Malott: The "American Bottoms'' Region 



61 



the west fork of White River lowered its valley train. While 

 doing it they were always at temporary base level, as they 

 are today. The outwash sands in the lower parts of pre- 

 glacial Cliffy Creek and the pre-glacial ''American Bottoms" 

 valleys is being- deeply trenched by post-glacial streams. Cliffy 

 Creek in its initial flow over its adjusted course possessed 

 some rather extraordinary meanders. It has preserved these 

 meanders, entrenching them in both sand and bed rock, de- 

 pending upon whether it flowed over a pre-glacial valley or 

 over the pre-glacial upland. In its new course it is every- 

 where gorge-like. At one place it is now making a rather 

 remarkable adjustment to the Beech Creek limestone, where 

 it strikes it at a critical level, and is seeking a subterranean 

 course. 



The rim of the ''American Bottoms" basin was never over- 

 flowed by the impounded waters, for the reason that the sandy 

 barrier to the west permitted the waters to filter thru suffi- 

 ciently to keep them much below the lowest part of the bar- 

 rier. Later, subterranean drainage developed in the Beech 

 Creek limestone. This is a remarkable feature. The streams 

 of the basin flow into openings in the Cypress sandstone bluffs 

 at the south side of the valley. Their waters come out from 

 beneath the same sandstone nearly 2 miles to the southwest. 

 This drainage is thru the Beech Creek limestone which is but 

 little more than 20 feet thick. 



The "American Bottoms" basin persists in its flat con- 

 dition of topographic youth, because of the unusual condi- 

 tions which gave rise to it, and because of the critical ad- 

 justments of the drainage. As a physiographical phenom.enon 

 it is one of the most peculiar in the Mississippi valley region. 



