THE CHAMPAIGN MORAINIC SYSTEM. 239 



ing down this valley. Its flood plain is now only about 20 feet below the 

 level of the bottom of the abandoned valley at the point where it crosses 

 it, and the difficulties of opening a westward passage seern greater than 

 would be necessary to have adopted the course of the abandoned valley. 



On the outer border of the Inner Ridg*e in Shawnee Township, Fountain 

 County, Indiana, just north of the point where Coal Creek is deflected 

 southward by the morainic ridge, there is a small plain underlain Avith gravel 

 which is perhaps an overwash from the moraine. There is also considerable 

 gravel along Coal Creek below the bend, preserved in terrace-like remnants 

 standing 35 to 50 feet above the present stream. It is not determined, 

 however, whether this gravel is an outwash from the drift ridge or is merely 

 a residue formed in the cutting of the valley. Against the latter view it 

 may be said that the present stream seems scarcely adequate to transport 

 gravel deposits of such coarseness as are here displayed. 



Sugar Creek Valley carries gravel terraces in its lower course, but 

 these terraces are as well developed in portions of the valley above the 

 crossing of this morainic system as below that point. The lower course of 

 the creek is on the inner border of the Outer Ridge of this morainic system, 

 and thus is very unfavorably situated for receiving an outwash. Further- 

 more, the gravel terraces seem to be built up in a valley which had been 

 excavated in the Champaign drift sheet. It is highly probable, therefore, 

 that these gravel terraces have no connection with the Champaign morainic 

 system, but are of later date. 



ASSOCIATED TILL PLAINS. 



Between the ridges of this morainic system there are, as already noted, 

 till plains ranging in width from 1 or. 2 up to about 10 miles in the Illinois 

 portion, and reaching a width of nearly 20 miles in Parke and Fountain 

 counties, Indiana, On these plains there are occasional low knolls, but 

 the general surface is much smoother than that of the bordering morainic 

 ridges. 



Another plain having greater extent occupies the interval between the 

 Inner Ridge of the Champaign morainic system and the Outer Ridge of 

 the Bloomington morainic system. Its width at the northwest, near the 

 corners of Ford, McLean, and Champaign counties, is about 15 miles, and 

 this width is maintained across Champaign County. In Vermilion County, 



