Geomorphology and Geoarchaeology of The Red River Valley, Louisiana 400DPI

Quaternary Geology and Geoarchaeology
of the Lower Red River Valley

A FIELD TRIP
Trip Leaders
Whitney J. Autin and Charles E. Pearson
Friends of the Pleistocene
South Central Cell
11 th Annual Field Conference
Alexandria, Louisiana
March 26-28, 1993
A FIELD TRIP ..
Trip Leaders
South Central Cell
March 26-28, 1993
A FIELD TRIP
Trip Leaders
South Central Cell
March 26-28, 1993
guidebook edited by
Whitney Autin and John Snead
1993 Friends of the Pleistocene, South Central Cell
COVER PHOTO: A view northwest across the Red River
Valley from St. Maurice Bluff in Grant Parish, Louisiana.
ii
10th 1992
9th 1991
8th 1990
7th 1989
6th 1988
5th 1987
4th 1986
3rd 1985
2nd 1984
1st 1983
South Central Cell
Field Conferences
Late Cenozoic Alluvial Stratigraphy and Prehistory of the Inner Gulf Coastal Plain,
South-Central Texas - Rolfe Mandel and Chris Caran:San Antonio, TX - March 27 - 29
A Prehistory of the Plains Border Region - Brian J. Carter and Phillip A. Ward Ill:
Woodward, OK - May 17 - 19
Field Guide to the Mississippi Alluvial Valley, Northeast Arkansas and Southeast
Missouri - Margaret J. Guccione and E. Moye Rutledge: Wynne to Blytheville, AR - March
30 - April 1
Geomorphology, Quaternary Stratigraphy, and Paleocology of Central Texas -
Michael D. Blum, James F. Petersen, and Rickard S. Toomey Ill: Fredricksburg, TX - April 7 - 9
Late Quaternary Geology of Southwestern Louisiana and Southeastern Texas-
Richard U. Birdseye and Saul Aronow: Lake Charles, LA to Beaumont, TX - March 25 - 27
Late Quaternary Stratigraphy, Neotectonics and Geoarcheology of Southwestern
Oklahoma - C. Reid Ferring, Anthony J. Crone, Stephen A. Hall, Kenneth V. Luza, and Richard
F. Madole: Lawton, OK - March 27 - 28
Quaternary Geomorphology and Stratigraphy of the Florida Parishes - Joann Mossa
and Whitney J. Autin: Baton Rouge to Hammond, LA - April 18 - 20
Loesses in Louisiana and at Vicksburg, Mississippi - Bobby J. Miller, Joe J. Alford, Will J.
Day, and Anthony J. Lewis: Baton Rouge, LA to Vicksburg, MS - April 12 - 14
Elements of the Geomorphology and Quaternary Stratigraphy of the Rolling Plains
of the Texas Panhandle - Thomas C. Gustavson: Quitaque,TX - April 6 - 8
Guidebook to the Central Llano Estacado - Vance T. Holliday, Leland GiIe, Eileen Johnson,
and Roberta Speer: Lubbock, IX
iii
Table of Contents
Friends of the Pleistocene South Central Cell Field Conferences (list and map) ............................ iii
Table of Contents .............................................................................................................................. iv
List of Figures ..................................................................................................................................... vi
List of Tables .................................................................................................................................... vii
Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................................... viii
Introduction - ,. Snead ........................................................................................................................ 1
Section I - An Overview
Quaternary Geology of the Lower Red River Valley - W. ,. Autin ......................................... 5
Geoarchaeology of the Lower Red River Valley - C. E. Pearson and D. G. Hunter ................ 25
Section II - The Field Trip
STOP 1 CD Late Tertiary to Middle Pleistocene Evolution of an Upland Erosional Landscape:
Review of the Williana and Bentley Area - W. ,. Autin, ,. Snead, P. M. Walthall, D. ,.
McCraw, and W. ,. Day ............................................................................................... 45
STOP 2 CD Late Middle Pleistocene Evolution of a Constructional Alluvial Plain: Review of the
Montgomery Area and the St. Maurice Section - W.,. Autin, ,. Snead, P. M. Walthall, D.
,. McCraw, and W. ,. Day ........................................................................................... 53
STOP 3 CD Wisconsinan Constructional Alluviation of the Red River: Review of the Aloha Prairie
Area - W. ,. Autin, ,. Snead, P. M. Walthall, D. ,. McCraw, and W. ,. Day .................. 61
STOP 4 CD Archaeological Sites Along the Pleistocene Terrace Margin and Red River Floodplain
- C. E. Pearson and D. G. Hunter ................................................................................. 69
STOP 5 CD Archaeological Sites Along Bayou Rapides: An Abandoned Red River Course - C. E.
Pearson and D. G. Hunter ............................................................................................. 75
STOP 6 CD Hydrodynamics, Flow, and Suspended Sediment Transport of the Lower Red River
- ,. Mossa .................................................................................................................... 81
STOP 7 CD Loyd's Hall: Historic Period Settlement and Use of the Bayou Bouef Meander Belt-
C. E. Pearson and D. G. Hunter .................................................................................... 93
STOP 8 CD Monda Gap and the Red River Diversion - C. E. Pearson and D. G. Hunter .......... 99
STOP 9 CD Wisconsinan Constructional Alluviation of the Mississippi River: Review of the
Avoyelles Prairie Area - W. ,. Autin, A. AsIan, ,. Snead, and D. ,. McCraw ............... 103
ROAD LOG .......................................................................................................................... 116
iv
Section III - Contributed Articles
Surficial Deposits of Tertiary Age in the Central Louisiana Area - J. E. Rogers .................. 125
The Fate of Fisk's Pleistocene Units in Texas - S. Aronow ........................................... ....... 128
Soil Stratigraphic Units of the Lower Red River Valley - B. A. Touchet ....................... ...... 133
Waddell Bluff and Terrace Stratigraphy in the Lower Red River Valley - J. J. Alford and J. C.
Holmes ..................................................................................................................... 135
Allostratigraphy and Geoarchaeology Within the Mississippi Alluvial Valley - P. V.
Heinrich .................................................................................................................... 137
Extractions of Engineering Geology on the Lower Red River - P. E. Albertson .................. 143
Characteristics of Cores from the Upland and Intermediate Complex in the Florida Parishes
- W. J. Autin, J. Mossa, and B. J. Miller.......... ........................................................... 147
Surface Geologic Mapping in Louisiana - Its Beginnings, Rise, and Recent Decline - R. P.
McCulloh ................................................................................................................... 153
Distinctive Patterns in the Areal Distribution of Stream Alluvium in North Louisiana - R. P.
McCulloh .................................................................................................................. 158
Appendix
1993 FOP Guidebook Contributors .................................................................................... 163
v
List of Figures
Figure 1- Generalized geology of the Red River Valley ....................................................................................................... 1
Figure 2 - Road map of the field trip area ............................................................................................................................ 3
SECTION I
Figure 3 - Geomorphic landscape positions ........................................................................................................................ 7
Figure 4 - Physiography of Grant and LaSalle Parishes ..................................................................................................... 13
Figure 5 - Generalized and diagrammatic relationships of Pleistocene materials across Red River, in vicinity of Grant
Parish .................................................................................................................................................................. 14
Figure 6 - Ideal profile section through the delta showing regional effect of overloading at continental margin .......... 14
Figure 7 - Lower MissiSSippi Valley loess correlations ....................................................................................................... 16
Figure 8 - Cross section of the Red River alluvial valley taken near Zimmerman, Louisiana, showing typical flood plain
features and stratigraphy ................................................................................................................................... 30
Figure 9 - The Red River just below the Great Bend in southwestern Arkansas showing the river meander features discussed
in the text ........................................................................................................................................................... 35
Figure 10 - Locations of initial occupation sites of the Archaic period and the estimated eastern edge of the Red River
meander belt at ca 1000 B.C .............................................................................................................................. 36
Figure 11 - Locations of initial occupation sites of the Fourche Maline period and the estimated eastern edge of the Red
River meander belt at ca A.D. 900 ..................................................................................................................... 36
Figure 12 - Locations of initial occupation sites of the Caddoan period and the estimated eastern edge of the Red River
meander belt at ca A.D. 1600 ............................................................................................................................. 37
Figure 13 - Geological and cultural features in the vicinity of lYfoncla Gap ..................................................................... 40
SECTION II
Figure 1.1 - Geologic map of the Williana - Bentley area .................................................................................................. 46
Figure 1.2 - Topographic map of the Williana - Bentley area ........................................................................................... 47
Figure 1.3 _ Cross Section of the Williana _ Bentley area .................................................................................................. 49
Figure 2.1- Geologic map of the Montgomery area .......................................................................................................... 54
Figure 2.2 - Topographic map of the St. Maurice area ...................................................................................................... 55
Figure 2.3 - Cross section of the St, Maurice - Montgomery - Waddell area ..................................................................... 58
Figure 3.1 - Geologic map of the Aloha Prairie area .......................................................................................................... 62
Figure 3.2 - Topographic map of the Aloha Prairie area .................................................................................................... 63
Figure 3.3 - Cross section of the Aloha .Prairie area ........................................................................................................... 64
Figure 4.1 - Topographic map of the Zimmerman Hill area ............................................................................................. 70
Figure 4.2 - A portion of the 1971 "Boyce, Louisiana" quadrangle (7.5' series) showing the historic Red River channel
chronology, major physiographic features, and known archaeological sites in the vicinity of Zimmerman
Hill ....................................................................................................................................................................... 71
Figure 4.3 - A generalized cross section through portions of the Pleistocene uplands and Red River alluvial valley at
Zimmerman Hill showing major geomorphic features and locations of known archaeological sites ............. 72
Figure 5.1- Topographic map of the England Air Force Base area .................................................................................... 76
Figure 5.2 - Plan view of the England Air Force Base stop area showing the various relict Red River channels identified in
the area by Smith and Russ (1974) and known archaeological sites along Bayou Rapides .............................. 77
Figure 5.3 - A generalized cross section through portions of the Red River alluvial valley showing the major geomorphic
features associated with Bayou Rapides and Big Bayou and locations of known archaeological sites ............. 78
Figure 6.1 - Topographic map of the Red River / Fort Buhlow Lake area ......................................................................... 82
Figure 6.2 - Primary tributaries and of the Red River system in the south-central United States .............. 83
vi
Figure 6.3 - The drainage system and levees of southern Louisiana ................................................................................. 83
Figure 6.4 - Maximum, mean, and minimum discharges in the Mississippi - Atchafalaya River system ........................ 85
Figure 6.5 - Suspended sediment discharges and concentrations in the Mississippi - Atchafalaya River system ............ 85
Figure 6.6 - Percent flow discharge of the Red River and Old River system to the Atchafalaya ....................................... 86
Figure 6.7 - Percent suspended sediment discharge of the Red River and Old River system to the Atchafalaya ............. 87
Figure 6.8 - Discharge-suspended sediment relationships for the Red River at Alexandria, 1963-91 .............................. 88
Figure 6.9 - Discharge-suspended sediment relationships for the Red River above the Old River Outflow Channel above
Simmesport, 1974-87 ......................................................................................................................................... 89
Figure 6.10 - Discharge-suspended sediment time series for the Mississippi - Atchafalaya River system in water year 1968
beginning October I, 1967 ................................................................................................................................ 90
Figure 7.1 - Topographic map of the Bayou Boeuf / Loyd's Hall area ............................................................................... 94
Figure 7.2 - Plan view of the Loyd's Hall stop area showing major geological features and archaeological sites along Bayou
Boeuf .................................................................................................................................................................. 95
Figure 7.3 -A generalized cross section through portions of the Pleistocene uplands and Red River alluvial valley showing
the major geomorphic features in the vicinity of Bayou Boeuf and Loyd's Hall .............................................. 96
Figure 8.1 - Topographic map of the Moncla Gap area ................................................................................................... 100
Figure 8.2 - Geological and cultural features in the vicinity of Moncla Gap .................................................................. 101
Figure 9.1 - Topographic map of the Avoyelles Prairie .................................................................................................... 104
Figure 9.2 - Meander scars of the Avoyelles Prairie ......................................................................................................... 105
Figure 9.3 - Meander scars of the Ferriday - Vidalia area ................................................................................................. 106
Figure 9.4 _ Comparison of ridge and swale landscape positions ................................................................................... 107
Figure 9.5 - Stratigraphy of a point bar flat ...................................................................................................................... 108
Figure 9.6 - Stratigraphy of the outer bend of a meander ............................................................................................... 109
Figure 9.7 - Landscape geomorphology, lithofacies, and pedogenic properties of Holocene Mississippi River
alluvium ........................................................................................................................................................... 110
Figure 9.8 - Conceptual relations of the effects of base level alteration on MiSSissippi River meander belt deposits ... 111
Figure 9.9 - Geologic map of the Avoyelles Prairie .......................................................................................................... 113
List of Tables
TABLE 1 - Suggested sources for definitions of Quaternary geologic terms ........................................................................ 6
TABLE 2 - Quaternary stratigraphic chart for Louisiana ..................................................................................................... 8
TABLE 3 - Abbreviations used in stratigraphic tables ........................................................................................................ 12
TABLE 4 - Characteristics of a core from beneath Fisk's (1938) Williana Terrace type locality ...................................... .48
TABLE 5 - Particle size data for Williana core-RR1-Metcalf series ................................................................................ .49
TABLE 6 - Characteristics of a profile from the Williana gravel pit .................................................................................. 50
TABLE 7 - Particle size data for Williana gravel pit-RR22-Smithdale series .................................................................. 50
TABLE 8 - Characteristics of a core from beneath Fisk's (1938) Bentley Terrace type locality ......................................... 51
TABLE 9 - Particle size data for Bentley core-RR11-Glenmora series ............................................................................ 51
TABLE 10 - Characteristics of a core from beneath Fisk's (1938) Montgomery Terrace type locality .............................. 56
TABLE 11- Particle size data for Montgomery core-RR12-Kolin series ........................................................................ 56
TABLE 12 - Characteristics of a vertical profile from the Montgomery Alloformation at the St. Maurice railroad cut ... 57
TABLE 13 - Characteristics of a core from beneath Fisk's (1938) Aloha Prairie Terrace type locality .............................. 65
TABLE 14 - Particle size data for Aloha Prairie core-RR19-Gore series .......................................................................... 66
vii
Acknowledgements
It takes a large body of individuals to coordinate a trip of this
style. Without such help, the task would be impossible. The
trip leaders would like to thank the Louisiana Geological
Survey (LGS) and Coastal Environments, Inc. (CEI) for their
help and support of trip and the guidebook development.
A number of cooperating groups provided support to the
projects from which our results are based. The U. S. Army
Corps of Engineers must be recognized for the con tributions
it has made to the study of archaeology of the Red River Area.
A considerable amount of the archeological and
geoarchaeological research undertaken in the region in the
past 15 years has been funded by either the New Orleans or
Vicksburg Districts relative to construction projects along
the river. The U.S. Geological Survey's COGEOMAP Program
has for 6 years provided support to LGS geologic mapping
projects in Louisiana. At LSU, the Center for Coastal, Energy,
and Environmental Research (CCEER), the Agricultural Cen-
ter, and the Department of Agronomy provided cooperative
support to LGS. The Louisiana Soil Survey (USDA-SCS)
provided data, information, and advice to LGS.
Our thanks go to the landowners who provided access to the
field trip sites. They include the U. S. Forest Service, Kisatchie
viii
National Forest for their cooperation at Willi ana; the Kansas
City Southern Railroad at St. Maurice; Mr. Randall Fletcher,
Mrs. Theda Fletcher Slaughter, and Mr. Red Slaughter at
Aloha; Mr. Lacy Knight at Zimmerman Hill, Mr. Floyd
Hebert and Mr. Fern Posey at England Air Force Base, Mrs.
Virginia Fitzgerald at Loyd's Hall, and Mr. Ward E. Zischke
and the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe at the Marksville State Com-
memorative Area.
The maps, graphics, and desktop publishing of the guide-
book were produced by John Snead and the LGSjCCEER
cartographic staff, David McCraw, Lisa Pond, and Robert
Paulsell.
Technical comments on the guidebook were graciously
provided by David Kelley, Richard Weinstein, and Paul V.
Heinrich. Art Bettis provided the set of mystery questions.
The Drillers With Attitudes, e.g., Fred Kring, Andres AsIan,
and Rick McCulloh assisted W. J. Autin with collection of
cores from the Red River and Marksville areas.
The gourmet jambalaya was organized and prepared by Dru
Trahan.
Introduction
John Snead
We1cometothe 11th Annual Field Conference of the Friends
of the Pleistocene-South Central Cell, hosted by Whitney
Autin of the Louisiana Geological Survey and Charlie Pearson
of Coastal Environments, Inc. This year we will revisit
Harold Fisk's famous Pleistocene terrace type locations,
consider pre-historic archaeological sites in the river valley
environment, and look at the behavior and floodplain
morphology of the Holocene Red River.
Of course there will be a social get-together at Harold Miles
Park on Friday evening featuring beverages and some home-
made Louisiana jambalaya. On Saturday evening we will
have a seafood banquet and annual meeting at Lea-J's in
Pineville where we will discuss next years trip.
The headquarters for the '93 FOP will be at the Best Western
Motel on MacArthur Drive in Alexandria - ask for Charlie
102
0
100
0
98
0
34
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100 o 100 200
11M 11M
Kilometers
Pearson's room at the desk. Campers are staying at the
Kincaid Lake campground west of Alexandria in the Kisatchie
National Forest. Whitney Autin will camp there and will be
available for information. Except for our final stop in the
Lower Mississippi Valley the entire trip will be within the
Lower Red River Valley.
The Red River
Evolving from it's small tributaries on the broad plains of the
Llano Estacada in the Texas panhandle region, the Red River
assumes it's own identity near the one hundredth meridian
and wanders some 1,200 miles to it's confluence with the
Mississippi River at the apex of the great delta. It drains a
diverse outcrop sequence of Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Ceno-
zoic sedimentary rocks as it flows southeastward to join the
Lower Mississippi Valley (fig. 1). Draining a basin of about
96
0
94
0
Generalized Geology
of the
Red River Valley
92
0
34
0
32
0
Holocene Alluvium
Pleistocene Deposits
Tertiary Coastal Plain
Formation

Cretaceous Rocks
I}.J Tertiary Ogallalla Formation
102
0
100
0
Permian to Triassic Rocks
Pennsylvanian Rocks
Folded and Faulted
Sedimentary and/or Igneous Rocks
98
0
96
0
I
Figure 1 - Generalized Geology of the Red River Valley
94
0
I
90,000 square miles, the river transports significant amounts
of the reddish Permian sediment that give the Red it's name.
All of the Native American names for the river translate to
"red". The wilderness explorers of the DeSoto expedition
were the first Europeans to visit the Red River Valley in 1541.
