into central vance (stade?) invaded the Ohio River valley Ohio and Indiana in pre-Illinoian time, the north of Cincinnati and at several points to Teays drainage was dammed, and impounded the east and west of the city. waters filled the valleys. East of Cincinnati in the Manchester and Old Licking River valleys, INTRODUCTION thick lacustrine clays were deposited. West of Prior to glaciation, the major stream system Cincinnati, however, in the Old Kentucky draining Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, and West River basin, there is very little lacustrine Virginia was that of the Teays River. The sediment, suggesting that either (1) the Old eastern part of the drainage basin of this river Kentucky River was not ponded because its was studied in detail first by Tight (1903) and flow had already been reversed as a result of named for now-abandoned valleys in West preglacial piracy by the west-flowing Old Ohio Virginia. It headed in the Appalachians and the River, or (2) glacial ponding occurred but was Teays River itself flowed west across central short-lived because overflow from the Old Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois to the Mississippi Kentucky River basin west into the Old Ohio Embayment (Fig. 1). "Teays" is used in this River basin caused rapid downcutting of the paper, as Wayne (1956, p. 36) has suggested, divide between these basins. to refer only to preglacial streams of the Teays Thick lacustrine sediment in the Manchester River drainage basin. and Old Licking River valleys indicates a long Several writers (Coffey, 1958, 1961; Durrell, period of water impoundment. Hence, deepen- 1961) have suggested that the preglacial draining of the spillways between this lake and the age was across northern Ohio and Indiana into Kentucky River basin to the west must have the Great Lakes basins, rather than west across taken place very slowly. The lake probably the central parts of these states as shown in existed for many years before the addition of Figure 1. According to Coffey and Durrell, the water overflowing from the Teays tributaries in west-flowing Teays River was not developed southeastern Ohio, West Virginia, and western until after the invasion of Nebraskan ice. No Pennsylvania began to contribute to spillway evidence is available to confirm this hypothesis, erosion. and maps of buried bedrock surface of Ohio Eventually, probably as a result of this (Cummins, 1959, PI. 2) and Indiana (Burger initial glaciation, a new west-flowing Ohio and others, 1966) do not indicate the presence

Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 84, p. 3677-3688, 7 figs., November 1973 3677

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of any valleys that could have connected the guishable (Fig. 2). These valleys have a central parts of these states with the Great meandering pattern and are entrenched 30 to Lakes basins. 60 m (100 to 200 ft) below upland level. The drainage courses established across most The major incised Teays-age valleys of the of Ohio and Indiana before glaciation are now area average ~0.8 km (0.5 mi) wide; the largely buried by a thick mantle of glacial meander belt of the main (Old Kentucky sediment and are recognized only in well-log River) valley has a width of nearly 8 km (5 mi). records. At places within the outer margin of The present Ohio River valley roughly paral- glacial drift, as well as beyond the limits of lels the trend of several segments of these glaciation, post-Teays modification has been ancient valleys, but in only a few places does slight, and the original valley form is still its course actually coincide with that of Teays- preserved. age river valleys (Fig. 2). In this paper, the history of preglacial valleys Smaller modern streams have partially or and their successors in the Cincinnati area is completely eroded the ancient alluvial deposits examined. New and existing information on irom these valleys in place:;, and, in some cases, the preglacial and glacial sediment in this area have cut well below Teays-age valley bottoms. is presented, and an attempt is made to estab- Ir. uneroded parts of the valleys, the old floors lish the sequence of events leading to abandon- are generally flat, although in the Old Ken- ment of Teays drainageways and to establish- tucky River valley between Carrollton and ment of the present Ohio River system. Patriot (Fig. 2), there are gentle slopes toward the outer sides of the valley bends which GENERAL DESCRIPTION may be the original slip-ofr slopes. OF VALLEYS Reconstruction of the courses of these old In northern Kentucky, extreme southwest- rivers is easiest beyond the glacial boundary ern Ohio, and southeastern Indiana, now- and in the very marginal areas of thin drift abandoned segments of part of the Teays River cover where the present land surface is essen- drainage system are still topographically distin- tially the bedrock surface. Here only post-

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Figure 2. Preglacial (Teays age) drainage in southwestern Ohio, southeastern Indiana, and northern Kentucky.

