POET HURON MORAINIC SYSTEM AND PROBABLE CORRELATIVES. 295 



In sec. 2, Bingham Township, the front ridge of the Saginaw lobe met the front ridge of 

 the Lake Huron lobe at an angle slightly less than a right angle and just here there is a narrow 

 depression through which Willow River flows northward. 



From this point the front ridge of the Lake Huron lobe runs southeast into the north edge 

 of Sanilac County, where it turns more southward to the north bank of Black River opposite 

 Wadhams, 7 miles west of Port Huron. From Huron County to this point the moraine ridge 

 is very strong, but at Black River it passes under the level of the Warren beach and thence 

 southward it is a low, broad water-laid ridge mainly covered with sand. It crosses St. Clair 

 River into Canada a mile north of St. Clair. 



TOPOGRAPHY. 



ALTITUDE AND RELIEF. 



The western or front ridge in Ogemaw and Iosco counties is fairly strong. From an 

 altitude of 930 to 950 feet in northeastern Ogemaw and northwestern Iosco counties it falls 

 to 850 to 875 feet at the north edge of Arenac County. Its front relief is generally 50 to 60 

 feet and its inner relief 25 to 30 feet. 



The other branching ridges in eastern Ogemaw and western Iosco counties are rather ill- 

 defined as ridges and have low relief. The knolls are generally not over 10 to 15 feet high. 

 Their altitude ranges from 920 or 930 feet in northwestern to slightly below 800 feet in south- 

 western Iosco County. Maple Ridge has an altitude of about 850 feet near the village of Maple 

 Ridge and of about 860 feet a mile north of Melita. West of Rifle River its continuation has an 

 altitude of from 820 to 840 feet and a relief of 40 to 50 feet. The narrow ridge northwest of Ster- 

 ling has an altitude of 780 to 800 feet and its continuation into Gibson Township, Bay County, 

 has an altitude of 825 feet, declining southward to about 810 feet before it begins to be covered 

 with sand and gravel. The relief of these ridges is generally 20 to 30 feet. 



In its water-laid part the moraine descends from about 800 feet in western Gibson Town- 

 ship to 700 feet about 10 miles north of Midland and to 600 feet at Saginaw. From Saginaw it 

 rises again to 700 feet at Vassar, where it again becomes land laid.- From Vassar to Bad Axe 

 and thence south to Black River near Port Huron the Warren beach is the highest shore line 

 on the inner or lakeward slope of the moraine, but from Vassar to Cass City the outer slope 

 of the moraine was washed by the waters of Lake Saginaw at the level of the Arkona beaches, 

 which are 20 to 40 feet higher. The limits of the lake waters on the two sides of the moraine 

 in northwestern Bay County were not definitely determined, partly because the moraine shows 

 much less change of expression in passing from land-laid to water-laid form, but mainly because 

 the whole area is covered and obscured by sand. 



Between Vassar and Gagetown the moraine has a number of knolls which rise above 800 

 feet and a relief of about 100 feet on both sides. The ridge has an unusually sharp and narrow 

 crest between Watrousville and Ellington. North of Cass City the front ridge is much broken 

 and its scattered knolls are below 800 feet. 



From this point a narrow crest rising above 800 feet and in some parts to 865 feet runs 

 continuously to the interlobate angle. The ridge which extends to Gagetown reaches above 

 800 feet at a number of points south of that place, but is a little lower farther north. The highest 

 point on the moraine is on a knob just west of the cleft in the interlobate angle where the topmost 

 point is a little above 890 feet. 



The relief of the moraine northeastward from Cass City is generally nearly 100 feet on the 

 outer slope and about 50 feet on the inner slope. In the interlobate area north of the angle 

 the relief is generally 70 to 80 feet and the altitude 810 to 820 feet, with some points reaching 

 860 feet. 



From the interlobate angle southeastward into Sanilac County the altitude of the moraine 

 is 850 to 860 feet and the relief on both sides 50 or 60 feet. Southward the altitude declines 

 very gradually to about 800 feet at Carsonville, 760 or 770 feet at Amadore, and 730 or 740 