As the Indians did, the Spanish called the big stream Rojo or
Colorado, or sometimes Vermejo. It was Riviere Rouge to the
French who successfully contested them for possession of
the lower valley.
In the Quaternary, the Red River has at times joined the
Mississippi River as it's last western tributary. At other times
it has proceeded directly to the Gulf of Mexico, either
independently across the coastal plain or through aban-
doned Mississippi River courses. The modern course of the
Red has now been captured by the Atchafalaya River just
short of it's former confluence with the Mississippi at Old
River. The Atchafalaya, as if inspired by its successful river
piracy, now seems bent upon the capture of the Mississippi
itself. When this happens, as it inevitably must, the Red will
once again join the Mississippi River in it's new Atchafalaya
Delta course.
Geologic Setting
The Lower Red River Valley has three major bedrock con-
strictions; near Texarkana, at Grand Ecore near Natchitoches,
and the lowest one at Colfax where the hard Oligocene
sandstones of the Kisatchie Wold are cut by the river. South
of this constriction the valley is bounded on both sides
primarily by terraces and uplands of Pleistocene Red River
fluvial deposits. Central Louisiana is an area of confluence
between the alluvial Pleistocene deposits of the Red and
Mississippi Rivers and their transition to the broad Pleisto-
cene units of the coastal plain.
The Holocene valley of the Lower Red River is characterized
by numerous and rapidly switching meander belts. The
amount of sediment carried, the narrow valley constric-
tions, and to an extent, the significant and famous Red River
2
Raft have contributed to the intense meander activity of the
river. The effect of this meander belt SWitching is of great
importance to archaeolOgists and geologists because of the
potential for dating human occupancy periods, offering
clues for the dating of the meander belt deposits themselves.
Field Trip Features
This field conference will take you through the Quaternary
landscapes of the Lower Red River Valley and each day the
trip will begin in Alexandria (fig. 2). Day 1 of the excursion
will focus on erosional and constructional landscapes, soils,
and sediments in the type locations where Harold Fisk
developed his Quaternary Terrace sequence. It will have 3
stops and covers about 130 road miles. Day 2 will focus on
the adaptation of Native American culture to the changing
flood plain environment in the Holocene valley, Red River
sediment and flow, and how European settlement impacted
the region's land use and geomorphic processes. There will
be 4 stops on the second day which will cover about 95 road
miles. Day 3 will be a half-day look at the Monda Gap
diversion of the Red River, the Tunica-Biloxi Indian Reserva-
tion, and the Pleistocene MiSSissippi River landscapes and
lithofacies of the Avoyelles Prairie and its relation to Holo-
cene analogs. There will be 2 stops over 40 road miles and
we'll be done by noon.
The Field Guide
This field guide is divided into three parts. Section I is an
overview of the Quaternary Lower Red River Valley and
contains chapters on Geology by Whitney Autin and
Geoarchaeology by Charlie Pearson and Don Hunter. Sec-
tion II consists of the field trip road log and extensive
descriptions of the nine stops. Section III contains related
papers contributed by field trip members.
Enjoy yourselves and be careful on the highways. Incidently
Dry Prong and Woodworth are notorious speedtraps.
Figure 2 - Road Map of the Field Trip Area. The nine stops are indicated with a 0 symbol.
3
M ! A J f l A O U
I N O I l : > l S
Quaternary Geology of the Lower Red River Valley
Implications for Stratigraphic Correlations and Geologic Mapping
in the Lower Mississippi Valley and Northern Gulf Coastal Plain
Whitney f. Autin
Introduction
In landmark publications of the Louisiana Geological Sur-
vey (LGS), H. N. Fisk (1938a,1940) developed a tnodelforthe
stratigraphic definition of Pleistocene terraces in the Lower
Red River Valley (LRRV) of central Louisiana. Subsequent
publication of Fisk's (1944) monograph correlated these
units through the Lower Mississippi Valley (LMV) and much
of the northern Gulf Coastal Plain (GCP). The concepts
developed by this research have been the cornerstone of
Pleistocene stratigraphic models that have received world
wide recognition by Quaternary geoscientists. The land-
scape evolution models of Fisk, and other previous models
applied to LMV and GCP Quaternary stratigraphy do not
coincide with modern Quaternary thinking regarding geo-
logic processes, stratigraphic units, chronology, or causal
mechanisms.
Modern geomorphic studies (Saucier, 1974, 1981; Autin et
aI., 1991; Mossa and Autin, 1989; Autin, 1992) and geologic
mapping (Snead and McCulloh, 1984; Saucier and Snead,
1989; Autin and McCulloh, 1991, 1992; LGS, unpublished
file data, LGS-COGEOMAP, 1989 to present) have ques-
tioned the validity of Fisk's model and its relevance to
modern investigations. However, no one has yet placed
Fisk's initial studies in the LRRV into a modern context and
related this area to regional Quaternary stratigraphy. New
data generated in the past decade has shed light on the acute
need for reappraisal of the fundamental concepts of Quater-
nary landscape evolution in the LMV and GCP. Societal
need for accurate scientific data applicable to water and
environmental resources,land management, and scientific
policy has provided the catalyst for supporting this effort
towards revised stratigraphic and geomorphic data on Qua-
ternary landscapes.
The LRRV is an area that has been historically important as
a Quaternary type area. This region is the first major field
area investigated by Fisk upon his appointment to the LGS
and Department of Geology at Louisiana State University
(LSU), and resulted in publication of the Geologic Bulletins
for Grant and LaSalle (Fisk, 1938a), and Avoyelles and
Rapides (Fisk, 1940) Parishes respectively. Prior Quaternary
investigations indicate that Fisk's concepts are best evalu-
ated by reassessment of the locations he and others of his
time considered important. Mt. Pleasant Bluff (Autin et al.,
1988), the Avoyelles Prairie (Stop 9, this guidebook), the
Tunica Hills (Delcourt and Delcourt, 1977; Otvos, 1980;
5
Alford et al., 1983; Givens and Givens, 1988), and Ferriday-
Vidalia (AsIan and Autin, 1992) are other examples.
The Quaternary landscapes of Grant Parish offer the oppor-
tunity to model an area with a complex depositional and
erosional historyextendingback into the Tertiary. Although
the stratigraphic record is obviously incomplete, reappraisal
of Fisk's (1938a) Pleistocene stratigraphic type areas of
Central Louisiana offer an unique opportunity to delve into
some of the questions and observations that influenced the
thinking of Fisk during the period when he developed his
Qua ternary concepts.
Terminology and Nomenclature
Geological investigations in the region have produced a
proliferation of informal stratigraphic names and terms
used in a variety of contexts. Much of the difficulty in
communication centers around the term terrace and the
definition of terrace sequences in local and regional correla-
tion schemes. In modern geomorphic studies, a terrace is a
geomorphic surface commonly associated with aggradation
of a sedimentary sequence that has been preserved as a relict
above the level of the current system, but does not include
the underlying deposit.
Russell (1938) clearly implied and most subsequent workers
have accepted that terraces of the LMV were aggradational
surfaces of relict alluvial, deltaic, and/or coastal plains. Each
terrace (the surface and its underlying deposits) was related
to a given sedimentary cycle and terrace names were syn-
onymous with formation names. Terrace sequences were
considered causally related to and were correlated with
glacial cycles, with aggradation associated with glacial re-
treat and its accompanying sea-level rise. The aggradational
surface stabilized during an interglacial or interstadial, and
the following glacial advance dropped base level to produce
a terrace. Each terrace was considered comparable in form
and process with the currently developing sedimentary
cycle.
The objective and replicable description and definition of
Qua ternary landsca pes, sedimen ts, soils, stratigraphic units,
and geologic map units require the adoption of succinct and
easily understood terminology. Standard usage of scientific
terms fosters precise definitions and communication be-
tween investigators. The following usage is adopted for this
gUidebook and is suggested as a starting pointfor subsequent
refinement of nomenclature (Table 1). Terminology is
grouped according to geomorphic, sedimentologic, ped-
ologic, stratigraphic, and chronologic usage. Such terms are
of fundamental importance to the definition of geologic
map units.
Geomorphic Nomenclature
The use of geomorphology in Quaternary investigations
require understanding of the relation of the land surface
(present day topography) with land surfaces of the past. An
ancestral land surface is commonly referred to as a geomor-
phic surface, following the convention of Ruhe (1956) and
the modern usage of Daniels and Hammer (1992). Ageomor-
phic surface mayor may not coincide with the present land
surface. There are two fundamental types of geomorphic
surfaces, those associated with constructional landscapes
and those associated with erasionallandscapes. A construc-
tionallandscape is a landform that owes its origin or general
character to the processes of upbuilding, such as accumula-
tion by deposition (Bates and]ackson, 1987, p. 142). In the
LRRV and LMV, terraces and presently active alluvial sur-
faces are the fundamental constructional landscapes. Era-
sionallandscapes pertain to or are produced by the wearing
TABLE 1 - Suggested Sources for Definitions of Quaternary Geologic Terms.
GEOMORPHIC TERM REFERENCE
terrace Russell, 1938
geomorphic surface Daniels and Hammer, 1992; Ruhe, 1956
constructional landscape Bates and jackson, 1987
erosional landscape Bates and jackson, 1987
landscape position Ruhe, 1969
flood plain Walker, 1984; Reineck and Singh, 1980
channel belt Walker, 1984; Reineck and Singh, 1980
flood basin Walker, 1984; Reineck and Singh, 1980
SEDIMENTOLOGIC TERM REFERENCE
deposit Bates and jackson, 1987
lithology Bates and jackson, 1987
sedimentary facies Bates and jackson, 1987
depositional environment Reinick and Singh, 1980
paleoenvironment Bates and jackson, 1987
paleogeographic reconstruction Bates and jackson, 1987
PEDOLOGICTERM REFERENCE
soil horizon Soil Survey Staff, 1975
surface soils Autin et aI., 1991
soil series Soil Survey Staff, 1975
paleosol Autin et aI., 1991
geosol Autin et aI., 1991
STRATIGRAPHIC TERM REFERENCE
exposure Bates and jackson, 1987
outcrop Bates and jackson, 1987
formation Bates and jackson, 1987; NACSN, 1983
alloformation
complex Autin et aI., 1991
CHRONOLOGIC TERM REFERENCE
era
Bates and jackson, 1987; NACSN, 1983
system
series
stage
geochronology
Bates and jackson, 1987
numerical age
Coleman et aL, 1987
correlated age
Coleman et aL, 1987
relative age
Coleman et aL, 1987
calibrated age
Coleman et aL, 1987
6
away of the land (Bates and Jackson, 1987, p. 222). The
elements of both constructional and erosional landforms
can be described in terms of landscape positions. A land-
scape is described as the distinct association of landforms,
especially as modified by geologic forces ... (Bates and Jack-
son, 1987, p. 368). A landscape position is a point in this
continuum as described by the landscape model of Ruhe
(1969) (Fig. 3).
The flood plain environment is the fundamental geomor-
phic landform for assessment of much of the Quaternary
constructional landforms of the LRRV, LMV, and GCP.
Deltaic, barrier island/lagoonal, and chenier systems are
equally important in coastal areas of the region. The flood
plain geomorphic system and its relevance to geomorphic
surfaces are summarized as background information to this
field trip. Valuable references to recognition criteria for
flood plain alluvium and comparable sedimentary deposits
and landforms incl ude Reineck and Singh (1980), and Walker
(1984).
The channel belt produces the primary area of sand body
construction in an active flood plain. Channel bel ts incl ude
channel and point bar landforms, scroll bars, chute chan-
nels and bars, and typically produce ridge-swale topogra-
phy, abandoned channels, and abandoned cut off channels.
Flood plain over bank areas can be divided into proximal
and distal components. Proximal over bank areas include
accretionary levee and crevasse splay systems. Levees ag-
grade from suspended sedimentation in near-channel over
bank positions. Crevasse splays form by sedimentation in
crevasse channels that avulse from meander belts. Splays
aggrade and prograde by sheet flow sedimentation in
interchannel areas and areas distal to crevasse channel
systems. Distal to the channel belt and proximal over bank
areas are flood basins. Backswamps and lakes receive silts
and clays primarily by suspension sedimentation.
Sedimentologic Nomenclature
Sedimentary deposits and their genetically-related environ-
ments have a suite of terms commonly used by sedimentolo-
gists and stratigraphers. A deposit is earth material of any
type, either consolidated or unconsolidated, that has accu-
mulated by some natural process or agent and is generally
considered synonymous with sediment (Bates andJ ackson,
1987, p. 175). Lithology is the description of rocks, espe-
cially in hand specimen and in outcrop, on the basis of such
characteristics as color, mineralogic composition, and grain
size, or more simply stated, the physical character of a rock.
(Bates andJackson,1987, p. 384). A sedimentary facies is the
aspect, appearance, and characteristics of a rock unit, usually
reflecting the conditions of its origin, especially as it differ-
entiates the unit from adjacent or associated units. A facies
is a mappable, areally restricted part of a lithostratigraphic
body, differing in lithology or fossil content from other beds
deposited at the same time and in lithologic continUity
(Bates and Jackson, 1987, p. 232). A depositional environ-
ment is a geomorphic unit in which deposition takes place.
It is characterized by an unique set of physical, biological,
and chemical processes operating at a specified rate and
intensity which impart sufficient imprint on the sediment,
7
Divide
Su - summit
Sh - shoulder
Bs - backslope
Fs - footslope
Ts - toeslope
Figure 3 - Geomorphic landscape positions (adapted
from Ruhe, 7969).
so that a characteristic deposit is produced (Reineck and
Singh, 1980, p. 5). A paleoenvironment is an environment
in the geologic past (Bates and Jackson, 1987, p. 476). A
paleogeographic reconstruction is a spatial distribution of
temporally and genetically related paleoenvironments.
Pedologic Nomenclature
Soil classification terminology and horizon designations
used are adapted from Soil Survey Staff (1975, 1981). A
fundamental criteria for recognition of a soil, regardless ofits
type or usage, is the recognition of soil horizons. A soil
horizon is a layer that is apprOximately parallel to the soil
surface. It has some set of properties that have been pro-
duced by soil-forming processes, and it has some properties
that are not like those of the layers just above and beneath
it (Soil Survey Staff, 1975, p. 14). Soils at the present land
surface are identified as surface soils or by soil series name
depending on the context. Soil series names are based on
local mapping in USDA Soil Surveys. The term paleosol
describes a buried soil horizon or horizons developed in the
geologic past without reference to a stratigraphic context.
The term geosol, a buried soil in a stratigraphic context,
coincides with guidelines of the North American Commis-
sion on Stratigraphic Nomenclature (1983). However, for-
mal names have yet to be applied to the geosols of the region.
They are here treated as informal soil stratigraphiC units.
Stratigraphic Nomenclature
Definition of stratigraphic units in Quaternary investiga-
tions of the LRRV, LMV, and GCP require the use of geomor-
phic,lithologic, pedologic, and/or associated boundarycri-
teria. An exposure is an area of a rock formation or geologic
structure that is visible, either na turally or artificially, and is
unobscured by soil, vegetation, water, or the works of man
(Bates and Jackson, 1983, p. 229). An outcrop is the part of
a geologic formation or structure that appears at the surface
of the Earth, also bed rock that is covered by surficial deposi ts
such as alluvium (Bates and Jackson, 1983, p. 471). A
formation is a body of rock identified by lithologic charac-
teristics and stratigraphic position, is mappable at the Earth's
surface or traceable in the subsurface, and is the fundamen-
tal unit in lithostratigraphic classification (Bates and Jack-
son, 1983, p. 255). An alloformation is a three-dimensional
body of lithofacies differentiated primarily by unconformities
(North American Commission on Stratigraphic Nomencla-
ture, 1983; Autin, 1992). A complexis a geomorphic surface
or set of temporally related surfaces with an associated
sedimentary sequence that may represent more than one
depositional environment (Autinetal., 1991). Modern strati-
graphiC thinking suggests that each complex is a group of
related alloformations. However, research in the region has
not progressed to the point of defining a comprehensive
allostratigraphic sequence, so the term allogroup is avoided
until sufficient formal definitions develop.
Quaternary Chronology
Perhaps the most interesting and complex aspect of Quater-
nary geoscience is the development and use of chronologies.
A chronology is the arranging events in their proper se-
quence in time; also, considering or measuring time in
discrete units (Bates and Jackson, 1983, p.118). Geochronol-
ogy is the study of time in relationship to the history of the
Earth (Bates and Jackson, 1983, p. 269). The era, system,
series, and stage are the fundamental divisions of geologic
time.
Coleman et al. (1987) recommend use of the following terms
for Quaternary age estimates. Numerical-age methods are
those that produce results on a ratio scale, that is, they
produce quantitative estimates of age and uncertainty whose
TABLE 2 - Quaternary stratigraphic chart for Louisiana.
SYSTEM
~
~
~

~
~
~
SERIES
HOLOCENE I
~
Z
~
u
0
E-<
Uj
P-I
~
p...
PLIOCENE
STAGE
LATE2
EARLY
2
lATE
WISCONSIN
MIDDLE
LATE
WISCONSIN
EARLY
WISCONSIN
SANGAMON
MIDDLE
EARLY
ALLOUNIT
1
Deltaic and
Chenier Plains
Intermediate Complex
Upland Complex
9
8
REMARKS
1) Defined and correlated by
morophologic expression;
each complex consists of
one or more alloformations;
subdivisions have yet to be
defined.
2) Early and late are relative
terms; can be
differentiated locally in
coastal and alluvial settings.
3) Meander belts have been
differentiated on the
Mississippi and Red rivers;
undifferentiated on smaller
streams. Natural levee
and backswamp facies have
been differentiated on
Geologic Map of Louisiana.
4) Identified as Braided Stream
Terraces on Geologic Map of
Louisiana Early Wisconsin
unit may include some
deposits of middle
Plestocene valley trains.
5) Lithologic criteria used in
identification.
6) Only recognized as flanking
selected valleys.
7) Consists of lowstand shelf
margin deltas dO\vndip and
highstand shelf phase deltas
updip.
8) Equivalent to Beaumont
formation of Texas.
9) Equivalent to Citronelle
formation of northern
Gulf Coast and High
Terraces on Geologic
Map of Louisiana
ratios can be compared. Correlated-age methods produce
ages by demonstrating equivalence to independently dated
deposits or events. Relative-age methods provide an age
sequence and most provide some measure of the magnitude
of age differences between members of a sequence. Cali-
brated-age methods are process rates that are calibrated by
independent age controls.
The Quaternary sequences of the LRRV, LMV, and GCP are
largely correlated by relative-age relations. Numerical-age
estimates are limited, but where available provide a basis for
correlated-age estimates. Time-dependent radiogenic, chemi-
cal, and biological methods are presently in their infancy in
the region.