Teays dissection complicates the reconstruc- others, 1961, p. 67, 74; Teller, 1962, 1970, tion, whereas a few miles north of the glacial p. 16; Schaber, 1962; Ettensohn, 1970; Gib- boundary, erosion and glacial deposition have bons, 1971) and in the western suburbs of almost completely obliterated the preglacial Cincinnati (Ettensohn, 1970; Hester, 1965). topography. The origin of some of these deposits and similar ones to the west near Louisville has been vari- NAMING OF THE VALLEYS ously explained as (1) late Paleozoic river- Several authors have proposed names for channel sediment (Hrabar and Potter, 1969), the main preglacial rivers in this area and, in (2) early Cenozoic nearshore marine sediment some cases, more than one name has been (Wayne, 1960), (3) Tertiary(P) river-channel applied to part or all of the same river segment. sediment (Leverett, 1929), (4) loess (Fenne- Table 1 summarizes the various names used. man, 1916); and (5) outwash and glacial No new names are proposed in this paper and lacustrine sediment (Brand, 1934; Schaber, those names retained are the ones that most 1962). An early glaciofluvial origin has been closely apply to the presently recognized river clearly demonstrated by Schaber (1962) for (Fig. 2). some of this upland sediment. Some, however, lies well south of the glacial boundary and SEDIMENT DESCRIPTION probably is related to pre-Teays drainage in Preglacial Sediment on the Uplands. the region. Much more study is needed to Deeply weathered very fine sand, silt, and properly evaluate the origin of these deposits. clay are exposed at many localities on the Preglacial Sediment in the Teays-Age Val- uplands of northern Kentucky south of Cin- leys. Within the abandoned high-elevation cinnati (Fenneman, 1916; Leverett, 1929; valleys of the Old Kentucky River, at 182 to Brand, 1934; Durrell, 1961, p. 55; Durrell and 213 m (600 to 700 ft) in elevation (Fig. 2),

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TABLE 1. SUMMARY OF NAMES USED FOR PR:3LACIW. (TEAYS AGE) RIVERS IN NORTHERN KENTUCKY, SOUTHWESTERN OHIO, AND SOUTHEASTERN INDIANA*

Preglacial river name Geographic extait of name Initial reference

Old Limestone In and adjacent to present Ohio River valley from Maysville to Fowke (1898) eastern Cincinnati, then north and west through Norwood Trough to present Mill Creek valley; original reference did not extend river north of Cincinnati

Manchester Same as Old Limestone except headwaters extended to Manchester Fowke (1924, p. 86)

Norwood Same as Manchester Stout and others (1943)

Old Licking Coincident with present Licking River valley from headwaters to Fowke (1898) Butler, Ky., then across uplands to junction with Manchester River 15 mi. southeast of Cincinnati; original reference extended river entire length of present Licking River and north through Mill Creek valley to Hamilton

Old Laughery Roughly coincident with Laughery Cree< (south and west of Lawrenceburg, Fowke (1898) Ind.) and then within and adjacent to the present Great Miami River valley north as far as Hamilton

Old Kentucky Same as Old Laughery between Lawrenceburg and Hamilton, but its Fowke (1900) headwaters were extended south and west alcng present Ohio River valley to Carrollton, Ky., and then uo the Kentucky River valley

Cincinnati Roughly same as Old Kentucky but flowed in opposite direction Tight (1903, PI. 1)

Hamilton Headed near Hamilton and flowed west and a little south into eastern Stout and others (1943) Ind.

