J. R. Reeves — The Anderson Esker. 65 



Aet. VII. — The Anderson Esker; by John R. Reeves. 



The above name of this esker was used by Leverett in 

 a short description in which he states its existence and 

 location. This is the only work known by the author on 

 the esker and is thought to be insufficient in detail, hence 

 the following study. 



The northernmost end of the esker is found in the 

 northern part of the city of Anderson, Indiana, bordering 

 on White River at Eighth Street and Central Avenue. 

 From this point it runs in a general south by west direc- 

 tion through the main part of the city and into the coun- 

 try beyond for a distance of four and one-half miles. 



The esker is a part of a morainic system developed by, 

 according to Leverett, the Huron-Erie lobe of the Labra- 

 dorian Glacier. In his paper he says, "a remarkable 

 abandoned channel . . . occupied in part by an esker, 

 passes from southern Grant County southward to the 

 East White Gravel plain in northern Shelby County, a 

 distance of about sixty miles. It is, as a rule, but one- 

 eighth to one-fourth mile in width, but in the portion 

 between White River and Pall Creek it is nearly one mile 

 wide. In this portion it contains an esker which follows 

 it from Anderson southward for four miles." 



The esker may be divided roughly into four parts, each 

 part about one mile in length and each presenting certain 

 features not common to the other parts. The first or 

 northernmost part is the widest section of the whole 

 esker, averaging some one hundred and fifty yards in 

 width and twenty feet in height. The main business dis- 

 trict of Anderson and part of the residence district lies 

 on this part of the ridge. 



The next part is broken or interrupted in four places 

 each about one-fourth mile apart. In general the esker 

 is less developed in this section than any other, its aver- 

 age width being but one hundred and fifty feet and its 

 height about five feet. This part of the ridge lies in a 

 rich farming district and has been plowed over many 

 times which may partly account for its small size. At 

 the end of this section a small branch has cut through it 

 at right angles. 



In the third section the esker is more distinctly de- 

 veloped than in any other part although a great amount 



Am. Jour. Sci. — Fourth Series, Vol. L, No. 295.— July, 1920. 

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