The follOWing relative-age relations and time-stratigraphic
terminology are in present usage in LGS Quaternary correla-
tions and geologic mapping investigations (Table 2). These
definitions are likely to evolve with additional data and
continued investigation. The Quaternary is the second pe-
riod of the Cenozoic era, following the Tertiary; also the
corresponding system of rocks. It began two to three million
years ago and extends to the present. It consists of two
grossly unequal epochs; the Pleistocene, up to about 10,000
years ago, and the Holocene since that time (Bates and
Jackson, 1983, p. 544).
The Wisconsinan pertains to the classical fourth glacial stage
of the Pleistocene Epoch in North America, following the
Sangamonian interglacial stage and preceding the Holocene
(Bates andJackson, 1983, p. 741). Late Pleistocene is gener-
ally considered synonymous with Wisconsinan. Wisconsinan
can be arbitrarily subdivided into early, middle, and late
(Richmond and Fullerton, 1986) (Table 2). Sangamonian
pertains to the third classical interglacial stage of the Pleis-
tocene epoch, after the Illinoian glacial stage and before the
Wisconsinan (Bates and Jackson, 1983, p. 587). Illinoian
pertains to the classical third glacial stage of the Pleistocene
Epoch in North America, between the Yarmouthian and
Sangamonian interglacial stages (Ba tes andJ ackson, 1983, p.
328). Illinoian can be arbitrarily subdivided into early,
middle, and late (Richmond and Fullerton, 1986), but ishere
considered the middle Pleistocene (Table 2). Pre-Illinoian
refers to Pleistocene deposits and the associated time inter-
val older than Illinoian, and is here considered the early
Pleistocene (Table 2). The term pre-Illinoian was adopted for
the classical glaciated Kansan and Nebraskan tills when
definition of stratigraphic complexity resulted in the aban-
donment of the original glacial stage names (Hallberg,
1986).
Stratigraphic terminology, references to chronology, and
attempts at correlation need to remain consistent andobjec-
tive. Use of proxy correlation indices, surrogate chronolo-
gies introduced via assum ptive reasoning, and acceptance of
correlated-ages for stratigraphic units must be applied with
great caution. Such techniques produce only tentative corre-
lations that require subsequent testing by rigorous, indepen-
dent techniques. Failure to apply independent tests of this
style of correlation results in concept-driven models, to
adapt a term from 1'1. D. Blum (personal communication).
This approach genera tes new models from accepted models,
but the new models are only based on assumptions. Let us
9
not forget the need for basic data and relevant cross-check-
ing on the correlations we accept. Global perspectives of
earth processes are useless if the data and inferences from
local case studies are invalid. Examples of poor usage of
stratigra phic correlation abound in modern scientific Ii tera-
ture, however, one can provided their own examples.
GEOLOGIC MAP UNITS
The use of vari able criteria for geologic map unit definitions
and a priori definition of causal mechanisms has produced
an inconsistent picture of the nature and distribution of
Quaternary geomorphic surfaces. The problem results partly
from the lack of a predetermined framework for assessing
mapping units. Mossa and Autin (1989) recommended a
framework that combines geomorphic,lithologic, and ped-
ologic criteria, while conSidering each independently. Such
an approach has been successfully applied to differentiating
Quaternary deposits in Illinois (Willman and Frye, 1970).
Subsequent to the 1986 SCFOP field gUidebook, Mossa and
Autin (1989), Autin et al. (1988, 1991), and Autin (1992)
adopted an allostratigraphic approach to the definition of
constructional alluvial Quaternary stratigraphic units in the
LMV and GCP.
To produce regional map revisions, the terrace sequences of
many workers are correlated into a revised map legend
(Snead and McCulloh, 1984; Saucier and Snead, 1989). To
avoid the ambiguity surrounding the term terrace, each of
the regional-scale map units is designated a complex. The
term terrace is reserved for morphostratigraphic units as
they were originally defined in previous works. The term
formation is reserved for units defined by lithostratigraphic
criteria. The follOWing summary, partly adapted from Autin
et al. (1991), describes the principal Quaternary geologic
map units of Saucier and Snead (1989) relevant to the LRRV.
The Upland Complex
The Upland Complex is the most are ally extensive and
oldest Quaternary unit in the LRRV, LMV, and GCP. The
unit extends from the apex of the Mississippi Embayment,
south to Louisiana, then forms a coast-parallel belt along the
northern GCP from east Texas to West Florida. Discontinu-
ous remnants also occur in the LRRV. The deposits are
eqUivalent to the Willis formation of Texas, the Lafayette
Gravel (Potter, 1955), the Grover Gravel (Mississippi River
source), the Mounds Gravel (Ohio River source), and the
Citronelle Formation (Matson, 1916). The Geologic Map of
Louisiana (Snead and McCulloh, 1984) depicts the Upland
Complex as the High Terraces and described the unit as a tan
to orange clay, silt, and sand with a large amount of basal
gravel. Surfaces are highly dissected and less continuous
than the lower terraces, and are composed of terraces for-
merly designated as Williana, Citronelle, and the Bentley.
Most workers consider these terraces as one
morpho stratigraphic unit, although Fisk (1944) believed
that portions of two terraces occur in the LMV and GCP
regions (Mossa and Autin, 1989).
The deposits of the Upland Complex in central Louisiana
have not been studied in detail for several decades. A source
area to the north and west is suggested (Kesel, 1987; Fisk,
1949). The deposit consists of a few meters to over 100 m of
highly oxidized mixtures of chert gravel, fine- to coarse-
grained cross-bedded sand, and lesser quantities of silt and
clay. Exposed stratigraphic sequences and lithofacies pat-
terns reflect a high-energy fluvial deposit with multiple
channels. The sand and gravel commonly display medium-
to large-scale planar foreset and trough cross beds, some over
2 m thick. Gravel deposits occur in thick sequences, where
gravel may compose over 50 percentbyweight of individual
b e d s ~ Rip-up clasts of intraformational mud and older Ter-
tiary sediments are present in some exposures. Channeling
and cut-and-fill features are common in many exposures.
Multi-colored clayey sequences, possibly marginal flood
basin or channel fill deposits, are also exposed in the unit.
The depositional environments of these sediments have
been variously interpreted as glaciofluVial, marine, mean-
dering, or braided stream (Mossa and Autin, 1989). The
modern consensus is that an alluvial apron was deposited by
braided, coalescing streams. Because there is little paleonto-
logical data from the sequence, the age of the deposits
beneath the Upland Complex is uncertain. Either a Pliocene
or Pleistocene age is generally cited for the time of deposi-
tion(Fisk, 1945; Stringfield and LaMoreaux, 1957; Isphording
and Lamb, 1971; SelC 1986). However, other investigations
suggest an age as old as Miocene (Alt, 1974; May, 1981).
The Intermediate Complex
The Quaternary history of the Intermediate Complex is
almost completely unknown. The Intermediate Complex
comprises the Montgomery Terrace of Fisk (1938a) in the
LRRV, the Irene Terrace in a small area north of Baton Rouge
(Durham etal., 1967), the possibly equivalent Lissie Forma-
tion in east Texas, and the Humboldt and possibly the
Henderson terraces of western Tennessee (Saucier, 1987).
Saucier (1964) mapped a small area in east central Arkansas
and along the Ouachita River (Saucier and Fleetwood, 1970).
The Intermediate Complex stems from the original Interme-
diateTerraces on the Geologic Map of Louisiana (Snead and
McCulloh, 1984) and are described as consisting of light gray
to orange-brown clay, sandy clay and silt, with much sand
and gravel locally. Surfaces show more dissection and are
topographically higher than the Prairie. Composed of ter-
races formerly designated as Montgomery, Irene, and most
ofthe Bentley. The Intermediate Terraces in south Louisiana
are depicted as mostly coast-parallel on the Geologic Map of
Louisiana. However, river-trending Intermediate Terraces
were recognized in the LRRV.
Prior workers believed that the Intermediate Complex can
be differentiated from the Upland Complex and the Prairie
Complex on the basis of lithology, pedologic features, slope,
and degree of dissection (Autinetal., 1991). in the LRRVand
LMV (Fisk, 1940; Varvaro, 1957), the deposits consists of
about 100 to 300 m of red, brown, and buff interbedded
sand, silt, and clay associated with constructional geomor-
phic surfaces. In the coast-parallel trends of southeastern
Louisiana, parts of the unit consist of an erosion surface
developed on the downdip portion ofthe Citronelle Forma-
tion (Autin and McCulloh, 1991,1992). The constructional
alluvial deposits of the Intermediate Complex have been
correlated to the oldest unit of the Prairie Complex, and
consist of a fining-upward sequence capped by laminated
clay overlain by a geosol with a veneer of loess (Autin and
McCulloh, 1991, 1992).
The lithologic character of the Intermediate Complex is
neither well known nor consistently ascribed to a specific
formation. The potential for confusion with adjacent units
is great because of limited field mapping and limited docu-
mentation of its characteristics. Detailed field stratigraphic
studies are necessary to re-evaluate the Intermediate Com-
plex and systematically define and delineate the appropriate
geologic map units associated with this landscape.
Approximations ofthe age of the Intermediate Complex are
based primarily on the inferred sea level history of the Gulf
of Nfexico. Because the significance ofthe Farmdalian Inter-
stadial has been controversial, the surface and its underlying
sediments have been considered either Sangamonian (Fisk,
1938a,b, 1939, 1940,1944; Fisk and McFarlan, 1955; Alford
and Holmes, 1985), Yarmouthian (Saucier, 1974), or pre-
Sangamonian (Otvos, 1982).
The Prairie Complex
The Prairie Complex is a widespread sequence of
morphostratigraphic and lithostratigraphic units loosely
tied together by a single deSignation. In the LRRV, the Prairie
Com plex consists of a series of constructional all uvial depos-
its and associated geomorphic surfaces. In the LRRV, the
Prairie Terrace was first recognized and originally defined at
Aloha (Fisk, 1938a) as the youngest offourmajor Pleistocene
interglacial fluvial stratigraphic units. Fisk (1938a) consid-
ered the lithology of the Prairie Terraces as variable. He
originally referred to sediments underlying this surface as
the "Prairie Member." In 1944, Fisk elevated the Prairie to
formation rank without producing a formal lithostratigraphic
definition. Several subsequent workers have adopted his
terminology (see Mossa and Autin, 1989). The sequence is
generally considered to be fining-upward, with its lower
limit placed at a basal gravel that grades up into sand, silt,
and clay.
The uni t was extended from Central Louisiana to include the
broad coast-parallel Prairie surface in southwestern Louisi-
ana, a comparable belt in the Florida Parishes, and isolated
fluvial terraces in northeastern Louisiana (Fisk, 1939). Fisk
(1940) subdivided the coast-parallel Prairie of southwestern
Louisiana into a Mississippi River fluvial/deltaic unit and a
similar unit of the Red River. He also correlated the Prairie
Terrace of Louisiana with the Beaumont Formation of Texas
and the Pamlico and Pensacola Terraces of Florida.
Doering (1956) recognized two Prairie Terrace levels in
Louisiana and questioned the correlation of the fluvial
terrace in the Red River Valley with the coast-parallel terrace.
Doering (1958) called the coast-parallel Prairie Terrace the
Eunice Terrace and correlated it with the Beaumont Forma-
tion of Texas while proposing the term Holloway Prairie for
a lower Red River Valley terrace. Subsequently, the presence
of two levels of the Prairie Terrace in the Red River Vall ey has
been substantiated (Smith and Russ, 1974).
10
Snead and McCulloh (1984) described the Prairie Terraces as
light gray to light brown clay, sandy clay, silt, sand, and
some gravel. Surfaces generally show Ii ttle dissection and are
topographically higher than the Deweyville. Three levels
have been recognized: two along alluvial valleys, the lower
coalescing with its broad coastwise expression; the third,
still lower, found intermittently gulfward.
Estimatesofthe age of the Prairie Complex are usuallybased
on the inferred sea level history of the Gulf of Mexico,
specifically with regard to eustatic pOSition and duration of
the FarmdaIian Interstadial. Age designations given to the
Prairie Complex ranges from Sangamonian to Farmdalian
(Autinetal., 1991). Preservation of geomorphic features, soil
development, loess, depositional and erosional features,
and radiocarbon dates are criteria used in age deSignation.
The Prairie Complex consists of a set of correlative sequences
of allostratigraphic units. In the LRRV, the Prairie Complex
as presently defined may consist of the Aloha Prairie of Fisk
(1938a), the Upper Prairie of Russ (1975), and the Montgom-
ery Terrace of Fisk (1938a).
The Deweyville Complex
The Deweyville Complex has been mapped in the LRRV only
at Pine Island in Caddo Parish, Louisiana. According to
Snead and McCulloh (1984) the lithologic and morphologic
description is gray mixed with brown-to-red clay and silty
clay; some sand and gravel locally. Topographically higher
than alluvium and lower than Prairie Terraces found along
streams of intermediate size. Stratigraphic and geomorphic
data (Snead and McCulloh, 1984; Miller et al., 1985) suggests
thatmuchoftheDeweyvilleComplexoftheLMVandLRRV
may be topographically lower than its adjacent alluvial
counterparts.
Distinctly oversized meander-belt features, including point-
bar ridges and swales and abandoned channels, are charac-
teristic of this complex. lvforphometric analyses of features
on the Ouachita River indicate paleochannel widths three
times those of Holocene analogs and meander radii and
wave lengths two times greater (Saucier and Fleetwood,
1970). Changes in the seasonality and intensity of precipi-
tation events, accompanied by vegetation changes, were
possibly factors that influenced Deweyville meander mor-
phology. Noexplanationhasyetto be offered as to why only
one meander bight has been documented in the entire
LRRV. The age of Deweyville meander scars possibly range
from 18 ka to terminal Pleistocene (Autin et al., 1991).
Loess Deposits
Remnants of as many as four loess sheets have been identi-
fied on Pleistocene and older units west of the LMV. Al-
though loess deposits associated with the LRRV have not
been identified, thin silty veneers on Pleistocene surfaces of
the LRRV may have an origin partly related to LMV loess
deposits.
Holocene Alluvium
The Geologic Map of Louisiana (Snead and McCulloh, 1984)
subdivides the LRRV Holocene alluvium into natural levee
11
and undifferentiated alluvium. Alluvium is described as gray
to brownish gray clay and silty clay, some sand and gravel
locally. Includes all alluvial valley deposits except natural
levees of major streams. Natural Levees consist of gray and
brown silt, silty clay, and some very fine sand, shown only
on past and present courses of rna jor streams. Deposits of the
LRRV typically have reddish or reddish brown colors im-
parted from the ri ver' s western red bed source area. All uvium
of the LRRV was subdivided into a complex meander belt
sequence by Russ (1975). This sequence was simplified by
Saucier and Snead (1989) in a re-correlation analogous to
that adopted by Saucier (1974,1981) and Saucier and Snead
(1989) for the LMV.
Methods And Approach
Four field locations discussed in this guidebook evaluate
landscape morphology,lithofacies, pedogenesis, and stratig-
raphy in the LRRV (Stops I, 2, and 3) and UvfV (Stop 9).
Topographic patterns from 7.5-minute quadrangles, soil
survey data, aerial photographs, and field reconnaissance
were used to obtain general geomorphic information. Topo-
graphic patterns are associated with sedimentary deposits
and soils to define and delineate geologic map units at
1:24,000 scale.
Borings of up to 15 m length and 5 cm diameter were
collected with a Giddings hydraulic probe and provide most
of the subsurface field data. Cross sections were constructed
to illustrate geometric relationships between lithofacies,
soils,landscapes, and geologic map units. Most transects are
oriented to answer speCific questions about selected land-
forms. Exposed sedimentary sequences along modern stream
cut banks, road and rail road cuts, and the walls of sand and
gravel pits were used to observe and describe litholOgiC and
pedologic properties and the nature of stratigraphic con-
tacts. Field descriptions are based on pedologic and sedi-
mentologic procedures modified from methods established
by the Soil Survey Staff (1975, 1981). Vertical profiles are
divided into soil horizons and sedimentary units based on
field determinations of color, texture, consistence, soil struc-
ture, sedimentary structures, patterns of oxide stains and
concretions, and the nature of unit boundaries (Table 3).
Sediment samples were collected from typical vertical pro-
files for particle size analysis. Sand and gravel fractions were
sieved and silt and clay fractions were determined by pipette
analysis (Soil Conservation Service, 1972). Particle size data
were used to verify field estimates of texture, confirm bound-
aries between lithofacies identified by field criteria, test
vertical profiles for the presence of textural discontinuities,
and establish soil morphologic properties and horizon des-
ignations. These data are the basis for interpretation of
physical stratigraphy, chronology, and landscape evolu-
tion.
The compilation of revised geologic maps utilizes previously
published geological reports and maps, available geotechnical
data of the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers and La. Depart-
ment of Transportation and Development, water well records
of Federal and State agencies, and published and file data of
the U. S. Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation
Service. Geologic interpretations are checked with color-
TABLE 3 - Abbreviations used in stratigraphic tables
HORIZON designations and descriptive terms are adapted from Soil Survey Staff (1975)
COLOR notations from Munsell Soil Colors
TEXTURE G - gravel; S - sand; Si - silt; C - clay; L - loam; fn - fine; med - medium; cse -
coarse; v - very
STRUCTURE ab - angular blocky; gr - granular; pty - platy; sab - subangular blocky; tn - thin; vfn -
very fine; fn - fine; med - medium; cse - coarse; mod - moderate; wk - weak
CONSISTENCE 10 - loose; vfr - very friable; fr - friable; fm - firm; slhd - slightly hard; hd - hard; vhd -
very hard; slpl - slightly plastic
HORIZON BOUNDARIES ab - abrupt; cI- clear; gr - gradual; df - diffuse
COMMENTS abun - abundant; - bur; worm b-urrows; C flm - clay films; char - charcoal; cont C flm -
continuous clay films; conc - concretions; disc C flm - discontinuous clay films; frag -
fragments; lam -laminations; lame -lamellae; nod - nodules; plin - plinthite; po-
pores; pock - pockets; rot - rotted; rt - roots; sat - water saturated; scat - scattered; slick
- slickensides; st - stains; tb - tubes; tng - tongues; tr - traces wd - wood
PARTICLE SIZE data calculated on weight percent of < 2mm fraction
SAND - percent sand (2mm to 0.05 mm);
SILT - percent silt (0.05 to 0.002 mm);
CLAY - percent clay 0.002 mm)
infrared imagery, color photography, 9 x 9 inch black and
white stereo photography, and soil survey data. Field map-
ping is conducted by inspecting exposures and collecting
cores to check the consistency of geologic interpretations
and attempt to resolve specific mapping problems not
readily evident from the interpretations of eXisting informa-
tion. Existing and newly collected data are correlated into a
stratigraphic scheme consistent with the existing Strati-
graphiC Column for Louisiana (LGS, 1992) (fable 2).