Eagle Same as Old Kentucky from near Patriot, Ky., to Hamilton; south Durrell (1961) of Patriot it extended across uplands into headwaters of present Eagle Creek. The name Eagle River siould be retained only for that portion south of the junction with the Old Kentucky near Patriot

* The names that should be retained are italicized; their reco-mended geographic extent is shewn in Figure 2.

many exposures of what is regarded as pre- sandstone as much as 2 feet [0.6 m] across, occur glacial fluvial sediment have been described. locally. These are as much as 10 m (30 ft) thick and are everywhere devoid of carbonate ma- Although Swadley was describing only alluvial deposits in the Old Kentucky River valley of terial (Swadley, 1971a, 1971b). Most exposures Kentucky north and east of Carrollton, Ken- consist of silty and sandy clay or gravel but tucky, similar descriptions have been given for grain size and sorting range throughout the deposits in high-elevation abandoned valleys spectrum. Cobble sizes are frequently encoun- south of Carrollton along the present Kentucky tered; bedding is indistinct or absent. Swadley River (fillson, 1946, p. 20-30; Cressman, 1968) (1971a, p. 130) described the > 2-mm frag- and in the more northern segments of the Old ments as consisting of four types of material: Kentucky River valley in southeastern Ohio . . . quartz and chert pebbles, fragments of chert (Gooding and Wayne, 1961, p. 129-130; and silicified limestone, quartz geodes, and blocks Hester, 1965). Sediment in the abandoned of sandstone. The quartz and chert pebbles are Eagle River tributary valley (Fig. 2) is similar white, yellow, or brown, well rounded, and gener- to that of the Old Kentucky River valley ally less than 2 inches [5.1 cm] in diameter, re- except for a general decrease in abundance of sembling those in the Pennsylvanian-age conglom- the > 2.0-mm fragments (Swadley, 1969). erate of southeastern Kentucky. Chert and silicified limestone occur as subangular to subrounded To the east, in the flat-bottomed abandoned pebbles, cobbles, and blocks as much as 12 inches valleys of the Old Licking and Manchester [30.5 cm] across. Most are some shade of brown, Rivers, alluvium is rarely exposed because it but others are gray and white; some include silici- is buried beneath several feet of clay and is in fied corals and crinoids of probable Mississippian an area of little dissection. Where exposed, it age. Geodes containing yellow or brown quartz is generally a pebbly, sandy, and clayey silt. are present throughout the deposits. They range from 1 to 18 inches [2.5 to 45.7 cm] in diameter Pebble lithology is similar to that in the Old and were probably derived from Mississippian-age Kentucky River valley and consists of, in limestone of south-central Kentucky. The least order of decreasing abundance, subangular to abundant component of the gravel, blocks of subrounded chert containing Mississippian cor- light-brown, medium- to coarse-grained micaceous als and bryozoans, rounded quartz ( resembling

those in the Pennsylvanian Pottsville Con- of pre-Illinoian till, the placing of the southern glomerate), subangular fragments and slabs of glacial boundary was guided by the topography very fine sandstone and siltstone, leached lime- (such as drainage-pattern differences) but in- stone cobbles, and an occasional rounded coal cludes all known exposures of till (see Fig. 3). pebble (Durrell and others, 1961, p. 72-73; I feel this is preferable to extending the bound- Luft, 1970; Gibbons, 1971). The presence of ary to include all erratic materials as, for ex- coal pebbles and the absence of geodes distin- ample, Luft (1969) and Swadley (1969) have guish the bedload of the Manchester and Old done. And, because of the great uncertainty Licking Rivers from that of the Old Kentucky about the origin of the scattered erratics many River system. miles south of here described by Leverett Glacial Sediment. At least three distinct (1929, p. 34-47, 73-77, Fig. 3; map in Thorn- glacial events are recognized in this area on the bury, 1965, p. 199), they too are excluded basis of the depth of leaching of carbonates in from the area of pre-Illinoian glaciation, even till and in the overlying 0.3- to 1.2-m-thick though it is possible that they are the only (1 to 4 ft) mantle of loess (Fig. 3). The greatest vestige of a very early, possibly Nebraskan, depths to carbonates are found in the discon- glaciation. tinuous till cover on the uplands in northern The area of Illinoian glaciation (Fig. 3) is Kentucky and southwestern Ohio. Leaching distinguished from older drift by its shallower depths of from 3.7 to 7.9 m (12 to 26 ft) are depth (1.8 to 3.1 m; 6 to 10 ft) of leaching and common in this clay-rich till, although many its less-weathered appearance. In places, par- localities exist where the till is thin enough to ticularly in extreme southeastern Indiana, the be leached throughout (Teller, 1972). This boundary is not distinct because till cover is area is interpreted by Flint and others (1959) thin and discontinuous. Unlike the older till, and Teller (1972) as pre-Illinoian, probably however, the Illinoian is commonly found Kansan, in age, because leaching in the till is within modern valleys such as the Ohio River significantly greater than in Illinoian till. Pre- valley, as well as on the uplands, and the loca- Illinoian till in the area is identified primarily tion of the Illinoian boundary was guided, in on the uplands but is found as low in elevation places, by this. as, and possibly even below, Teays-age valley The shallowest depths of leaching are largely, bottoms. Because of the discontinuous nature although not entirely, confined to the northern part of the study area where carbonate is generally found at depths of 0.6 to 1.2 m (2 to 4 ft) in the till. This till is Wisconsinan in age. Scattered throughout the two areas of older till, where deep leaching is widespread, are many exposures of till with shallow leaching depths, which make delineation of the glacial boundaries difficult. These seemingly aberrant soil depths are attributed to erosion by slope wash and meltwater runoff. Glaciofluvial and Glaciolacustrine Sedi- ments. In most of the large modern river valleys (Ohio River, Mill Creek, and Great Miami and Little Miami River valleys), there are thick (30 m or more [100 ft]) deposits consisting of bedded and cross-bedded silt, sand, and gravel of limestone, siltstone, granite, j till, leoctted 2to3 ft I Wi sconti nan gneiss, schist, quartzite, fine-grained igneous till, leached 6 to Ott., Illinoian and metamorphic rocks, chert, and quartz

