BULLETIN OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 

 Vol. 10, pp. 263-276 .April 17, 1899 



SPACING OF RIVERS WITH REFERENCE TO HYPOTHESIS 

 OF BASELEVELING 



BY N. S. SHALER 



{Presented before the Society December 30, 1898) 

 CONTENTS 



Page 



Method of study 263 



Author's first observations 263 



Evidence furnished by topographic maps 264 



Vakie of studying beginnings of stream worlc 264 



Conditions of small streams 265 



Experiments with thin layers of water 265 



Influence of vegetation , 265 



Effect of rain on smooth, sloping surfaces 266 



Drainage development and its application to study of river spacing 267 



Conditions of torrents 268 



Relation of slope to down- cutting and basin area 268 



Application of experiments and observations to study of natural condi- 

 tions 269 



Bearing of evidence on baseleveling 270 



Relation of down-wearing to uniformity of level 270 



Baselevels of the Appalachians 270 



Problem of Appalachian baseleveling 273 



l)iscussion of hypothesis of baseleveling and of river spacing 275 



Method of Study 



authors fibst observations 



A glance at any accurate maps will show that water-courses in nearly 

 all regions are so disposed that they are somewhat regularly spaced, the 

 intervals between their channels of like size being approximate!}' the 

 same even when the character of the rocks and the amount of the rain- 

 fall are somewhat varied. My attention was called to this fact some 20 

 years ago, when considering the relations of the rivers of Kentucky. 

 While comparing the order of the under and over ground channels of 

 that district I noted that while the cavern waters followed no distinct 



XXXIX— Bull. Geol. Soc. Am., Vol. 10, 1898 (263) 