Compilation of revised maps are on a base of modern
1:24,000 USGS topographic quadrangles. Geologic contacts
are drawn directly on an overlay at the base map scale. The
initial step is to separate areas of Tertiary Upland, Pleisto-
cene erosional landscapes, Pleistocene constructional land-
scapes, and Holocene alluvium. Internal subdivisions of
these major units provide additional detail as to the charac-
ter of the landscape and the nature of the underlying
sediments. Once the geologic units are compiled on the
overlays, the data can be recompiled onto a regional maps at
1:500,000, 1:250,000, or 1:100,000 base scale.
Landscape Evolution Concepts
Landscape evolution models applied to the LRRV, LMV, and
GCP can be evaluated and compared by summarizing their
historical development and usage. Pertinent areas of discus-
sion are the development of 1) previous terrace concepts,
and 2) present landform evolution concepts.
Previous Terrace Concepts
Investigations into the nature and distribution of the Qua-
ternary deposits of the northern GCP have produced highly
diverse interpretations of the number of terraces and the
depositional environments of the underlying sediments.
Although some of these differences have been resolved,
disagreements still persist over the number, nature, and
distribution of the various units.
Early naturalists who wrote about the LMV (Carpenter,
1838; Lyell, 1849) were awed by the massive bluffs exposed
along the valley walls of the Mississippi River. They recog-
nized loess and the Pleistocene age of exposed sedimentary
sequences. The drowned nature of many of the modern
valleys were noticed and fluctuation in base level was
recognized as responsible for many of the sedimentary
deposits and their relative topographic positions.
Hilgard(1860) produced a landmark overview of the surficial
geology and soils of the State of Mississippi. In this classic
work, he discussed the distribution of the Orange Sand, Bluff
Formation, and Yellow Loam. These were the principal
Quaternary units of his time. Subsequent investigations in
Louisiana (Hilgard, 1869) included the Port Hudson Clays
into his Quaternary sequence.
McGee (1891) described a preglaCial highland (Lafayette
Formation) composed of coarse-grained sediments and a
glacial age lowland (Columbia Formation) consisting of
finer grained sediments. Both units were correlated through-
out the Gulf and Atlantic coastal plains. This correlation was
supported in Louisiana by Clendenin (1896) and Harris and
Veatch (1899).
Matson (1916) was the first to map the high-elevation sands
and gravels as the Citronelle Formation. He considered the
formation Pliocene in age based on faunal evidence from the
type locality in southern Alabama. Matson (1916) claimed
that in Louisiana, the Citronelle Formation unconformably
overliesMioceneandolderformations,andisunconformably
overlain by Pleistocene terraces. He considered the Citronelle
fluvial in origin and the topography of its outcrop area a set
of terraced plains formed in response to a gentle uplift of the
land.
Chawner (1936) conducted surficial geologiC mapping of
Catahoula and Concordia Parishes in Louisiana. This geo-
12
w
ALLUViAL VALLEYS
r l i t \ \ { \ ~ ~ t i ~ ~ l
PRAIRIE TERRACE
F9
HILLS SECTION
HIGHER TERRACES
~
MONTGOMERY'
mIIllIfIIIIl]
BENTLEY
~
WILLIAN...
JNrERTERRACE SLOPE:
-
PHYSIOGRAPHY
OF
GRANT AND LA SALLE
PARISHES
SCALE
14ILESL -s= ...... ----= =MILES
o Z .. 6 6 10
Figure 4 - Physiography of Grant and LaSalle Parishes (from Fisk, 1938a, p. 70)
100
D,t'-I--=::..::.::.:..::..-
! illl!!.D
i
. "

I ....

CUTi

-lOb
.... vtL
1tlI,_ 1oI0000Tt.
-....
aTAU. \V PotJOtl
ADrE N(JRqqm'At.. a<:AL 19
--
Figure 5 - Generalized and diagrammetic relationships of Pleistocene materials across Red River, in vicinity of
Grant Parish (from Fisk, 1938a, p.lO).
GEOSYNCLINE
Mingo Po'n' ........
I MARGIN I EPEIROGENIC MARGIN I
TRANSITION ZONE
EPEIROGENIC
REGION
ZONE OF
ISOS1'ATIC UPL.IFT

V
Figure 6 -Ideal profile section through delta showing regional effect of overloading at continental margin (from
Fisk, 1940, p. 61).
14
logic mapping effort was completed at the same time Fisk
began his initial field investigations in Grant and LaSalle
Parishes, adjacent to Chawner's area. Chawner (1936)
mapped the Citronelle Formation based on the
lithostra tigraphic cri teria of Ma tson (1916), recognized loess
deposits on the Sicily Island Hills, and considered the
southern terminus of Macon Ridge at the town of Sicily
Island to be a PleIstocene terrace of the lvfississippi River.
Although Fisk (1938a) discusses the ideas of Chawner (1936),
his stratigraphic scheme was promptly abandoned by Fisk
(1938a) and never again given serious additional consider-
ation.
Fisk (1938a, 1944) correlated the four surfaces he identified
in central Louisiana as the Williana, Bentley, Montgomery,
and Prairie (Fig. 4). He delineated these as terraces using
geomorphic criteria, such as elevation, slope, drainage pat-
tern, and degree of dissection. Each terrace formed in re-
sponse to cyclic glacio-eustatic shifts in sea level contempo-
raneous with uplift of the land, producing a sequence of
cyclic entrenchments followed by alluviation (Fisk, 1938b,
1944). By the time of his classic monograph, Fisk (1944)
extended his Quaternary terrace model from the LRRV to all
of the LMV and much of the GCP.
Fisk believed that stream valleys of the coastal plain were
entrenched during Pleistocene glaCial stages and that the fill
beneath each terrace was deposited during Pleistocene inter-
glacial stages (Fig. 5). He described the terrace sediments as
fluvial deposits that presently trend along modern valleys,
and deltaic and coastal deposits that apprOXimately parallel
the coast. He believed these sediments were largely derived
from the glacial deposits of the northern Uni ted States (Fisk,
1944). According to his concept, terrace differentiation was
possible because structural activity had influenced the slopes
and elevation of the surfaces. He asserted that the terraces
had been downwarped in the deltaic portion and uplifted
inland from a hinge line (Fig. 6).
Doering (1956) concluded that four surficial coast-parallel
Pleistocene formations were present: the Citronelle
(Willi an a) , Lissie (Montgomery), Oberlin (Prairie), and
Eunice. A fifth formation, the Duck Lake (Bentley), occurred
stratigraphically between the Citronelle and Lissie but had
no surface exposure. Using topographic criteria, Doering
(1956, 1958) reevaluated Fisk's correlations and concluded
that the Williana Terrace, which occurred at much lower
elevations on the west side of the Mississippi Valley, was
actually the Citronelle Formation and preglacial in age. He
also indicated that Fisk's (1940) fluvial and coast-parallel
terraces might not be correlative, and he considered the
fluvial MontgomeryTerrace eqUivalent to the coast-parallel
Prairie Terrace.
Leighton and Willman (1950) produced a significant chal-
lenge to the Fisk (1944) model. Their correlation of the
Midwestern loess stratigraphic model into the LMV was
incompatible with the Fisk (1944) terrace model. Leighton
and Willman never resolved their differences with Fisk, but
they successfully influenced subsequent workers to assess
the number and distribution of loess stratigraphic units on
adj acent geomorphic surfaces to estimate the age of the sub-
loess alluvium.
Studies of smaller rivers such as the Sabine of Louisiana-
Texas (Bernard, 1950), and the Brazos of central Texas
(Stricklin, 1961) focused on application of the methods and
concepts of Fisk (1944) to drainage basins independent of
the Mississippi River. Bernard (1950) concluded that the
Sabine River terrace sequence was glacio-eustatically con-
trolled, and added the Deweyville Terrace to Fisk's correla-
tion scheme. Stricklin (1961) found a suite of terraces on the
Brazos River of Texas above the Balcones Escarpment, but
linked terrace development to climatic and sediment supply
controls in the upper drainage basin. Stricklin was the first
LSU graduate to conclude that processes other than those
emphasized by Fisk were significant, thus suggesting a
geographic boundary to Fisk's concept.
Present Landform Evolution Concepts
Fisk's agnostics.
Durham et al. (1967) proposed a concept for the Florida
Parishes in southeastern Louisiana that marked a major
digression from Fisk's model. In the western Florida Parishes
they identified the Citronelle Formation, the Irene Terrace,
and the Port Hickey Terrace. The Citronelle was considered
a blanket fluvial deposit with an Appalachian source. The
Port Hickey was identified as partly fluvial and partly deltaic.
They believed the Irene Terrace was older than the Port
Hickey but noted that its boundaries were difficult to deter-
mine. Isolated remnants of the Irene protrude as inliers
through the Port Hickey surface, and faulting has obscured
the original morphology of these surfaces. They believed
that Doering (1956) had mistaken the escarpment of the
Baton Rouge fault as the terrace contact between the Oberlin
and the Eunice surface formations.
Durham et al. (1967) made two Significant pOints about
Quaternary stratigraphy in the GCP. An en echelon set of
growth faults was recognized in the region as having both
surface and subsurface expression. According to Durham et
al. (1967), Fisk (1938b) followed one of these faults when he
mapped part of his Montgomery terrace. They also pointed
out that any attempt at extending a local sequence to a
regional correlation of Quaternary sediments and landforms
is tentative a best. The investigations of Durham and his
colleagues reflect a major turning point in thinking on
Quaternary geology and geomorphology in the LMV and
GCP.Although their field trip (Durhametal., 1967), did not
produce a detailed alternate model, this work was a major
dissention to Fisk's model.
Multiple causal mechanisms.
Saucier (1974,1981; also see Saucier's section in Autin et al.,
1991) produced critical overviews and updates of the Qua-
ternary geology of the LMV subsequent to the work of Fisk.
The body of Saucier's research to date emphasizes that base
level change is responsible for most of the Quaternary
landforms and deposits in the LMV. Four processes of base
level changes are considered important: 1) variations in the
rates and patterns of sediment yield, 2) glacio-eustatic changes
in sea level, 3) tectonics, especially subsidence, and 4)
climatic changes as they influenced stream discharges and
patterns. The relative influence of given processes varies in
space and time. This line of reasoning produced a major
15
expansion on the concept of glacio-eustatic control adopted
by Fisk (1944). The interrelation of multiple causative mecha-
nisms affecting Holocene fluvial system evolution are dis-
cussed by (Autin, 1989, 1993).
Modern loess stratigraphy.
Alford and Miller (1985) recognized that glacial advance and
retreat alone was inadequate to explain UvfV loess stratigra-
phy. They proposed a multiple-component model for LMV
loess deposi tion and distribution which incorporated glaCial
cyclicity with fluctuations in sea level, aggradation and
entrenchment of alluvial deposits, the development of coast-
parallel terraces, and the pedogenesis of subaerial surfaces.
Miller et al. (1985) utilized this model to correlate loesses
within the LMV (Fig. 7). Stratigraphic names were proposed
for individual LMV loesses (see Miller in Autin et al. 1991).
Miller correlated the uppermost LMV loess, deposited 22 to
9 ka, to Peoria Loess of the midwestern United States. His
model deviates from previous stratigraphic concepts with
the recognition of an early Wisconsinan loess with TL ages
of 75 to 95 ka at Vicksburg (Pye and Johnson, 1988). Miller
etal. (1985) named this the Sicily Island Loess after a section
described in the Sicily Island Hills. The LMV pre-Sangamonian
N
loess, Crowley's Ridge Loess, is the fourth loess on Crowley'S
Ridge, found stratigraphically below Peoria, Roxana, and
Sicily Island Loess (see Miller in Autin et al. 1991). A fifth
loess-like silt on Crowley's Ridge was named the Mariana
Loess, but has yet to be documented as a loess.
Miller's model shows a progressive southward pinching out
of individual loess sheets. Marianna Loess is found only on
Crowley's Ridge. The Roxana Loess thins from Crowley's
Ridge to northern MiSSissippi, where it becomes too thin to
exceed the thickness of the basal mixing zone between
Peoria and Sicily Island Loess at Vicksburg. This is followed
by the disappearance of Crowley's Ridge Loess by the vicin-
ity of Natchez, and finally Sicily Island Loess loses its surficial
expression in southern Louisiana, leaving only Peoria Loess
on the Prairie Complex south of Baton Rouge.
Although many tenets ofthe Miller loess model for the LMV
are still disputed, the distribution data and relative strati-
graphic sequence provides a powerful tool for correlation
and relative age estimation of Quaternary deposits in the
LMV. Thin loess veneers, loess-derived and loess-influenced
colluvial deposi ts distal to the axis of the LMV are correlated
to the thick loess areas (see Autin et al., contributed artcle,
s
Sicily Island Turkey Creek Irene
Louisiana Louisiana Louisiana .L.I'V' ..... ..I.0.J.U...l.LQ
1I,,<>-5i11 III LG--lil IIlrrJ" I A II II K III lG-Sili Iii" -1111 <:::: III" III 0
10
Peoria Loess
5
, I. I , '- 20
Sicily Island Loess
30
10

Q.I
(J
S 40
15
50
Hmm3 Mississippi River
Meander Belt 3
mm
LG Loessial Geosols
Preloess Geosols
60
20-1
IDEPTII OF SOIL
UG Upland Complex
DEVELOPMENT
IG Intermediate Complex
PG Prairie Complex
70
DG Deweyville Complex
Figure 7 - Lower Mississippi Valley loess correlations (adapted from Autin et 01./ 1991)
16
.....
Q.I
Q.I
'+-4
this guidebook). Many modern Soil Surveys clearly show
surface soils with silty loess-derived parent materials that
help to correlate landscape components into geologic maps.
Allostratig raphy.
Alloformations, unconformity bounded stratigraphic units
(North American Commission on Stratigraphic Nomencla-
ture, 1983), were introduced into the LMV and GCP in
recent years (Autinetal., 1988;Autin, 1992). An alloformation
is a three-dimensional body of lithofacies differentiated
primarily by unconformities (Autin, 1992). Allostratigraphic
units provide a convenient method to depict genetically-
associated, three-dimensional sediment bodies ofheteroge-
neouslithology as mappable surficial geologic units. The Mt.
Pleasant BluffAlloformation (Autinetal., 1988) was defined
as Wisconsinan Mississippi River meander belt deposits of
the Prairie Complex. Subseq uent investiga tions suggest that
the Mt. Pleasant Bluff deposits can be correlated to compa-
rable deposits beneath the Avoyelles Prairie (Stop 9, this
guidebook) and along the western valley wall of the Missis-
sippi River in southwest Louisiana. A sequence of Holocene
alloformations were defined in the middle Amite River of
southeastern Louisiana (Autin, 1989, 1992). This sequence
was correlated into Amite River tributaries of East Baton
Rouge Parish (Autin and McCulloh, 1991) and the Tunica
Hills of southeastern Louisiana (Autin and McCulloh, 1992).
Examples of how an allostratigraphic approach can inte-
grate stratigraphic and archaeologic data are provided by P.
V. Heinrich in a contributed note to this guidebook. Map-
ping in the LRRV suggests that constructional alluvial depos-
its beneath the Montgomery Terrace and Aloha Prairie
Terrace of Fisk (1938a) can be considered alloformations
(Stops 2 and 3, this guidebook).
The allostratigraphic approach adopted in the LMV, GCP,
and LRRV has both similar and dissimilar aspects to current
investigations of alluvial deposits in other areas of North
America. Bettis (1990) revised the Holocene alluvial stratig-
ra phy of the DeForest Formation ofIowa (Daniels et al. 1963)
and established the Gunder, Roberts Creek, and Camp Creek
11embers. The lithostratigaphic members of the DeForest
Formation are recognized byvaria tions in lithofacies charac-
teristics of over bank deposits, relative pedogenic expres-
sion, and cross cutting geomorphic surfaces and associated
unconformities. Hajic (1989) assessed the Late Quaternary
evolution of the Illinois River valley by incorporating
lithofacies, pedogenic, and geomorphic criteria to define
informal landform-sediment associations. Bettis (1992) used
landform-sediment assemblages to explain the expected
distribution of cultural materials in the Des Moines river
valley of central Iowa. These informal stra tigra phic units are
analogous to morpho stratigraphic units as defined by
Willman and Frye (1970). Blum (1992) defined
allostratigraphic units in the Late Wisconsinan and Holo-
cene deposits of the Colorado Ri ver of Texas. Criteria incl ude
the nature and character of boundary unconformities, rela-
tive expression of geomorphic surfaces, and relative pedo-
genic development. The allostratigraphic units were related
to sequence stratigraphic concepts.
Each of these examples of alluvial stratigraphic units are
conceptually related to the Mt. Pleasant Bluff Alloformation
and the Amite River alloformation sequence. All approaches
differ slightly in that they are individual attempts to define
stratigraphic successions applicable to investigations of a
distinct area. All units defined by these studies fall into the
lithogenic stratigraphic unit category (Harland, 1992). For-
mal stratigraphic nomenclature applied to sedimentarysuc-
cessions are intended to foster definitions for the purpose of
communication,nottorestrictstratigraphicunitsintoc1asses
nor constrain appropriate styles and methods of producing
objective, replicable correlation schemes.
Stratigraphy and landscape Evolution of
the lower Red River Valley
Initial steps towards revisions of the Geologic Map of loui-
siana (Snead and McCulloh, 1984) are resulting in modifica-
tions of the definitions and delineation of Quaternary map
units and refinement of the Quaternary stratigraphic col-
umn. Polygons are being drawn on 1:24,OOO-scale topo-
graphic maps, some with 5-foot contour intervals in areas of
low relief. New geologic units are beingdefinedorredefined,
and acceptable pre-existing units are being defined with
greater stratigraphic formality. It is anticipated that a de-
fendable time-space correlation of geomorphic surfaces,
lithostratigraphic, allostratigraphic, and soil stratigraphic
units will evolve. The following summary describes the
present status of regionally significant Quaternary geologic
units and the prevailing concepts concerning their distribu-
tion, origin, and age.
The Upland Complex
17
Evolution of the Upland Complex was initiated by deposi-
tion of the Citronelle Formation and its equivalents on a set
of Tertiary erosion surfaces. In the GCP, the Citronelle
Formation and its equivalents post date the Fleming Group,
and a regional unconformity separates the units. The nature
of this unconformity is abrupt and easy to recognize in most
places, but com plex facies relationshi ps make delineation of
this boundary difficult in some areas. It is possible that
Citronelle depOSition was locally on uneroded construc-
tional surfaces. The Citronelle Formation and its equivalents
were deposited primarily by a set of braided rivers that
coalesced to form alluvial aprons during the Pliocene and
early Pleistocene. The possible causes for the deposition of
this unit are poorly understood. Climatic, eustatic, and
tectonic mechanisms have been previously inferred.