till,kachad 12to26ft, pre-Illinoian (Swadley, 1969, 1971a). These deposits are

leached throughout interpreted as Wisconsinan outwash (or trun- Pre- ILL. till localities I."partt y calcareous cated pre-Wisconsinan outwash) because of the shallow depth of carbonates. Figure 3. Depth of leaching and age interpretation of till (modified from Teller, 1972). See Teller (1970) In many places within abandoned valleys of for specific localities of till. the Old Kentucky and Manchester River sys-

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tems (Fig. 2), similar appearing, although often in these valleys, reconstruction of Teays-age more deeply leached, outwash is found over- stream gradients is difficult. Based on scattered lying preglacial alluvium and bedrock. This bedrock elevations in the Old Kentucky River glaciofluvial sediment probably is largely II- valley, Swadley (1971a) calculated a northward linoian and pre-Illinoian in age. gradient of 9.5 cm per km (6 in. per mi) be- At the surface at elevations of 198 to 213 rn tween Carrollton, Kentucky, and Lawrence- (650 to 700 ft) in the Old Licking River valley burg, Indiana. and adjacent portions of the Manchester River Evidence to support the interpretation that valley, laminated clay and silty clay—referred not only the Manchester and Old Licking to as the Claryville clay by Durrell and others Rivers but also the Old Kentucky River (1961)—overlie preglacial alluvium. In only flowed north is as follows: (1) Reconstruction of one locality has calcareous Claryville clay been the ancient meandering valley pattern (Fig. 2) discovered (Durrell and others, 1961, p. 73) shows that the entrance angle of many of the and, in places, leaching extends through as tributaries to the Old Kentucky River would much as 4.9 m (16 ft) of the clay (Durrell, have been barbed if the river had flowed south 1961, p. 55). In southwestern Ohio, however, instead of north—noted also by Malott (1922); several buried valleys that are tributary to the and (2) although bedload deposits in all chan- Old Kentucky River valley contain calcareous nels are similar, there are two significant differ- clay which probably is correlative to that ex- ences: geodes are known only from the Old posed at the surface in the Old Licking valley. Kentucky River system, and coal pebbles are This clay is buried by till and overlies pre- known only from the Manchester and Old glacial alluvium (Gooding and Wayne, 1961, Licking Rivers. Because of this, it seems that p. 129; Teller, 1970, p. 111). the same preglacial river did not occupy both On the uplands adjacent to the Old Licking the Old Kentucky and the Manchester (or and Old Kentucky River valleys in Kentucky Old Licking) River valleys. and Ohio, there are scattered deposits of laminated (often varve-like) clay and silt at INITIAL DRAINAGE CHANGES the surface or buried by till (Teller, 1962, AND GLACIAL DAMMING OF THE TEAYS DRAINAGE SYSTEM 1970, p. Ill, 112; Ettensohn, 1970). These deposits may also be equivalent to the Clary- Many major changes in the Teays drainage ville glaciolacustrine clays. occurred when the first (pre-Illinoian) ice sheet pushed south across the main Teays River DIRECTION OF FLOW OF valley in central Indiana or Ohio, damming its PREGLACIAL RIVERS western outlet (Fowke, 1898; Ver Steeg, 1934, Although all investigators have agreed that 1936; Wayne, 1956; Durrell, 1961). North- the Manchester and Old Licking River valleys flowing Teays tributaries in the Cincinnati contained north- to northwest-flowing streams, area and to the east in southeastern Ohio and there has been considerable debate about the West Virginia (Tight, 1903; Stout and Schaaf, direction of flow of the Old Kentucky River. 1931; Fowke, 1933) were ponded at this time. Some (James, 1888; Fenneman, 1914; Leverett, Water first rose to the level of the lowest over- 1902, p. 116-118; 1929; Stout and others, flow outlet in these valleys and then gradually 1943) contended that the Old Kentucky River reduced the lake level by eroding the spillways. valley between Hamilton and Carrollton con- Most workers have argued that the spillway tained a river that flowed southwest and, there- for the Manchester-Old L.icking and Old Ken- fore, the Manchester River and its main tribu- tucky River basins was near Madison, Indiana, tary, the Old Licking River, were only a heac- a few miles west of the main valley of the Old water portion of that river. Others, including Kentucky River and at the headwaters of the most recent workers, have concluded that the west-flowing Old Ohio River (Fig. 1) (Fowke, Old Kentucky River valley contained a north- 1900; Wayne, 1952). east-flowing river which joined with the It is possible that the divide between the Manchester River at Hamilton and flowecl Old Ohio River and Old Kentucky River north (Fowke, 1898, 1933; Malott, 1922; basins at Madison had been breached prior to Wayne, 1952; Durrell, 1961, p. 49). Because cf glaciation by piracy of t tie Old Ohio River. glacial modification of the surfaces of the pre- Leverett (1929, p. 8), in fact, has reported glacial alluvium and of the underlying bedrock capture of a part of the Old Kentucky River

