38(3 THE GLACIAL LAKE AGASSIZ. 



these beaches is strewn with occasional bowlders up to 6, 8, or 10 feet in 

 diameter and rarely of larger size, much more abundant than upon the 

 average surface of the till in this region, indicating that the surface there 

 has been considerably eroded by the waves of the lake. 



The elevation of the foot of the western slope of the upper or Herman 

 beach along the north part of the east line of township 140, range 46, is 

 1,095 to 1,100 feet. Crest of the Norcross beach in section 12 of this 

 township, 6 miles north of Muskoda, 1,080 feet, and along the distance of 

 3 miles tlu-ongh sections 13, 12, and 1 it varies from 1,075 to 1,085 feet. 

 In section 31, Keene, its height is 1,085 feet. Like the Herman beach, it 

 is a low, smoothly rounded ridge of gravel and sand, usually having a 

 depression of 3 to 5 feet or more at its east side. 



Thi'ough the west part of Keene the Norcross beach is 1 to IJ miles 

 west of the upper beach. Thence it crosses Hagen in a north-northeast 

 com'se, lying 2 to 3 miles northwest and west of the u})per beach. Its 

 height in these townships is approximately 1,080 feet. 



Both the Herman and Norcross beaches in this northern jiart of Clay 

 County, between the Buffalo River and the South Branch of the Wild Rice, 

 have an altitude notably higher than would coincide with a uniform ascent 

 of these shores from Lake Traverse to Maple Lake. The normal height of 

 the Herman beach on this tract would be 15 to 20 feet below where that 

 beach is found; and the Norcross beach lies fully 10 feet above where it 

 would be expected. The uplift of the earth's crust here was disproportion- 

 ate by these amounts with its upward movement along the other explored 

 portions of the eastern shore of this glacial lake. 



Proceeding onward tlu'ough Norman County, the position of the Nor- 

 cross beach is shown approximately on PI. XXV, but its course has not 

 been exactly majiped. Two small beach ridges, having nearly the same 

 height, probably belonging to the Norcross stages of this lake, were noted, 

 running nearly from south to north, in the east half of section 8, Wild 

 Rice Township. Again, on the north line of Norman County, in leveling 

 from Rolette eastward, a well-marked beach ridge, 10 to 15 rods wide, 

 with a depression of 4 to 5 feet on its east side, was crossed on the western 

 edo-e of the delta of the Sand Hill River, near the northeast corner of 