A regionally pervasive geosol has been identified within the
weathering profile at the upper boundary of the Upland
Complex. This geosol has been informally named the Jack-
son geosol in the Florida Parishes (see Autin et al., contrib-
uted note to this guidebook) and the Upland geosol (Autin
et al., 1991). This geosol has been recognized from east Texas
to west Florida and throughout the LMV. It typically classi-
fies as a Paleudult developed from intense long-duration
weathering of sandy to loamy parent materials. Its morphol-
ogy indicates surface exposure and pedogenic development
in an upland forest setting over timescales probably much
greater than 1()4 to 10
5
years. Soil morphology is grossly
similar to soils developed in sandyTertiaryandsomeyounger
Pleistocene parent materials.
On most stable landsca pes, the Upland Complex is buried by
veneers of loess, silty colluvium, and/or cover sands. The
patterns of veneer deposits are locally landscape dependent
(Washer and Collins, 1988), but they can serve as local
recognition criteria where identified. Erosional stripping of
the Jackson geosol and burial by a mappable thickness of
coIl uvi urn has been considered as recogni tion criteria for the
Intermediate Complex in southeastern Louisiana (see Autin
et al., contributed note to this guidebook).
In summary, the Upland Complex can be defined as the
Citronelle Formation and its equivalents, with an upper
bounding geosol that is commonly buried by a veneer of
either loess, colluvium, and/or cover sand. The Citronelle
Formation and its equivalents unconformably overly the
Miocene Fleming Group and older formations of the CGP,
LMV, and LRRV. Based on this definition, the Upland
Complex occurs from at least east Texas to west Florida, and
throughout the LMV.Its evolution probably represents
much of early Pleistocene time.
The Intermediate Complex
The Intermediate Complex (Intermediate Terraces) was origi-
nally defined by Snead and McCulloh (1984) to include
surfaces lower and less mature than the Upland Complex
(High Terraces) but higher than the Prairie Complex. It
generally consists of Fisk's fluvial Montgomery Terrace in
valleys and lower Bentley and Montgomery Terraces in
coast-parallel areas. Analysis of the distribu tion of the Inter-
mediate Complex as mapped by Saucier and Snead (1989)
suggests 1) no clear definition is available to identify the
unit's morphologic, lithologic, or pedologic properties; 2)
the regional distribution consists of both erosional and
constructional surfaces; 3) criteria for correlations beyond
local areas into regionally consistent definitions are unclear;
and 4) the probable age of landform development is post-
Citronelle Formation (early Pleistocene) and pre-Sicily Is-
land Loess (early Wisconsinan).
The morphologic properties of the Intermediate Complex
were previously discussed byMatson (1916) and Fisk (1938a,
1939, 1940, 1944). The unit has been partly defined and
recorrelated in parts of the Florida Parishes (Autin and
McCulloh, 1991, 1992), and has been correlated to the
Prairie Complex in northeast Louisiana (Saucier and Snead,
1989). The Intermediate Complex is still presently mapped
in the Red, Calcasieu, and Sabine River drainage basins as a
modification of Fisk's terrace sequence. The sedimentary
sequence is described as a fining-upward sequence in the
classic literature (Fisk, 1938a, 1939, 1940, 1944), however,
prediction of a sediment sequence from local landscape
features is difficult. Soil Surveys recognize areas with surface
soils common to the Upland Complex and other areas with
surface soils common to the Prairie Complex.
Erosion surfaces have been recognized and mapped in the
Florida Parishes of southeastern Louisiana and recognized in
southwest Louisiana and central Louisiana. The erosion
surfaces are probably best expressed along coast-parallel
belts. Constructional aggradation surfaces are recognized in
the LRRV (Stop 2, this gUidebook).
In summary, the Intermedia te Complex is an enigmatic, but
regionally distributed Quaternary unit. Detailed local strati-
graphic investigations are needed to systematically redefine
its distribution and properties.
The Prairie Complex
The Prairie Complex consists of a multiple set of regionally
distinctive geomorphic surfaces. The morphology of Prairie
Complex geomorphic surfaces are typically constructional
and the unit's topographic patterns commonly reflect un-
derlying lithofacies patterns. Burial by loess and other ve-
neer deposits does little to diminish prominent ridge and
swale topography (See Stop 9, this gUidebook). Dissection
along the edges of escarpments can sometimes subdue or
modify topographic patterns, but dissection can also en-
hance the recognition of original constructional topogra-
phy.
Soils of the Prairie Complex are lithofacies and source area
dependent. Soils formed from point bar and meander belt
deposits are commonly sandy to loamy on ridges and may
be clayey in swales. Levee soils are silty, whereas, flood basin
soils are clayey. The degree of morphologic expression is
probably a function of parent material texture, water table
history during alluvial aggradation, and weathering subse-
quent to terrace development. Parent materials derived from
the Mississi ppi River are alkaline, and smecti te clay minerals
are common. The Red River produces alkaline red bed parent
rna terial wi th a mixed clay mineralogy. Coastal plain streams
commonly produce acidic parent materials with mixed or
siliceous clay mineralogy.
Genetically-associated lithofacies within the Prairie Com-
plex can be mapped as allostratigraphic units where suffi-
cient data is available. Constructional alluvial units of late
middle Pleistocene to late vVisconsinan age have been de-
scribed (Autin et al., 1991). Lithologic heterogeneity result-
ing from the deposition of alluvial, deltaic, and coastal
deposits makes lithostratigraphic definitions impractical.
Additional investigations are necessary to define the spatial
and temporal distribution of alloformations prior to defin-
ing the Prairie Complex as a stratigraphiC group.
Wisconsinan and pre-Wisconsinan units probably correla-
tive with the Prairie Complex have been identified in the
marine record of the Gulf of Mexico (Suter et al., 1987;
Heinrich, personal comm unication). Marine and subsurface
continental units in Louisiana have updip equivalents that
have not been accurately defined. General correlations have
been offered for Prairie Complex equivalents in the Texas
coastal area (Winker, 1991).
Three surface stratigraphic units of the Prairie Complex have
been identified in the GCP and LMV. The oldest is the Lower
Prairie Facies, Upper Surface (unnamed), a unit apparently
equivalent to the Sangamonian Prairie of Saucier (1977)
beneath New Orleans and the Upper Prairie of the LRRV
(Smith and Russ, 1974). The closest thing to a stratotype for
this unit in the LMV are the alluvial beds at Irene beneath the
Sicily Island Loess (Milleretal., 1985) and the strata beneath
the Lower Paleosol at Mt. Pleasant Bluff (Autin et al., 1988).
This unit needs more stratigraphic work to precisely define
18
its stratigraphic distribution and properties.
The Wisconsinan strata of the Prairie Complex are region-
ally extensive and comprise large areas of the mappable
geomorphic surfaces of the Prairie Complex in Louisiana.
The Mt. Pleasant Bluff Alloformation has been identified in
the western part of East Baton Rouge Parish as part of the
Wisconsinan Prairie Complex, lower surface (Autin and
McCulloh, 1991). Its correlatives incl ude areas delineated as
the Lafayette meander belt (Fisk and McFarlan, 1955), and
Pleistocene deposits uplifted by the Five Islands salt dome
chain in south-central Louisiana (Autin, 1984; Autin et al.,
1986; Autin and McCulloh, 1993). It is also possibly an
updip equivalent to Wisconsinan deltas identified on the
continental shelf of the Gulf of Mexico (Suter et al., 1987).
The Avoyelles Prairie (Stop 9, this guidebook) is correlative
to the Mt. Pleasant BluffAlloformationdefined in southeast-
ern Louisiana. No definitive correlatives have been identi-
fied upvalley ofthe Avoyelles Prairie. The Aloha Alloformation
ofthe LRRVand its apparently equivalent Red River channel
belts in southwestern Louisiana west ofthe Lafayette mean-
der belt (Fisk and McFarlan, 1955; Autin et al., 1991) is also
a Wisconsinan unit. Other probable stratigraphic equiva-
lents include the Wisconsinan sand sheet of the Florida
Parishes (Mossa and Autin, 1989) capped by the PG-1 geosol
(Autin et al., 1991), the Wisconsinan Prairie Complex of
southwestern Louisiana (Birdseye and Aronow, 1991), the
Prairie Complex, Lower Surface (Autin and McCulloh,1991,
1992) of southeastern Louisiana, and the Little River Valley
(LGS, geologic mapping file data).
The youngest stratigraphic unit of the continental Prairie
Complex appears to be the lowest coast parallel Prairie
Terraces surface (Snead and McCulloh, 1984). This unit is
capped by the PG-2 geosol (Autin et al., 1991) in coast-
parallel areas, however, its stratigraphic distribution, prop-
erties, age, and origin remain mostly speculative.
In summary, the Prairie Complex is a diachronous set of
constructional geomorphic surfaces that likely express a
regional distribution of allostratigraphic units. Presently,
the distribution and properties of the various alloformations
that comprise the Prairie Complex are incompletely de-
fined. Coast-parallel deposits of the Prairie Complex appear
to, in part, be glaCio-eustatically influenced. However, the
effects of other influences have not been fully identified.
The Deweyville Complex
The geomorphic surface of the Deweyville Complex has
been mapped at a couple oflocations in the LRRV (Snead and
JvrcCulloh, 1984; LGS geologic mapping file data). However,
no stratigraphic investigations have been conducted to
identify facies patterns, constrain relative age relationships,
or define possible causal mechanisms. The Deweyville Com-
plex is a stratigraphic unit that needs considerable work,
both on a local and regional scale.
Holocene LRRV Meander Belts
HolocenemeanderbeltsintheLRRVwereoriginallymapped
by Russ (1975), then updated and simplified by Saucier and
Snead (1989). Cross-cutting relationships and evidence for
multiple occupations of channel courses in the LRRVare
highly complex. Typical correlation problems associated
with Holocene alluvium in the LRRV are discussed in the
companion paper of Pearson and Hunter in this guidebook
(see also Stops 5, 7, and 8).
Status of the Present Model -
A Step Towards a Regional Synthes'is
Strengths of the Model
The application of a multiple stratigraphic approach to
regional investigations of Quaternary sediments, soils, and
landforms provides a way for physical stratigraphic criteria
to be cross-correlated. The stratigraphic approach outlined
in this guidebook integrates stratigraphic and landscape
evolution by considering the integration of correlations at
various temporal and spatial scales. Hopefully, this ap-
proach will eventually improve stratigraphic definitions
and refine the regional Quaternary stratigraphy.
The long term goal of this effort is to produce a formal
stratigraphic nomenclature, using definition criteria rel-
evant to acceptable stratigraphic procedures and codes. The
purpose is to define map unit criteria and foster precise
communication of data, observations, and inferences.
Shortcomings
and The Need for Additional Testing
There are present geographic gaps ip the LGS geologic
mapping data base. The Florida Parishes of southeastern
Louisiana, the LRRV, and LMV are areas where new ideas and
information are emerging, whereas, southwestern Louisiana
needs additional work and new data. The LGS mapping
effort needs stronger collaboration with Quaternary scien-
tists in surrounding states in the region.
A relative chronology is emerging, but numerical age esti-
mates are lacking. Most temporal inferences need to be
seriously questioned. The best chronologies available are
from the LMV delta and Peoria Loess. The emerging concep-
tual stratigraphic model is producing a physical stratigraphic
framework. Paleontological and archeological records need
to be closely integrated with physical stratigraphy to address
paleoenvironmental questions.
The LRRV stratigraphy is complex, and correlation of units
at this time are considered internal to the LRRV region and
not automatically applicable to the LMV and GCP.
Interregional inferences prOVided in this guidebook are
considered tentative and reqUire additional investigation.
The Ideas of Harold N. Fisk
The following set of concepts were developed after being
posed the idea of creating my "Best of ... " and "Worst of ... "
lists regarding the concepts and ideas of H. N. Fisk's body of
published work. This is my list, influenced by the cumula-
tive effect of countless conversations since 1977, the timeof
my initial viewing of Fisk (1944). It reflects my comprehen-
sion of a great man's scientific accomplishments and his
19
lasting influence a couple of generations later. The things I
note are partly based on the things I focus on, however, the
writings ofH. N. Fisk provide countless additional examples
throughout his prolific and profound work.
First the Worst
1. Fisk rejected the mapping of the Citronelle Formation
introduced by Matson (1916) and mapped by Chawner
(1936) in Catahoula Parish, adjacent to Grant and
LaSalle Parishes. The Citronelle outcrop area became
the Williana and Bentley Terraces.
2. Four Pleistocene units were requisite to Fisk's concept,
so the LNfV and GCP Quaternary sequences could be
correlated to the four continental glaciations of the
Midwestern United States.
3. Glacio-eustasy was considered the only causal
mechanism regulating cycles of fluvial aggradation and
degradation.
4. Fisk thought that all Pleistocene Terraces developed by
identical patterns and processes of alluviation under
comparable alluvial, deltaic, and coastal regimes.
5. Valid stratigraphic correlations were established locally,
but many regional correlations were geographically
overextended.
6. Fisk inferred that each aggradational episode was
reflected by a fining upward cycle. Sedimentary and
stratigraphic anomalies were generally dismissed by
calling on post-depositional erosion and/or uplift.
7. Fisk failed to recognize multiple paleosols within near-
surface sequences. Pedogenic mixing zones, colluvial
wash layers, and loess was generally considered as part
of the fine-grained component associated with
underlying coarse-grained alluvium.
8. Fisk failed to recognize the eolian origin of loess and the
application of loess stratigraphy as a correlation tool
when associated with constructional geomorphic
surfaces.
9. Fisk failed to recognize an extensive set of early to
middle Pleistocene erosion surfaces developed on the
Citronelle Formation and the associated colluvial
deposits. The erosion surfaces are especially significant
and mappable in the coast-parallel region of the GCP.
Many of these areas became the Montgomery and/or
Bentley Terraces.
10. Fisk and his colleagues conducted investigations
designed to tacitly reject alternate models proposed by
others, not test his model against the alternates with
objectively designed field studies.
Then the Best
1. The regional delineation of the Prairie Terrace has not
been substantially modified since the 1940's, despite
20
over 50 years of investigation by subsequent researchers.
2. Fisk recognized that the Prairie had a suite of
paleoenvironments directly analogous to the distribution
of modern depositional systems.
3. Many of the mapping contacts delineated by Fisk, his
students, and his colleagues that applied his model are
at major, regionally significant geomorphic,
stratigraphic, and/or structural boundaries.
4. Fisk recognized that constructional alluvial landforms
were associated with specific depositional lithofacies
geometries.
5. lvfodern age estimates indicate that Prairie Complex
aggrada tion culminated in the Wisconsinan (Peorian to
Fisk), and relative age relationships indicate that
aggradation of the Red River's Intermediate Complex
(Montgomery of Fisk) culminated by middle Pleistocene
to Sangamonian time.
6. The distribution of the Montgomery Terrace in the
Lower Red River Valley as a constructional geomorphic
surface was accurately mapped and interpreted.
7. Recognition of the Red versus Mississippi River origins
of Holocene and Late Pleistocene deposits were accurately
interpreted and delineated.
8. Fisk locally recognized the Avoyelles Prairie as a
MissiSSippi River meander belt and nearby Belle D'eau as
the boundary between the MissiSSippi and Red River
deposits of the Prairie Complex.
9. Fisk described the hinge line as the position where
all uvial sequences expand in thickness due to subsidence
to the south and associated uplift to the north.
10. Fisk noted that the Prairie Terraces of the Red, MiSSiSSippi,
Calcasieu, and Little Rivers had different
lithostratigraphic characteristics associated with
sediments derived from different source areas.
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22
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24
Geoarchaeology of the Red River Valley
Charles E. Pearson and Donald G. Hunter
Introduction
Archaeologists have long been aware that human cultural
systems and the variability observed in these systems are
inexorably tied to the natural environment. Thus, the study
of the interrelationships between cultural systems, as mani-
fest in the archaeological record, and various aspects of both
the abiotic and biotic non-human environment has been an
important element in archaeological research. These types
of studies, at least as they are currently pursued, are not
expressions of strict environmental determinism, but they
do reflect the proposition that natural environments offer
certain restrictions and choices to human populations and
that these populations make certain selections from their
environments dependent upon an array of sociocultural and
technological factors. The patterns evident in these selec-
tions are of particular concern in understanding human
adaptation.
The interrelationship between archaeology and geology is
particularly evident, and interdisciplinary studies involving
the two have been important for many years (cf. Butzer
1971). In recent years, the term "geoarchaeology" has been
used to categorize those types of studies that focus on the
interface between these two disciplines. The fairly recent
introduction of this term, however, does not imply that
these types of studies reflect a completely new area of
research. Archaeologists, geologists, geographers, and oth-
ers have long incorporated geoarchaeological approaches in
the study of such phenomena as sediments at archaeological
sites,lithic source areas, and the distribution of archaeologi-
cal sites across soil types and landforms. Some of the earliest
geoarchaeological studies were conducted in Louisiana. At
about the same time that Harold Fisk was involved in his
work on Pleistocene terraces in Louisiana, another young
Louisiana State University professor, Fred B. Kniffen, work-
ingwith geologist Richard]. Russell, was conducting a study
of the distribution of archaeological sites across deltaic
landforms in coastal Louisiana (Russell 1936; Kniffen 1936).
Kniffen observed that archaeological sites containing differ-
ent ceramic assemblages, presumably of different ages, were
non-randomly distributed across Mississippi River deltaic
landforms in Plaquemines and St. Bernard parishes. He used
the archaeological site data to suggest a relative chronology
of deltaic landforms in the area. Additionally, Kniffen com-
mented on the consistent association of prehistoric sites
with natural levee landforms and, further, he took cores at
archaeological sites to collect information on subsidence
rates (Kniffen 1936:414). Just a few years later, in 1938,
archaeologists, under the direction of]ames A. Ford, also at
Louisiana State University, used augers at the Greenhouse
site on the Avoyelles Prairie to locate and define deeply
buried archaeological deposits (Ford 1951, Stein 1986).
Subsequently, numerous researchers have followed these
leads, and the study of the interrelationships of deltaic or
alluvial landforms and prehistoric site locations, applying
geological field techniques, has been one of the dominant
themes in archaeolOgical research in the entire Lower Missis-
sippi Valley region (e.g., Butzer 1977; Fisk 1944; Ford and
Quimby 1945; Gagliano 1963; McIntire 1958; Phillips et al.