basin by the Old Ohio River ~80 km (50 mi) upstream from Carrollton, Kentucky. Rhode- hamel and Carlston (1963) have also suggested that Tertiary stream piracy was responsible for changes in Teays valleys in West Virginia. If the Old Kentucky River had been partially or completely captured by the Old Ohio River before glaciation, then glacial ponding would have only occurred upstream from Cincinnati in the Old Licking and Manchester River valleys. The presence of widespread deposits of clay in valleys to the east of Cincinnati and the general absence of clay in those to the west supports the preglacial piracy hypothesis. Additional support comes from the presence of till in a small valley cut 47 m (150 ft) below the bottom of the Old Kentucky River valley, 19 km (12 mi) southeast of Lawrenceburg, beyond the presently drawn Illinoian glacial boundary. Although leaching in this till is only 2.4 m (8 ft)—possibly because of truncation— its close proximity to upland till that is leached 4.9 m (16 ft) and the difficulty of advancing a tongue of Illinoian ice 6.4 km (4 mi) up this narrow valley (to avoid overriding pre-Il- linoian deposits on either side) suggest that this till is pre-Illinoian. Since entrenchment below initial invasion of pre-Illinoian ice. the Old Kentucky River valley bottom seem- Kentucky north and south of the pre-Illinoian ingly could have occurred only after its addi- glacial boundary are shallow, major deepening tion to the Old Ohio River system to the west, could not have been initiated until the active the presence of till in this valley, if it is pre- ice edge retreated north out of Kentucky. Illinoian, must mean that the Old Kentucky It is conceivable that integration of the River had been abandoned, its flow reversed, Manchester River with the headwaters of other and its new channel entrenched prior to the Teays tributaries was delayed because of an time that the pre-Illinoian ice reached its increase in elevation along the ice margin occur- terminal position in this area. ring in response to isostatic depression by the The water impounded in the Manchester ice sheet. This upward bulge of the Earth's and Old Licking River valleys by the pre- crust (forebulge) has been discussed by many Illinoian ice dam near Cincinnati overflowed including Frye (1963) and McGinnis (1968). across the Kentucky uplands into the Ken- If such a forebulge existed, much of the water tucky River basin through shallow spillways ponded in the Teays tributaries of southeastern (Fig. 4). Spillway deepening probably pro- Ohio, West Virginia, and western Pennsylvania ceeded slowly, since there are thick deposits of may have been forced to overflow toward the lacustrine clay and silt in the Manchester and northeast, rather than toward the west into Old Licking River valleys. For this reason, it is the Cincinnati region, until the ice thinned concluded that the discharge through these and the forebulge declined. spillways was small. This means that the waters of the Teays tributaries of southeastern Ohio, ESTABLISHMENT OF THE West Virginia, and western Pennsylvania, YARMOUTHIAN INTERGLACIAL which now are part of the same river system DRAINAGE SYSTEM as the Manchester and Old Licking Rivers, As the pre-Illinoian ice retreated from its did not overflow into the lake (and increase the terminal edge, a lower overflow channel for ability of the lake to deepen its spillway) for the Manchester-Old Licking River valley lake many years after the initial impoundment. probably was uncovered immediately south Further, since all the spillway channels in and west of Cincinnati (coinciding with the

