OF DENISON UNIVERSITY. 37 



point the water course is almost due north to Newark. Along 

 the east side of the lower part of both the North and South 

 Forks the hills rise rapidly to an elevation of about 

 250 to 300 feet above the river. Standing on these 

 hills and looking west the country seems to gradually rise and 

 no very high hills appear in this direction. A level however 

 reveals the fact that the land to the west is nearly as high, but 

 is so filled in with drift that only the tops of the hills appear 

 above the general level. The surface rock of the western half 

 of the county is wholly of the Waverly group. This rock sur- 

 face is covered to a greater or less depth with glacial clays and 

 occasional pockets of assorted gravel. 



The valleys of the North Fork from the north and Raccoon 

 creek from the west are evidently preglacial as is shown by their 

 great breadths, their gently sloping hillsides of Waverly rock 

 and their great depth as indicated by the drift fiUing. In all of 

 these valleys are beautifully developed gravel terraces rising in 

 steps from the streams to the bordering hills. The well sections 

 made in the valley filling are quite various, showing alternating 

 beds of yellow and blue clay and sand, gravel and quicksand. 

 The preglacial channel of the North Fork probably extended 

 into Knox county and received the head waters of Owl creek 

 and is much the larger of the two valleys. 



In the "Report of the Geology of Licking County," 

 Ohio Geological Survey, Vol. Ill, page 348, Mr. Read speaks 

 of this preglacial channel and says: ** At Newark it divides; 

 one branch turning directly to the east, in the valley of Licking 

 river and one branch extending northwesterly through what was 

 evidently at one period a broad lake, and in which now the 

 south branch of the Licking flows with a reversed current to 

 join the main stream at Newark." Mr. Read evidently meant 

 "southwesterly" for one branch of this channel, as will be 

 seen by consulting the map Plate III. It would naturally be 

 inferred that the other branch " in the valley of Licking river " 

 continued throughout the course of the river. The Licking 