1951; Phillips 1970; Saucier 1963, 1974, 1981; Weinstein
1981; Weinstein and Gagliano 1985). As a result, the reason-
ably well known archaeological chronology has become an
important basis for assigning dates to geological landforms,
or, at least, arranging them in relative chronological se-
quences.
It is no accident that this settlement/landform approach has
become important in the region. The current natural setting
and past geomorphological history of deltaic and alluvial
areas tend to dictate this type of research. Landform devel-
opment and change in deltaic and alluvial areas occur at a
very rapid rate, a rate which is really on a "human"scale,
such that the impacts which these changes had on human
occupants, in terms of the wide range of adjustments they
had to make to these often extensive landscape changes, are
observable in the archaeological record. These changes are
commonly, and possibly most easily, observed in settlement
distributions. Through time and across space, populations
. opted or were forced to shift habitations to more desirable
settlement locations, either as new landforms developed or
as old ones deteriorated. Other elements of the archaeolOgi-
cal record, of course, also express adaptive changes, and thus
often can serve as measures of environmental change. Par-
ticularly important have been subsistence studies, which
examine shifts in patterns of exploitation that can often be
tied to areal environmental changes.
25
The Red River region has been the object of extensive
archaeological and geological research. Descriptions of the
area's archaeological remains date from the late-nineteenth
century (cf. Neuman 1970), but intensive examination of
the area's archaeological sites did not begin until early in the
present century with the work of Clarence B. Moore (1912).
Traveling on his steamboat Gopher, Moore visi ted 21 prehis-
toric archaeological sites along the Red, almost all of which
contained earthen mounds, his major focus of interest
(Moore 1912). In the 1920s and 30s, archaeological interest
centered on the large mound complex found at the Marksville
site and, later, at the nearby Greenhouse site (Seltzer 1933;
Ford 1951; Fowke 1927, 1928; Toth 1977). Archaeological
work at these, and a number of other prehistoric sites in the
lower Red River region (e.g., Ford 1936; Ford and Willey
1940), led to the development of a cultural chronology
based on ceramic assemblages which has served as the basic
framework for the temporal ordering of archaeological sites
in much of the lower Mississippi region.
At about this same time, research was focusing on archaeo-
logical sites along the Red River above Natchitoches, in the
Caddoan cultural area. Clarence H. Webb, a Shreveport
pedia trician, has been responsible for a considerable amount
of our knowledge of the Caddoan area with his studies of the
Gahagan Mound site (Webb and Dodd 1939); theSmithport
Landing site (Webb 1963), the Belcher Mound site (Webb
1959), and Mounds Plantation (Webb and McKinney 1975).
Geoarchaeological approaches have often been em ployed in
archaeological research along the Red, although the ap-
proach has not always been explicitly stated of formalized.
For example, muchofthe archaeological work in the al1uvial
valley has, at least, considered fluvial processes as important
considerations, and many have involved correlating ar-
chaeological site distributions with identified channel chro-
nologies. The extreme meander activity of the Red (dis-
cussed below) tends to make this approach to archaeological
research in the alluvial valley critical, in terms of addreSSing
questions about patterns of adaptation as observed in ar-
chaeological site distributions as well as in assessing the
status of the archaeological record as it exists today. In terms
of the latter concern, for example, the extensive reworking
of landforms within a given meander belt of the Red River
over time, can, and has, resulted in the removal of large
portions of the archaeological record.
In the past 20 years, a considerable amount of the archaeo-
logical work undertaken along the Red River has been
conducted relative to cultural resources management stud-
ies, mostly for Federal agencies. Unfortunately, the result of
this research resides primarily in the "gray literature," and
has been only minimally distributed. The great majority of
the these cultural resources management projects, as well as
other studies undertaken along the Red, have been spatially
restricted, either to a single site, or to a fairly small area. Few
have attempted to extend geoarchaeological interpretations
over a wide area, and no comprehensive discussion of the
geoarchaeology of the Red River has been undertaken.
Despite this, the available information is sufficient to permit
the development of general propositions about the
geoarchaeology of the Red River, particularly as it relates to
the distribution of human settlements across the landscape
of the alluvial valley. No effort is made to discuss in detail
such topics as sedimentary processes or soil characteristics at
archaeological sites, which, while of importance, have re-
ceived less attention in the alluvial valley than have studies
dealing with the diachronic distribution of sites across the
landscape. Nor is the geoarchaeology of the uplands sur-
rounding the valley considered, since that topic is complex
and requires much more space than is available here. In the
following discussions the Red River alluvial valley in both
Arkansas and Louisiana is considered. A brief review of the
cultural history of the alluvial valley as portrayed in the
archaeological record is presented followed by a discussion
of geology and geomorphology which emphasizes those
factors critical to geoarchaeological research. This is fol-
lowed by a discussion of two studies which exemplify
geoarchaeological research in the Red River.
Prehistoric Archaeological Background
Paleo-Indian Period (10000 B.C-6500 B.C.)
Scattered finds of diagnostic fluted, projectile po in ts, includ-
ing Clovis, Scottsbluff, and Eden, indicate that the prehis-
toric occupation of the Red River region of central Louisiana
began around 10,000 B.C during the Paleo-Indian period
(Gagliano and Gregory 1965:Figure 1). It is presumed that
these early populations maintained a highly mobile lifestyle,
partially in pursuit of herds of now-extinct Pleistocene
megafauna. In central Louisiana, the finds of Paleo-Indian
projectile points have been confined to the Pleistocene
terraces and older terrace remnants in the flood plain.
During this time, peoples probably exploited the alluvial
valley, but archaeological evidence of their activities wil1
have been buried by Holocene sediments. The Paleo-Indian
period possibly lasted as late as 6,500 B.C., by which time
post glacial warming trends and subsequent major changes
in vegetation regimes and habitat loss saw the demise of
Pleistocene fauna (Brain 1971:7; Smith 1986:5). Itis believed
that at that time, Paleo-Indian populations shifted to the
exploiting smaller game species, as evidenced by the appear-
ance of smaller projectile points, including the San Patrice,
Dalton, and Pelican. This shift marked the transition into
the succeeding Archaic period.
Archaic Period (6500 B.C.-2000 B.C)
In Louisiana, as throughout most of the present Eastern
United States, the Archaic period marked a more sedentary
lifestyle for North America's native inhabitants. Presum-
ably, this occurred in response to a shift in dependance to
local floral and faunal communities in the overall subsis-
tence strategies after the Pleistocene megafauna had become
extinct. Many of the stone tool types of the late Paleo-Indian
period continued in use during the Archaic, although styles
changed and became more diversified and localized through
time. Many have argued that the Archaic is characterized by
an increase in quantity and variety of ground-stone tools
associated with plan t processing (Gregory and Curry 19 78:32-
34), however, Smith (1986) indicates that is only apparent
and not real, at least during the early portion of the Archaic
period. A dramatic increase in the utilization of riverine
aquatic species did occur among many Archaic populations
occupying the river valleys and coastal areas of the South-
east. Shel1fish, in particular, were heavily utilized, as evi-
denced by the numerous Archaic Period shell midden sites.
Throughout the Archaic period, sites became increasingly
larger, indicating population expansion as communities
began more efficiently exploiting the local environments.
Long distance trade had began to develop by the Middle
Archaic as evidenced by the appearance of exotic lithic
materials, including galena, hematite, northern cherts, and
26
some steatite. With these new materials came a host of new
ground and polished stone artifacts, such as boatstones, bar
weights, plummets, and stone beads (Gregory and Curry
1978: 33-34).
Sites occupied during the Archaic period along the Red River
Valley in central and northwest Louisiana are primarily
confined to the Pleistocene uplands bordering the Red River
alluvial valley and on older surfaces within the margins of
the flood plain. Many of these sites consist of small lithic
scatters, possibly representing short-term camp sites or loca-
tions used primarily for lithic raw material procurement.
Archaic populations surely used the Red River flood plain
environments, but much of the evidence for their presence
has been buried by sediments or removed by riverine ero-
sion. The deeply buried Conley site on Loggy Bayou in
Bienville Parish is one of the few known examples of Archaic
occupation in the Red River flood plain.
Poverty Point Period (2000 B.C.-SOD B.C.)
Around 2,000 B.C., many parts of the Lower Mississippi
Valley witnessed the introduction of monumental earthen
architecture, an apparent complex society, geometric
earthworks, a microlithic tool assemblage, an elaborate
lapidary industry, and earth oven cooking techniques utiliz-
ing baked clay balls. This cultural florescence has been
labeled Poverty Point culture after the type site in West
Carroll Parish in extreme northeastern Louisiana. This cul-
tural development was apparently so rapid and seemingly
without precedent in North America that archaeologists
initially considered similarities to the cultures of South and
Central America to support long-range trade or cultural
diffusion. However, in the Red River Valley, the native
inhabitants seem to have continued an Archaic lifestyle,
little influenced by the cultural florescence transpiring to
the east. Occasional Poverty Point "diagnostic" artifacts,
including bar weights, plummets, pendants, and stone beads,
occur in late Archaic sites in the central Louisiana area, but
these seem merely to be a continuation of developments
that began earlier during the Archaic period (Gregory and
Curry 1978:37).
Tchula Period (500 B.C.-A.D.1)
The Tchula Period (Tchefuncte culture) is marked by the
appearance of a well-developed ceramic complex into the
Lower Mississippi Valley. Although fiber-tempered pottery
was utilized to a limited extent during the Poverty Point
period, sites throughout most of the region had been basi-
cally aceramic. Tchefuncte pottery is fairly complex, mani-
festing a wide variety of vessel shapes and decorations. With
the exception of these new ceramics, Tchefuncte artifacts
seem to represent a continuation of older Archaic and
Poverty Point types. Stemmed and notched projectile points
are frequently found in Tchefuncte sites, as are bone projec-
tile points, antler tools, and wide variety of bone imple-
ments. Ground stone tools include boatstones, bar weights,
and plummets (Ford and Quimby 1945:52-72).
There are few well documented Tchula period sites in central
Louisiana. John House (1972:49) reported several possible
"Tchefuncte-related" sherds from the Lake Rodemacher
Basin approximately 10 km northwest of England Air Base.
Gregory and Curry (1978:43) have noted a small number of
Tchefuncte sites in Natchitoches and northern Rapides
parishes. Lumped into what they have designated as Lena
phase sites, these are primarily small concentrations or
scatters of occupational debris, including several types of
pottery, intermixed with occasional projectile points, tubu-
lar clay pipe fragments, and tools produced from silicified
wood. Known sites are mainly located on the Pleistocene
terraces flanking the alluvial valley or on terrace projections
into marginal lakes (Gregory and Curry 1978:43).
Marksville Period (A.D. 1 -A.D. 400)
Around A.D. I, the Lower MissiSSippi Valley saw the intro-
duction of an elaborate mortuary complex and new ceramic
types that bear considerable similarities to those of the
northern Hopewellian cultures of Ohio and Illinois. In the
Lower Mississippi Valley, this cultural development has
been termed Marksville culture, named after the type site in
Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana. The mortuary complex cen-
tered around interment of individuals in conical mounds,
which were usually built in several stages of construction.
Paramount individuals were sometimes placed in log tombs
in association with platform pipes, quartz crystals, stone
prOjectile points, articles made of Great Lakes copper, and
ceramic vessels (Neuman 1984:153-163). Occasionally, cre-
mations and secondary burials were placed in the mounds
during various stages of construction. The ceramic complex
manifested a variety of plain and decorated vessels. Decora-
tive techniques commonly included wide V-shaped inci-
sions, some of which bordered zones of dentate rocker
stamping forming geometric or zoomorphic patterns
(Neuman 1984:153-154). Numerous Marksville period sites
have been reported in Avoyelles Parish situated both on the
terrace edge and in the Red River and Mississippi River flood
plains. A small number of these sites have been found in the
Red River flood plain associated with early meander belt
landforms.
Baytown Period (A.D. 400-A.D. 700)
Perhaps one of the most poorly understood segments of
Louisiana's prehistoric culture sequence is the Baytown
period (Gibson 1982). This period is primarily marked by the
disappearance of the elaborate Marksville mortuary com-
plex and the appearance of new ceramic types, including
Mulberry Creek Cord marked, Larto Red Filmed, and
Woodville Zone Red. Apparently during that time, the
construction of truncated pyramidal mounds, which be-
came more numerous in the later periods, began. Although
the use of the atlatl seems to have persisted into the Baytown
period, arrowpoints first appeared during that time, indicat-
ing the introduction of the bow.
Numerous Baytown period sites are known to exist east of
Alexandria in the Catahoula Lake, Black River, and Little
River Drainages and in the vicinity of Marksville. Primarily
these occur in alluvial valley settings or the edges of Pleisto-
cene terrace inliers.
Coles Creek Period (A.D. 700-A.D. 1200)
The Coles Creek period is marked by the appearance of new
27
ceramic types, featuring a wide variety of incised, pinched,
punctated, and stamped decorations. It was also during that
time that the construction of truncated pyramidal mounds
flourished, the mounds themselves serving both for mortu-
arypurposes and foundations for buildings, such as temples,
residences of apparent high-status individuals, or charnel
houses. Not only were Coles Creek burials made in mounds
but also in cemeteries, and the burials, which were seldom
accompanied by grave goods, displayed a wide variety of
forms including flexed, disarticulated, extended, and iso-
lated skulls. As with the earlier prehistoric periods, agricul-
ture seems to have played little importance in the overall
subsistence strategy of these people, though some cultigens
may have been grown in limited quantities (Neuman
1984:213). Moreover, the old subsistence strategies, dating
perhaps to the Archaic period, continued to be utilized
throughout this entire culture period. Most of the reported
Coles Creek sites in central Louisiana are situated in the
alluvial valley or on the terrace edge.
Coles Creek sites in the Red River valley extend as far north
as the area of Natchitoches, where a cultural boundary seems
to have existed after about A.D. 500. Below Natchitoches,
prehistoric populations in the Red River valley are cuI turally
tied to the lower Mississippi River valley region, while above
that point societies exhibiting a quite distinctive material
cuI ture emerged.
Mississippi Period (A.D. 1200-A.D.1700)
The cultural manifestation transpiring throughout much of
the Lower Mississippi Valley during the Mississippi period is
termed Plaquemine culture. Plaquemine seems to have
developed out of the preceding Coles Creek culture, because
Plaquemine ceramics seem to have antecedents in many of
the former Coles Creek types (Neuman 1984:258). Like their
apparent predecessors, Plaquemine peoples continued to
construct extensive mound centers, featuring one or more
truncated pyramidal mounds normally arranged around a
large central plaza, and their burial patterns were similar to
those practised by Coles Creek peoples. Many researchers
view the emergence of Plaquemine culture as the result of
Mississippian influences from the north and east on resident
Coles Creek peoples (VVeinstein 1985). What differentiates
Plaquemine culture from Mississippian culture is primarily
the lack in the former of shell-tempered ceramics and cult
items related to the Southeastern Ceremonial Complex.
Apparent Mississippian influence on Plaquemine culture
can been seen in the occasional occurrence of shell-tem-
pered ceramics and cult motifs within otherwise typical
Plaquemine artifact assemblages. Like their Coles Creek
predecessors, Plaquemine peoples seemed to have lived both
in the alluvial valley and on the margins of the Pleistocene
terrace.
Caddoan Culture
Around A.D. 900, Caddoan culture seems to have emerged
in northwestern Louisiana wi th the developmen t of the Alto
phase. Alto peoples apparently maintained a ranked
SOCiopolitical structure governed by a military-religious hi-
erarchy. Ceremonial centers featuring one or more conical
mounds, were constructed, and these mounds served as
repositories for the dead social elite. Grave goods, including
ceramic vessels, copper ornaments, large and delicately
chipped bifaces (Gahagan knives), and massive zoomorphic
pipes, were interred with paramount individuals in associa-
tion with apparent sacrificial retainers (Webb and Dodd
1939; Webb and McKinney 1975). Many of the Alto ceram-
ics are also found in Coles Creek contexts, evidencing an
apparent close relationship between the two regions. How-
ever, the Alto phase was the time at which many well-made
and finely engraved ceramic types appeared in the region
along with new vessel shapes, including the long-necked
water bottle. Although most of the work conducted at Alto
centers has been undertaken at ceremonial centers, one Alto
hamlet has been extensively investigated (Thomas et al.
1980). These investigations indicate that Alto peoples con-
tinued to utilize hunting and gathering techniques in their
overall subsistence strategies, in addition to cultivating
maize, squash, and gourd (Thomas et al. 1980:285). Further-
more, these investigations explored the non-social elite of
the Alto phase who were probably more representative of
the majority of the population at that time.
Arguments have been made that around A.D. 1200, the
Caddoan peoples inhabiting much of northwest Louisiana
largely abandoned the alluvial valley in favor of the border-
ing uplands. With this shift, came the abandonment of
many of the former ceremonial centers and the evidently
highly ranked social structure maintained bytheAlto peoples.
Some mound groups continued to be occupied in the valley,
but most sites were small and located in the hills along the
terrace margin or along small streams. This change is equated
with the Bossier phase. These arguments for the abandon-
ment of the alluvial valley may be more apparent than real
simply because many sites in the valley are buried by
alluvium and have not been found. In recent years, increas-
ing numbers of Caddoan sites of all ages have been found in
the alluvial valley and, presumably, the evidence will even-
tually show a continued and constant use and occupation of
flood plain environments.
Although some ofthe oldAlto ceramic types continued to be
used during Bossier times, new ceramic types also emerged,
and they generally lacked the quality in workmanship that
was displayed on examples from the earlier era. Most Bossier
burials were made in small, shallow pits at village sites. No
large cemeteries or burial mounds are known. The majority
of the burials were extended supine, and most Bossier burial
associations were utilitarian ceramics. Specifically lacking
are the ceremonial objects and artifacts manufactured from
exotic materials, which are frequently associated with high-
status Alto burials (Webb 1948; Webb 1983).
An apparent rejuvenation of a highly ranked socioreligious
hierarchy, and the introduction of new ceramic types in
northwest Louisiana marked the beginnings of the Belcher
phase around A.D. 1500. However, mounds were no longer
being built to serve solely as repositories for the social elite,
but also as foundations for temples and residences of high-
status individuals. Important individuals in the community
were buried in mounds, and numerous grave goods accom-
panied these interments. However, unlike their Alto prede-
cessors, few exotic materials were employed in the mortuary
complex. The only non-local goods found in high-status
28
burials include shell ornaments, evidently derived from
coastal sources. Several of these items are decorated with
what are known as {(Southern cult" motifs, a distinctive
iconography spread across the southeast at this time period,
suggesting some amount of Mississippian influence (Webb
1959).
Caddoan populations occuppied the Red River region of
northwestern Louisiana and southwestern Arkansas when
European settlers began to move into the region in the
eighteenth century. By the early decades of the nineteenth
century, disease and warfare brought about by contact with
Europeans had significantly reduced the Caddo population,
and in 1835 they were removed from Louisiana by the
American government.