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present Ohio River valley; Fig. 4). This spillway existed only until the ice retreated north to Hamilton and reopened the old preglacial channel (Fig. 2). Erosion of the temporary channel south and west of Cincinnati at this time probably made it easier for the Ohio River to be permanently established there later. Probably as the ice retreated from the area, more and more water from the ponded eastern Teays valleys was spilling west into the Cin- cinnati region. This led eventually to the draining of the lake in the Manchester and Old Licking River valleys as the northern spillway Figure 5. Initial post-Teays drainage in Cincinnati between the lake and the new headwater addi- area. tion to the Old Ohio River (that is, the former River valleys, which are everywhere within Old Kentucky River) was deeply eroded. 8 km (5 mi) of one another, so rarely coincide After the ice retreated north of Hamilton (Fig. 2). and the Teays tributaries east of Cincinnati It is possible that the early post-Teays flow were integrated into a single west-flowing new south and west of Patriot was through the Ohio River, postglacial drainage was established present valley of Eagle Creek (Fig. 2), which as shown in Figure 5. Many of the meandering lies less than 8 km (5 mi) south of the old Teays valleys in the area had been abandoned valley, toward Carrollton, where it joined with for nearby straighter channels that could more the headwater portion of the Old Kentucky efficiently carry the increased flow of the new River. Because bedrock elevations between Ohio River which now extended from near the present valleys of Eagle Creek and the Pittsburgh to southern Illinois. This abandon- Ohio River are high (above 198 m [650 ft]), ment, first to the west of Cincinnati and then this course, if it existed, must have been aban- to the east, allowed many Teays valley rem- doned before entrenchmem: of the new Ohio nants and associated alluvium and proglacial River took place. From Carrollton, the river lacustrine clay to be preserved (Fig. 2). flowed west in the present Ohio River valley East of Cincinnati, the new Ohio River across the divide at Madison and into the established itself within the Manchester River drainage of the Old Ohio River basin. valley except along a short distance near its Once established, the new Ohio River was junction with the Old Licking River. The entrenched ~75 m (250 ft) below Teays-age course of the new Licking River coincided valley bottom levels; this is >30 m (100 ft) with the Old Licking River valley only south below the present Ohio River floodplain. This of Butler, Kentucky, establishing itself several entrenchment—referred to as Deep Stage miles to the west, north oi this point (Fig. 2). drainage—occurred prior to Illinoian glaciation The more northerly parts of the Manchester (Ver Steeg, 1934; Rich, 1956; Wayne, 1956; and Old Kentucky Rivers, just south of Durrell, 1961). Because four pre-Illinoian tills Hamilton, were affected by at least three major have been identified as close as 80 km (50 mi) glaciations, and the precise early post-Teays northwest of Cincinnati (Teller, 1972), Deep drainage pattern there is obscure (see Watkins Stage entrenchment may have resulted, in and Spieker, 1971). Most investigators, how- part, from several pre-Illinoian episodes of ever, have suggested that Teays valleys north meltwater discharge into the valley. of Cincinnati and Lawrenceburg were followed very closely by the first post-Teays rivers (Fig. LATER DRAINAGE MODIFICATIONS 5; Fowke, 1898; Wayne, 1952; Durrell, 1961, Abandonment of the Cincinnati-Hamilton- p. 52). Lawrenceburg portion of the Ohio River (Fig. The course of the new Ohio River south and 5) for its present course resulted from one and west of Lawrenceburg also closely followed the perhaps two invasions of ice. The first change preglacial route, but in only a few areas did it came when either Illinoiar.. or a second pre- actually occupy the old valley; in fact, it is re- Illinoian ice sheet blocked the Ohio River markable that the Old Kentucky and Ohio channel south of Hamilton forcing the river

