134 FLORIDA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY SIXTH ANNUAL REPORT. 



rounding country is in general level or rolling and lies at an eleva- 

 tion aproximating 200 feet above sea. The basin along its 

 western side is bordered by a bluff which rises to an elevation of 

 from 50 to 75 feet above the level of the lake. Along the eastern 

 and southeastern side the basin passes gradually into low lying 

 swampy hammock land, or cypress swamp. The sink of Alligator 

 Lake occurs along the southwestern border. The escape of water 

 at the present time is through this sink. In the country bor- 

 dering the lake around this sink numerous other sinks occur. The 

 lake is said to overflow at high water stage to the south through :i 

 small stream known as Clay Hole Branch. 



A soil boring put down fifty yards from the edge of the basin 

 along its southwest border gave the following section : 



Black muck with admixture of clay i ft. 



Yellow sand loam V2 ft. 



Fine light gray sand 1V2 ft. 



A pit made by Mr. Greer in his garden near the border of the 

 lake gave the following section: 



Brownish colored imperfectly decayed vegetable matter (peat) 1 ft. 



Black muck with admixture of sand and ciay 2 ft. 



Red very sandy clay i ft. 



It is reported that at the time of the early settlements in Co- 

 lumbia County, 1835 or thereabouts, Alligator Basin was a prairie 

 or savanna and was used at that time by the Indians as pasture 

 land. The lake was dry in the fall of 1891, and again in the fall 

 of 1899 or 1900. It was dry again during the winter and 

 Spring of 1909, but was partly filled by rains during the following 

 summer. 



Approximately complete records of rainfall are available at 

 the Lake City station for the year 1897 ^^^ succeeding years. 

 The rainfall for the year 1899, at which time the lake became dry, 

 was much below normal, amounting for the year to only 30.49 

 inches. The next period of unusually low rainfall was the year 

 1908. During this year the rainfall amounted to only 29.83. The 

 rainfall during the year 1909 was likewise slightly below normal, 

 amounting at Lake City to 49.68 inches. 



ALACHUA LAKE. 



Alachua Lake or Payne's Prairie is the central and largest of 

 the several lake basins of southeastern Alachua County. This basin 

 is about eight miles long and varies in width from one and a half 