Geology and Geomorpology of the
Red River Alluvial Valley
Travelers and military men began to provide descriptions of
the natural settingofthe Red River, its alluvial valley and the
surrounding uplands in the first quarter of the nineteenth
century (Darby 1816,1817; Fisk 1938:35-47; Stoddard 1812).
Within the past 50 years, numerous professional studies
have been conducted on the geology and geomorphology of
the Red. Among the most significant of these early investi-
gations were those of Harold Fisk on the geology of Grant
and LaSalle parishes (1938) and Rapides and western Avoyelles
parishes (1940), both of which are particularly important
because of their discussions on the Pleistocene terraces
features which border the alluvial valley. Fisk's interpreta-
tions are discussed by Autin in the first portion of this
Guidebook. A series of other parish studies prOVide informa-
tion on the regional geology, although they concentrate on
the uplands, not the all uvial valley. These include studies for
Webster Parish (Martin et al. 1954), DeSoto and Red River
parishes (Murray 1948), and Catahoula and Concordia par-
ishes (Chawner 1936).
In his Geological Investigation of the A lluvial Valley of the Lower
Mississippi River, Fisk (1944) proVided a regional geological
and geomorphic synthesis, which emphasized the chrono-
logical sequence of Mississippi River courses, but included
the lower Red River region. Fisk's work has been reassessed
by Roger Saucier (1974), although on a broader and more
general scale. Saucier's access to recent archaeological and
radiometric information has resulted in reinterpretation of
a number of Fisk's conclusions (Saucier 1981).
Concurrent with Saucier's work, Oscar Abington (1973)
described and quantified Red River's meander morphology
and examined its hydrology, channel scour and fill pro-
cesses, and utilized historical information to in terpret recent
changes in the river's channel morphology. Later, in 1975,
D. P. Russ, and subsequently, John Lenzer (1977) described
the fluvial processes and deposits of the lower Red River in
Louisiana. One of the most detailed and comprehensive
studies of the geology of the Red River is contained within
a series of geologic maps published by the U. S. Army Corps
of Engineers, Waterways Experiment Station, in Vicksburg,
Mississippi (Smith and Russ 1974). The recent geological
map of the state of Louisiana has further defined the geologi-
cal settings ofthe Red River area (Snead and McCulloh 1984)
as do Saucier and Snead (1989). Additionally, a considerable
number of archaeological studies conducted for cultural
resources management purposes, provide varying types of
information on the geology and geomorphology of the Red
River,mostparticularlyon thegeomorphologyandgeomor-
phic history of specific locations (e.g., Commonwealth and
Associates, Inc., 1981; Gagliano et al. 1979; Gulf South
Research Institute 1975; Pearson and Ducote 1979; Thomas
et al 1980; Weinstein et al. 1979).
Frye and Leonard (1963) have presented discussions of
Pleistocene geology and formations along the Texas portion
of the Red. Their terminology and interpretations of Pleisto-
cene and Holocene formations differ from those of the
Louisiana researchers, making correlations difficult. Ludwig's
(1972) study deals specifically with water resources, but it
also provides maps and some minimal information on the
recent geology of the Red River region in Arkansas.
The Geological Setting
The Red River is formed in western Oklahoma by the
juncture of the Prairie Dog Town Fork and the Salt Fork,
which arise in northwestern Texas and northeastern New
Mexico, respectively. The Red crosses Texas and, east of the
Panhandle, forms the northern boundary of that state. In
Arkansas, the river runs south of the Ouachita mountains; at
the town of Fulton, the river makes a 90 turn to the south
(the Great Bend), flowing south-southeast through Louisi-
ana and eventually joining the MissiSSippi and Atchafalaya
rivers.
In Arkansas and Louisiana, the Red River alluvial valley
ranges from 5 to 30 km wide. Just north of Natchitoches, the
valley is somewhat constricted as it cuts through relatively
resistant rock formations of the Sabine uplift. At Natchitoches
and just above the town of Boyce the river valley is severely
constricted where it is incised through the high, dissected
ridge systems known as the Nacodoches Wold and the
Kisatchie Wold. Several faults cross the river valley in a
general northeast-southwest direction. These are compo-
nents of the south Arkansas and Rodess fault systems (Gulf
South Research Institute 1975:121) and in places have dis-
placements of as much as 65 m.
The river valley is bounded by formations of varying ages.
North of Rapides Parish the western valley wall is primarily
Tertiary, marine sedimentary rocks. South of Rapides Parish,
portions of the western valley wall and most of the river's
eastern boundary are uplands and terraces of Pleistocene,
Red River fluvial deposits. The southeastern boundary of the
alluvial plain is formed by the Teche Ridge, an abandoned,
ancestral Mississippi River course (Lenzer 1977).
The uplands bordering the Red River alluvial valley are not
of primary concern in the present discussion; they have been
considered thoroughly in the foregoing section of this
Guidebook. However, they are of interest to any archaeology
conducted in the alluvial valley, because during both the
prehistoric and historic period these uplands were impor-
tant to those populations living on the valley flood plain.
For example, the often extensive graveliferous deposits
found in landforms associated with the early Pleistocene
29
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- .. 0
;.-:E:-:=

fE.
E I .... DEFOS,n 1" i I FI
-100 I I I I I . -

-m
-,0-" -._-_ .. ,_..
o . ..
DI9T"NC[ IN UILES
1
NATURAl. LEVEe
POINT BAR
aACKSWANP
TOPSTRATUM ESZSa ABANDONED CHANNtl.
l2SZSI AaANDOND COUR$(
E===3 AI.I.UVlAI. APRON
SUBSTRATUM { hi,J?:-;n .
E nRTIARY SURFACI:
LITHOLOGIC TyeE'S
[::.:::::;:::1 SAND
CLAY AND SILT
SAIoIOSTONE
:=-:Ei SHALE:
Gg-::a SANC'I' CLAY
SAND AND ORAVEL
MAPPING SYMBOLS
ou
"IoiolTGOMEftV
Figure 8 - Cross section of the Red River alluvial valley taken near Zimmerman Louisiana, showing typical flood plain
features and stratigraphy (source: Smith and Russ 1974).
Upland Complex provided an important source of stone,
particularly chert, for tools throughout much of the prehis.
toric period. Other lithic resources, such as petrified wood
and sedimentary quartzite which occur in Tertiary forma-
tions in the uplands, were also extensively exploited during
the prehistoric period by the occupants of the alluvial valley
(Heinrich 1986, 1987).
The alluvial valley slopes to the south at an average rate of
less than 3 m per kilometer, and elevations range from 80 m
above mean sea level near the Texas border to about 12 m
near the mouth of the Black River (Gulf South Research
Institute 1975:111). The modern alluvial valley lies ator near
the flood level of the Red River and its tributaries. This
modern Holocene formation is incised across older Pleisto-
cene and Tertiary formations. Through Arkansas and most
of Louisiana, the Red River meanders within its own alluvial
valley. However, about 28 km southeast of Alexandria, the
river leaves its alluvial valley through Monda Gap and
enters the Mississippi River Valley.
The Pleistocene history of the Red River is unique because it
is the only major western tributary of the Mississippi River
that was not directly influenced by mountain or continental
glaciers (Frye and Leonard 1963:31). Therefore differences
existed between the geomorphic processes operating on the
Red River and those operating on the lower Mississippi
River. For instance, although the typical Pleistocene pattern
of episodes of valley deepening followed by valley alluviation
occurred along the Red River, valley scourings were evi-
dently more profound than alluviations due to a lack of
available alluvial material from glacial outwash.
Available data suggest that the Red River has occupied its
30
present valley for approximately the last 12,000 or 14,000
years. During this period, the shifting river has spread
meander belt and backswamp sediments over earlier
graveliferous deposits (fig. 8). Approximately 12,000 years
B.P., the flood plain of the lower Red River was 4 or 5 m below
its present elevation; since that time the flood plain has
slowly aggraded to its current level. This aggradation contin-
ued until artificial levee construction confined the river
along much of its length, preventing overbank flooding and
subsequent deposition of sediment.
Red River Alluvial Valley Geomorphology
The modern alluvial valley floor is relatively flat, broken
only by natural levees, old stream channels and lakes, and
occasional erosional remnants of earlier geologic age. The
numerous relict stream channels and cut-off lakes attest to
the extreme meander activity of Red River in Arkansas and
Louisiana, which, in part, appears to be related to the
instability of Red River alluvial soils (Abington 1973:24).
These characteristically reddish-brown soils tend to expand
and shrink greatly when their moisture content changes,
often resulting in dramatic and extensive collapse along
river cutbanks. This process occurs especiaUywhen the river
begins to drop after haVing been at or near a high-water
stage. The tremendous number oftrees thrown into the river
by this erosional process was partly responsible for the
development of the extensive raft of trees and logs (the Great
Raft) that partially blocked the Red River in Louisiana until
its removal in the late nineteenth century (Abington 1973).
The heavy sediment load carried by the Red also contributes
to its meander activity. These sediments, composed of
approximately 25% sand and 75% silt, are derived primarily
from bank and bed erosion upstream and, secondarily, from
tributary streams (Ludwig 1972:34). The large amount of
sediment in the river results in the rapid deposition of point
bars, which in turn contributes to cutbank erosion (Abington
1973).
The extreme meander activity of the river is, of course,
important to archaeologists. The continued abandonment
of segments of the channel and their eventual filling, coupled
with simple gradual shifts in the river course, result in the
constant production of new land surfaces along the river,
and the destruction of old surfaces and any archaeological
sites they may have contained. No precise estimates are
currently available as to the age, extent, or rate of formation
of various river-associated surfaces along the entire Red
River; however, in southwestern Arkansas itis suggested that
at least 50% of the land surfaces within the modern meander
belt of the Red River in that area are probably less than 400
years old (Pearson and Ducote 1979).
Another factor of Red River geomorphology pertinent to
archaeology relates to several relatively recent events that
have altered river gradient and, thus, processes of channel
aggradation and degradation. Pearson (1986) suggested that
about 1700 years B.P. the Red River diverted its course
through the Monda Gap near Marksville, Louisiana, short-
eningits course by about 45 km. Abington (1973) has argued
that this diversion resulted in entrenchment of the channel
and flood plain, the development of natural levees several
31
feet lower than those of the flpre-Moncla Gap Diversion"
course, and the creation of channel obstructions in the form
of extensive log jams or rafts. In addition, the Monda Gap
diversion resulted in the development of a knickpoint (point
of change in gradient) at the diversion site. Entrenchment
caused the drainage of some former backswam p lakes (Murray
1948). The effect of the knickpoint migration was blocked
partiall y by the resistant ridge of Miocene siltstone (Fleming
Formation) at Alexandria. This ridge, locally known as the
falls or rapids, was removed by the U. S. Army Corps of
Engineers in 1892 and 1893, permitting knickpoint migra-
tion and entrenchment to continue upstream.
Further contributing to the entrenchment of the river was
the final removal of the Red River rafts by the federal
government in themid-1870s. These rafts, collectively known
as the Great Raft, consisted of a complex of log jams that
partially blocked the river above Alexandria, diverting it into
numerous courses and causing large backswamp lakes. In
the 1830s the raft stretched from north of Natchitoches for
more than 100 mi upriver. Between 1828 and 1848, the
Federal government undertook a major program of raft
removal, and under the direction of Captain Henry Miller
Shreve, much of the raft below Shreveport was removed
(Mills 1978:21-22). Neglect of raft removal over the next
several decades resulted in its reformation. In 1872, the
Federal government again began raft removal. By 1873, a
channel had been cut completely through the raft, and
clearing and maintenance over the next few years essentially
removed this obstruction (Mills 1978:54).
Raft clearance has resulted in drainage of many backswamp
and /{rim" lakes, confinement of the river to a single chan-
nel, and increased entrenchment. During those years that
the raft was extan t, aboriginal, as well as historic, settlement
and use of the alluvial valley was partially controlled by the
location, size and duration ofindividual raft lakes. Addition-
ally, large numbers of archaeological sites are likely to have
been covered by lake sediments as lakes formed or expanded
(Commonwealth and Associates 1981:32). There is cur-
rently no reliable information available on the age, extent or
configuration of the rafts or raft lakes prior to the historic
period. Many, however, have argued or implied that the
formation of rafts along the Red occurred in fairly recent
times, possibly just prior to the coming of Europeans in the
eighteenth century (Bagur n.d.). Abington (1973) implies
raft formation was influenced by the Red's diversion through
Monda Gap, which he assumed occurred about 500 years
ago. If Pearson (1986) is correct, however, and the diversion
took place doser to 1700 years ago, then the formation of
rafts may have begun much earlier than is commonly
thought. It seems likely that archaeology may prove to be
the most useful approach to address questions about the age
and extent of rafts, particularly where sites are found buried
by raft lake sediments, thus providing a terminus post quem
for the lake.
Alluviation is one of the geomorphic processes which must
be considered in understanding the archaeology of the
alluvial valley. The Red River carries a heavy sediment load,
and overbank flooding results in extensive sedimentation in
certain areas. Alluviation is not, however, a simple nor a
regular process throughout the valley, as exemplified by the
common occurrence of archaeological deposits of widely
varying ages at the present ground surface in fairly restricted
areas (Pearson and Ducote 1979). Extensive geomorphic and
archaeological research is needed before the processes of
alluviation and its effects upon the archaeological record are
fully understood. Even then, because of the complex array of
factors affecting alluviation within the flood plain, it may be
that these processes will only be accurately predictable over
fairly small areas.
The alluvial flood plain of the Red River and nearby uplands
support upland pine forests, tributary bottomland hard-
woods, and alluvial backswamp hardwoods (Delcourt 1976).
Cultural activities in the historic period have so drastically
altered the vegetation in much ofthe study area that modern
vegetation occurrences and distributions reflect little of the
prehistoric condition. Today much of the valley has been
cleared for agricultural development, while forest manage-
ment activities have reduced the amount of hardwood
timber stands in the uplands.
The Holocene Flood Plain: The
Archaeological Implications
The Holocene flood plain lies at or near the flood level of the
Red River and its tributaries. The valley floor is relatively flat,
broken only by natural levees, numerous old stream chan-
nels and lakes, backswamps and rimswamp basins, and
occasional erosional remnants of earlier geologic age. The
purpose of this section is to describe and characterize the
major landforms found in the Red River flood plain, briefly
review their critical geomorphic characteristics, and, finally,
discuss these features in terms of their implications to
archaeological and geoarchaeological research.
Tertiary and Pleistocene Inliers
Several pre-Holocene erosional remnants stand as inliers
within the flood plain of the Red River. Among the most
prominent of these are the Tertiary formations known as
Buzzard Bluff below Fulton, Arkansas, and the Tertiary and
Pleistocene formation, Couchanda Hill, located near
Coushatta, Louisiana (Commonwealth and Associates, Inc.
1981:29). Within the area covered by this field trip is a small
inlier of Prairie Terrace located along Bayou Boeuf just
northwest of th e communi ty of Lecompte. As high, elevated
landforms these inliers provide ideal settlement locales,
generally removed from the dangers of frequent flooding
often encountered on the flood plain, but still near the flood
plain resources. Additionally, these inliers often have re-
sources infrequently found in the alluvial valley, such as
stone, increasing their importance, particularly to prehiS-
toric popUlations. Because they constitute the oldest land
surfaces within the alluvial valley, they are likely to contain
evidence of early human occupation. No systematic ar-
chaeological study of inliers wi thin the Red River Valley has
been undertaken, however, artifacts dating to the Archaic
period (circa 3000 to 8500 BP) and, possibly, Paleo-Indian
period (circa 11,000 BP) have been recovered from these
features in Arkansas (Pearson and Ducote 1979:2-29), and
the Prairie Terrace inlier north of Lecompte is conspicuous
by the large number of prehistoric sites it contains, includ-
ing a fairly large mound group.
Meander Belts
Meander belts constitute the most obvious and the most
mappable of the Holocene flood plain geomorphic features.
Meander belts include all of the elements of a meandering
stream system; the river channel, natural levees, point bar
landforms, cut offs or oxbows, abandoned channel seg-
ments, and crevasse splays and channels. The delineation of
meander belts and the development of meander belt chro-
nologies and sequences has been an important aspect of
geological research in the Lower Mississippi Valley for 50
years, exemplified in the work of a number of researchers.
The use of archaeological data commonly has been used to
refine and order portions of these meander belt sequences
(d., Fisk 1944 and Saucier 1974, 1981). The meander belt
history of the Red River is extremely complex; however,
efforts to develop meander belt chronologies for the Red
have been undertaken by Russ (1975), Saucier (1974; 1981),
and Saucier and Snead (1989). These efforts have relied
primarily on the morphology of meander belts and their
cross-cutting relationships, plus correlation with geomor-
phic events in the MiSSissippi flood plain. Little reliance has
been placed on archaeolOgical data. Gagliano et al. (1979)
used archaeological data to assess the previously identified
Red River meander belt sequence at the extreme southern
end ofthe Red River alluvial valley, and one study has relied
heavily on archaeological data in the development of a
meander belt chronology for the Red River in southwestern
Arkansas (Pearson 1982; Pearson and Ducote 1979). This
latter study is discussed in more detail below.
While channel morphology, meander belt elevations and
cross-cutting relationships are the most commonly used
criteria for reconstructing meander belts, the geomorphic
complexity of the Red River argues tha t these factors have to
be used cautiously. For example, the choke points produced
by the Nacodoches and Kisatchie wolds reduce to two the
number of traceable meander belts through the constric-
tions. The changes in local base levels created by these
constrictions result in different gradients and natural levee
elevations above and below these points (Russ 1975). This
fact makes it difficult to assume that "similar-appearing, but
unconnected courses above and below each constriction
were once continuous, and that flow in them was synchro-
nous" (Commonwealth and Associates, Inc. 1981:32). In
particular, it is difficult to trace the older meander belts over
long distances because of the problems in identifying and
delineating them, and because of the often even greater
difficulty in reliably distinguishing them from other early
meander belts. Despite these difficulties, a number of au-
thors have developed meander belt sequences for the Red
River. We would argue, however, that the identity of the
earlier meander belts in particular must be viewed with
caution until some means of reliably dating and associating
spatially distinct segments is employed.