to establish a course across the divide just west of Cincinnati (Fig. 6). Evidence for a second pre-Illinoian glaciation is lacking in the Cincinnati area but the presence of four pre- Illinoian tills 80 km (50 mi) to the northwest (Teller, 1972) indicates that either there was more than one pulse (stade?) associated with a single pre-Illinoian glaciation or there was more than one major pre-Illinoian glaciation. The second change in the Ohio River drainage took place when ice, probably Illinoian, invaded the Norwood Trough and forced the river to overflow the divide just to the south (Fig. 6). Both this diversion and the first one Figure 6. Drainage in Cincinnati area just prior probably were easily accomplished since the to last major river diversion resulting from Illinoian new channel had been a temporary spillway glaciation. for the river during earlier glacial damming the initial post-Teays Ohio River. The Great (Fig. 4). Although topographically distinct Miami River either was forced out of the Old today, the Norwood Trough is partly filled Ohio River channel when Illinoian ice ad- with Illinoian till. Thus the course of the Ohio vanced into its valley from the northwest (Dur- River was essentially established in its present rell, 1961, p. 50, 56-57) or was initially estab- form by Sangamon time. lished there by the same ice that caused the Illinoian ice also invaded part of the Ohio Ohio River to abandon the valley. This same River valley near its junction with the Old ice sheet probably was responsible for the cut- Licking River (Figs. 2, 3) and, briefly, caused ting of a 4-km-long (3 mi) diversionary valley the river to flow around it through the aban- just east of the present Ohio River near Law- doned portion of the Manchester River valley. renceburg when it invaded the Ohio River The scattered areas of coarse gravel in the Man- valley and established a temporary flow around chester River valley (Leverett, 1929) were its margin. The well-known Split Rock con- probably deposited at this time. Illinoian till glomerate is found at the downstream end of is present in the Ohio River valley at and be- this now-abandoned valley and probably was low the present river level in this area and on deposited as the valley was cut (Fowke, 1898; the uplands between the Manchester and Ohio Durrell, 1961, p. 56-57). River valleys (Leverett, 1929). Another drainage change took place near West of Cincinnati, along a distance of Carrollton, Kentucky (Fig. 7). Here, Illinoian ~22 km (14 mi), the Great Miami River (or possibly pre-Illinoian) ice pushed south today flows in a comparatively narrow valley across the Ohio River valley into the mouth east of the topographically distinct valley of of the Kentucky River valley and, along a

Figure 7. Sequence of events leading to present (stippled); rivers entrenched at least to present levels, drainage conditions near Carrollton, Kentucky (indi- B, Drainage at time of damming by ice; ice area stippled, cated by boxed C). A, Pre-ice invasion conditions C, Present conditions showing till (stippled). showing abandoned high-elevation Teays valleys

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short distance, forced the combined diverted doned Manchester and Old Licking River flows of the Ohio and Kentucky Rivers to cut valley bottoms are covered by thick deposits a new valley ~3 km (2 mi) to the west. of clay and silty clay indicating a relatively When the ice melted, the Ohio River resumed long period of water impoundment there. its old course while the Kentucky River con- The Teays-age Old Kentucky and Man- tinued to occupy the newly cut valley. chester Rivers and their main tributaries, the The effects of these river dammings was to Eagle and Old Licking Rivers (Fig. 2), were produce ponding and some lacustrine sedimen- abandoned throughout mucn of this region as tation in the valleys. Thin beds of silt and silty a result of glaciation, and, possibly (west of Cin- clay are present in many places in the present cinnati), as a result of pregkcial piracy by the Ohio River valley east and west of Cincinnati Old Ohio River. The net result was to establish and resulted, in part, from the ice dams at a new, west-flowing, deeply entrenched Ohio Carrollton, Lawrenceburg, north of Cincinnati, River from Pittsburgh to southern Illinois by and southeast of Cincinnati. In addition, part Yarmouthian time. This new river was estab- of the Claryville clay in the abandoned Old lished near, but seldom coincided with, that of Licking and Manchester River valleys may Teays-age valleys that were close to the margin have been deposited on top of older lacustrine of the pre-Illinoian ice sheet from near Madi- clays at this time. son, Indiana, to Cincinnati. The Yarmouthian course of the new Ohio River was approxi- SUMMARY mately the same as that of the present Ohio Although the history of drainage changes River, except for the portion from Cincinnati from the preglacial Teays River system to the to Hamilton to Lawrenceburg (Fig. 5) which present may have been more complex than is existed until ice invaded this valley a second presented in this paper, the conclusions reached time in pre-Illinoian and (or) Illinoian time. do seem consistent with the known evidence. Other (minor) changes in drainage also oc- The preglacial rivers in this area flowed north curred at this time, and, by Sangamon time, in meandering valleys close to the present drainage in this region was essentially the same course of the Ohio River, and the two main as it is today. rivers joined near Hamilton, Ohio. One of ACKNOWLEDGMENTS these, the Old Kentucky River, drained the area to the southwest, and the other, the This paper is part of a Ph.D. dissertation Manchester River, drained the area to the submitted tc the University of Cincinnati southeast. The alluvium left in these two river Department of Geology. Particular thanks are valleys is similar, but differs enough miner- given to my advisors there, R. H. Durrell and alogically to establish the fact that the valleys W. A. Pryor, and to R. P. Goldthwait of Ohio contained different preglacial rivers. State University. I also thank L. Clayton, A. The first ice to invade central Indiana and Gooding, S. Moran, and W. Wayne for criti- Ohio caused ponding and lacustrine deposition cally reading the manuscript and offering help- in the north-flowing tributaries and probably ful suggestions, and R. Pryhitko and E. Dalve initiated major drainage changes. Because for technical assistance. there is no evidence of a large flow of water Financial assistance was received from a across the uplands of northern Kentucky south Geological Society of America Penrose bequest of the deeply leached pre-Illinoian till, it is research gran:, a National Defense Education proposed that the ice that deposited this till Act dissertation travel grant, and an Ohio preceded by many years the establishment of Academy of Science research grant. the Ohio River east of Cincinnati and was very REFERENCES CITED likely one of the first, if not the first, glaciers to invade Ohio. Brand, L. S., 1934, Some note:; on the Pleistocene The Old Kentucky River basin, west of the history of the Cincinnati region: Ohio Jour. Sci., v. 34, p. 67-85. pre-Illinoian ice dam at Cincinnati, contains Burger, A., Keller, S., and Wayne, W., 1966, very little lacustrine sediment and may have Map showing bedrock topography of northern been partly or entirely captured by the west- Indiana: Indiana Geol. Survey Misc. Pub. no. flowing Old Ohio River prior to glaciation 12. (Fig. 1). East of Cincinnati, the now-aban- Coffey, G. N., 1958, Major glacial drainage

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