A number of relict meander belts, or more precisely meander
belt segments, of the Red River can be seen in the area visited
by this field trip. One of these segments is today occupied by
Bayous Rapides andJean deJean and is located south ofthe
modern Red River extending from the town of Boyce to
Alexandria. Relying on its cross-cutting relationships with
other channel segments, Russ (1975:169-171) indicated that
32
this is a portion of the youngest of the Red's relict meander
belts, abandoned immediately prior to the river's occupancy
of its present course. He suggests that the Bayou Rapides-
Jean de Jean course was abandoned about 450 to 500 years
ago, after having been occupied for a considerable period of
time. Saucier and Snead (1989) follow Russ' identification of
this meander belt as the most recent prior to the establish-
ment of the modern channel; however, they do not assign
a precise age to it. There is, in fact, little evidence to support
Russ's contention about the age of this meander belt. He, in
part, implies that the shift was related to the Red's diversion
through Moncla Gap about 500 yrs B.P., but this diversion
may have taken place as early as 1700yrsB.P. (Pearson 1986).
Archaeological sites along the natural levees of Bayou Rapides
or Bayou Jean de Jean would aid in formulating an age for
this system; to date few have been found. One recently
discovered site may hint at an earlier date than Russ suggests.
This site, which represents one of the stops on the field trip,
is located on the natural levees of Bayou Rapides on England
Air Force Base. It produced aboriginal lithics and a small
quantity of ceramics of types normally associated with the
Plaquemine culture, which dates from about A.D. 1200 to
possibly as late as A.D. 1700. Importantly, these materials
were found resting directly on grayish brown silts identified
as in situ natural levee deposits. Finer grained sediments,
identified as slack water deposits, cover the archaeological
materials, indicating that the archaeological site was estab-
lished after active natural levee accretion had ended along
Bayou Rapides. While this could indicate that primary flow
in Bayou Rapides had ceased as early as A.D. 1200, the site
may have been established at a much later date. Additional
archaeological data from along Bayou Rapides, and along
the other Red River meander belts, will be needed to develop
realistic chronologies for these features.
Natural Levees
Natural levees develop as a river overflows and deposits
suspended sediments. That portion of the natural levee
closest to the river channel is the highest and contains the
coarsest sediments, while toward the outer edges of the levee
the deposits are finer grained and thinner. Natural levee
sediments generally consist of silt, silty clay and some sand,
all of which tend to have reddish to reddish brown colors
derived from the river's western red bed source area. As the
levees develop, they generally provide some of the highest,
best drained, and most fertile land within an alluvial valley,
a combination of factors that makes them among the most
desirable types of terrain for settlement. The accumulation
of archaeological data from the Red River, as is generally the
case in similar settings elsewhere, indicates that human
settlement in alluvial valleys is closely associated with natu-
ral levee features. In particular, these landforms became
desirable after the introduction of cultigens into the region
and the shift to a reliance on these crops. The alluvial valley
was certainly used during earlier time periods, although
only a fairly small number of sites of great age are known. It
is probable that a fairly large segment of the earlier archaeo-
logical record has been removed by the meandering Red
River or, in some instances, buried by sediments.
33
Crevasse Channels and Splays
During periods of extreme high water, the river may scour
out channels where the outer edge of a meander bend cuts
into the river's own natural levee, and if these channels cut
through the levee, they are known as crevasses. If the period
of flooding is relatively short then the crevasse channels take
on a splayed, fan-shaped form as they deposit sediment on
the lower lands beyond the limits of the natural levee. If,
however, the crevasse is continually kept open by annual
flooding, then it may extend many kilometers into the low
lying backswamps, and, possibly c0nverting the crevasse
into a distributary/tributary stream, possibly capturing the
flow of the original trunk stream. Relatively firm natural
levees form along crevasse channels, and ideal habitation
locales are developed. This is particularly true at the point of
breakout, where the natural levees of both the major stream
and the crevasse combine to form a larger than normal
habitable land surface where access would have been avail-
able to both the major river channel and the extensive,
biologically rich backswamp area.
No detailed correlation of archaeological sites with crevasse
features has been attem pted for the Red River, but it has been
noted elsewhere. For example, a review of prehistoric and
historic aboriginal site locations along the Mississippi River
below Baton Rouge shows that many of the known sites are
situated where crevasses have occurred. The sites are located
either on the the river's widened natural levees or on the
crevasse features themselves. Similarly, evidence from nu-
merous studies in Louisiana's coastal zone indicates that
prehistoric sites on deltaic landforms are commonly located
adjacent to or on crevasse features.
Oxbow lakes
Oxbow lakes are formed when the river abandons a meander
loop and alters its course through a cutoff. Eventually
sediments fill the entrances to the former meander loop, and
it becomes a lake. Such lakes then pass through successive
stages of faunal and floral development and eventually
become filled with sediment. During their early life, oxbow
lakes are probably the most productive ecosystems in an
alluvial valley (Smith 1978:480-489). Particularly produc-
tive just after closure when they still receive overflow from
the river during periods of flood or high water, they support
large populations of fish, molluscs, and turtles, and attract a
variety of other wildlife, such as waterfowl. In addition to
abundant biotic resources, oxbow lakes offer optimum con-
ditions for human habitation and exploitation along the
well drained, high ground of their natural levees.
In the Red River flood plain, settlement along the natural
levees of oxbow lakes offers the added advantage of being
removed from the banks of the active channel where chan-
nel migration can be rapid and the rate of bank line erosion
high. This phenomena was certainly recognized by prehis-
toric occupants of the valley, as it was by historic settlers.
Backswamp drainage areas
Land suitable for habitation can also be found along the
banks of small streams draining the lower backswamp areas
that are situated between the natural levees of the Red River
and the valley bluffs. These streams flow into the larger
water courses, but still provide some minor relief by way of
their own small natural levees. These lower levees were
probably less desirable than those along the higher crevasse
and major river channels, but they would have been suitable
for short seasonal occupations.
Case Studies in Geoarchaeology
Case Study 1 . Geomorphology and
Prehistoric Settlement Patterns in the
Great Bend Region of the Red River
In 1979 Coastal Environments, Inc., of Baton Rouge, under-
took an archaeological assessment of several areas along the
Red River in what is known as the Great Bend region in
southwestern Arkansas where the Corps of Engineers pro-
posed revetment construction (Pearson and Ducote 1979).
To expand the usefulness of the study, information on the
area's archaeology and geomorphology was collected to
examine the relationships between the geomorphic history
of the alluvial valley and prehistoric settlement distribu-
tions in the Great Bend region. This effort resulted in the
development of a model of prehistoric settlement patterns
through time and the establishment of a chronological
sequence of landforms in the alluvial valley, both of which
represent an initial step in understanding the paleogeogra-
phy of the Red River flood plain. The following discussion
draws from the results of that study presented in Pearson
(1982) and Pearson and Ducote (1971).
The Study Area
The study area consists of an approximately 50-km-long
stretch of the Red River all uvial valley located just below the
Great Bend (fig. 9). While geologic and geomorphic data
were considered within the entire study area, archaeological
data adequate to provide reasonable information on settle-
ment patterns were available only from a small segment just
above Garland City, designated Analysis Area in figure 9.
The three principal topographic and geologic features ofthe
study area are the Red River alluvial valley itself, the flat to
rolling Pleistocene terraces, and the hilly Tertiary uplands
bordering the alluvial valley. The upland terraces are of
Pleistocene age and represent ancient Red River flood plains
(Frye and Leonard 1963; Martin et al. 1954; Smith and Russ
1974). They are of various intermediate elevations, are
characteristically level to slightly rolling, and are dissected
bymodern water courses and relict Pleistocene-age Red River
channels. The hilly uplands are of Tertiary age and provide
the highest elevations in the Great Bend region (Ludwig
1972:5). Elevations in the uplands of the northern portion
of the study area reach 135 m, and in some areas bordering
the alluvial valley there are bluffs rising as high as 60 m
above the flood plain.
Flood Plain Landforms
An initial effort was made to identify and establish a tenta-
tive chronology of alluvial valley landforms within the
study area. This effort was necessarily at a broad scale. The
landforms consisted of meander belts, or portions of mean-
der belts, and their chronolOgical placement was made on
their morphological characteristics and spatial position.
What is identified as the modern meander belt consists of
the present river course and its recent oxbow lakes. The
modern oxbows were identified, in part, by their degree of
filling; that is, they generally consist of open water or have
only slight amounts of filling towards their ends. Also, the
Red River Survey maps of 1886-1887 (U.S. Engineer Depart-
ment 1886-1892) and various U. S. Geological Survey topo-
graphic maps shOWing the 1951 channel were used to
identify recent river courses.
Intermediate age channels are those which have been
partially filled and contain little or no open water, yet are
still easily discernible on the ground and on topographic
maps. Often these are cypress swamps which are flooded for
portions of the year. These channels also tend to display a
patterned'distribution in the river valley (fig. 9). In the
northern three-quarters of the study area, with one or two
exceptions, the intermediate age channels are confined to
the eastern side of the modern meander bel t. In the extreme
southern portion of the study area they are found only on
the western side of the modern channel.
As figure 9 indicates, the identified intermediate age chan-
nels in this area do not form complete meander belts, but
rather appear to represent partial or truncated segments of
meander belts. Of these channels east of the river, all but one
open to the west, suggesting the river has shifted slightly
west since it occupied these channels, leaving only those
that had formed the eastern portion or, more specifically,
the left-hand descending meanders of its former meander
belt or belts.
Farther south, the intermediate age former channels all
open to the east, suggesting the river has shifted in that
direction. These relict meanders represent the truncated
remnants of the right-hand descending meanders of the
former meander belt of the river.
The oldest class of relict meanders in the valley are those that
are completely, or almost completely, filled. These early
meander scars are barely discernible on topographic maps,
and many can be seen only in infrared aerial photographs.
Early meander scars are scattered throughout the valley;
however, in most cases they are located farther from the
modern river course than are meander segments identified
as intermediate age (Fig. 9). The older meander scars gener-
ally do not form identifiable segments of meander belts, but
appear as isolated loops or channel segments. Erosion and
filling over a long time period have obliterated or obscured
much of the evidence of these early river courses. Only in
one area is a complete segment of a possible early meander
belt observable. This belt runs west from a Tertiary age inlier
known as Buzzard BIuffin the northern part of the study area
and is currently occupied by Finn Bayou (Figure GA-2). The
good preservation of the Finn Bayou meander belt is indica-
tive of a sudden abandonment of this portion of the chan-
nel, evidently due to an avulsion farther upstream. The
continued or subsequent occupancy ofthis relict river chan-
nel by Finn Bayou as an underfit stream has probably
prevented its filling to the same extent as most of the other
early meander scars.
34
\
\ ~
, ~ )
-
INTERMEDIATE AGE
MEANDER BELT
1000 B.C. to A.D. 1600
'-
' - ~
EARLY MEANDER SCARS
pre 1000 B.C

FINN BAYOU MEANDER BELT
age undetermined
6
N
o I) km
,.
Figure 8-Cross section of the Red River alluvial valley taken near Zimmerman, Louisiana,
showing typical flood plain features and stratigraphy (source: Smith and Russ
1974),
35
Note should be made of one other alluvial valley landform
in the study area; the Deweyville Complex. The Deweyville
Complex comprises the latest Pleistocene formation in the
study area and occurs as small remnants adjacent to the
modern alluvial valley. The Deweyville has been recognized
along most major streams on the Gulf and Atlantic Coastal
Plain (Gagliano and Thorn 1967) and along many major
tributaries of the MiSSissippi (Autin et al. 1991). Character-
ized by distinctly over-sized meander-belt features, the
Deweyville Complex is situated stratigraphically between
the Prairie Complex and Holocene flood plain. Currently, it
is believed that the Deweyville Complex developed in re-
sponse to climatic change, probably primarily "changes in
seasonality and intensity of precipitation events" (Autin et
al. 1991:560). Estimates of the age of Deweyville features
have ranged from 7,000 yrs B.P. to 30,000 yrs B.P., but the
available archaeological evidence suggests it dates prior to
about 13,000 yrs B.P. (Autin et al. 1991; Weinstein and
Kelley 1984). Smith and Russ (1974) have identified
Deweyville Complex surfaces in the southern part of the
study area. These are located at an elevation of about 65 m,
"1<
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Figure 10- Locations of initial occupation sites of the
Archaic period and the estimated eastern edge of
the Red River meander belt at ca 1000 B.C.
(source: Pearson 1982),
elevations only slightly above the modern flood plain, and
have relatively level surfaces with barely observable mean-
der scars.
Given the complexity of alluvial valley geomorphology, this
identification of a chronology of meander belts and associ-
ated landforms is considered hypothetical, but testable,
Information on prehistoric settlemen t distribution was used
to examine and date the hypothesized meander belt se-
quence and to develop generalizations about the the dy-
namics of prehistoric settlement on the alluvial flood plain
(Pearson 1982).
Archaeological Site Distribution
and Holocene Meander Belts
The site data used here consists of that reported to or
recorded by the Arkansas Archeological Survey as of 1979
and presented in Pearson (1982), Only in one part of the
study area is there a sufficien t number of known prehistoric
. sites whose age and distribution can be used in the develop-
36
\,.
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Figure 11 - Locations of initial occupation sites of the
Fourche Maline period and the estimated eastern
edge of the Red River meander belt at ca A.D. 900
(source: Pearson 1982).
ment of initial estimates of meander belt ages. These are
found on the eastern side of the all uvial valley in northern
Lafayette County. This area is referred to as the analysis area
in the following discussion. The majority of these sites have
been reported byalocalresident andavocational archaeolo-
gist, Herschel Kitchens. Presently, there is no reason to
assume that prehistoric site concentrations differ to any
great extent in other similar portions of the alluvial valley.
Recent research in the Red River flood plain below Shreve-
port seems to suggests high site densities, possibly not unlike
those reported here aeff Girard, personal communication
1992). Elsewhere sites simply have not been found or re-
ported.
The locations of sites within the analysis area were plotted
according to period of initial occupation, the assumption
being that patterned distribution of sites through time may
provide information on ages of various landforms. Three
broad categories of initial periods of occupation were used:
Archaic (ca. 6000B.C. to 1000 B.C.), Fourche Maline (ca. 400
B.C. to A.D. 900), and Caddoan ca. A.D. 900 to A.D. 1780).
-1< \
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TERTIARY
& PLEISTOCENE
UPLANDS
\ ~ APPROXIMATE EASTEAH EDGE OF REO RIVER
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\ 83 LA 36
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, 83LAtf
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83 LA 20
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"3 LA 28
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1IIIE:::IIIIII::IIIIIc;::lIIClI-=i _____ .. 2 km
N
.,
Figure 12 - Locations of initial occupation sites of the
Caddoan period and the estimated eastern edge
of the Red River meander belt at ca A.D. 1600
(source: Pearson 1982).
As shown in figure 10 initial occupation sites of the Archaic
period are confined to the eastern bluff edge and to the
alluvial valley floor adjacent to the bluff. This distribution is
interpreted not as an avoidance of settlement in the river
bottoms, but as an indication of the destruction by the river
of any Archaic sites which may have existed farther west.
]udgingfrom the distribution of these sites, the eastern edge
of the Red River meander belt at the end of the Archaic
period (ca 1000B.C.) would have been as shown in figure 10.
The flood plain surfaces available for occupation at 1000
B.C. corresponds almost exactly to the area assigned to the
early meander scar category of relict channels.
Initial occupation Fourche Maline sites (Fig. 11) occur far-
ther west onto the flood plain than Archaic si tes, suggesting
tha t between a pproxima tely 1000 B. C. and A.D. 900 the Red
River meander belt shifted westward with a concomitant
shift of settlement. The identified eastern boundary of the
Red River meander belt at about A.D. 900 is shown in figure
11. All of the flood plain added to that occupied by Archaic
sites falls within the intermediate age channel category.
Initial occupation Caddoan sites are found in the flood plain
even farther to the west than are Fourche Maline sites
(Fig. 12) , attesting to the continued westward shift of the Red
River meander belt in this area. The estimated eastern edge
of the Red River meander belt at about A.D. 1600 is shown
in figure 12. All of the land surface added since the end of the
Fourche Maline period falls within the intermediate age
class of relict channel landforms.
The modern meander bel tis loca ted just west of these known
Caddo an sites, suggesting the river has occupied its present
meander belt for approximately the last 400 years. It is
unlikely that the river will continue its westward shift.
Extensive levee systems constructed since the nineteenth
century have stabilized the meander belt, though meander
activity within this modern belt continues to be consider-
able.
The evidence presented indicates that the land surfaces
between the westernmost extent of Archaic period sites and
the eastern edge of the modern meander bel t were formed or
became suitable for occupation between about 1000 B.C.
and A.D. 1600. All relict meander scars in this area fall into
the intermediate age category, while the Archaic period
initial occupation sites are associated with early meander
scar landforms. By extension, it is suggested that elsewhere
in this portion of the river valley landforms associated with
what have been classified as early meander scars predate
1000 B.C., those associated with intermediate age channels
date 1000 B.C. to A.D. 1600, and landforms associated with
the modern meander belt postdate A.D. 1600.
At present, it is impossible to further differentiate the ages of
the various early meander scars and their associated land-
forms, though additional si te da ta may all ow for, at least, the
dating of specific early meander segments.
The identification of various aged landforms can in turn
guide future archeological research and the development of
hypotheses about site distributions through time. It appears
37
that landforms associated with early meander scars will
contain sites ranging in age from at least the Late Archaic
through the present. Presumably, sites of much earlier age
will be found in association with some of these early sur-
faces, though site data are not available which would allow
an estimation of how much earlier. It should also be noted
that these surfaces have been exposed to alluviation for a
long time, and early sites on them may now be covered by
considerable amounts of alluvium.
Intermediate age meander belt landforms are expected to
contain occupations dating from approximately 1000 B.C.
to the present. Those sites used in this analysis that are
located on landforms associated with this meander belt are
all located at or near the present ground surface. Since these
sites represent a considerable time span, it would appear that
alluviation has not been generally extensive within the
intermediate age meander belt in the analysis area, although
in specific locales it may be considerable. Whether or not
this holds true for portions of this meander belt outside the
analysis area remains to be seen.
The Red River is estimated to have occupied the modern
meander belt for approximately the last 400yearsj however,
older land surfaces, not yet removed by the meandering
river, are still found within this belt. The majority of sites
located in the modern meander belt will probably postdate
ca. A.D. 1600, but some earlier sites will be found on the
older land surfaces still extant within the meander belt.
As emphasized earlier, the Red River is extremely active, is
subject to rapid and dramatic changes in course, and is
characterized by rapidly eroding cutbanks. There is no doubt
that prehistoric inhabitants were cognizant of this and
would have hesitated to establish settlements, especially
larger, more important ones in places that were in immedi-
ate danger of destruction. The most obvious choice for
settlement in the alluvial valley would have been along the
relatively recently formed oxbow lakes adjacent to the active
channel. Settlements along oxbow lakes were removed from
the immediate danger of river activity and were located in
areas providing the combined advantages of the high, well
drained soils of relict levees and the abundant resources
(especially fish) found in these lakes (Smith 1978:480-489).
It is argued that most of the major sites (e.g., mound sites)
associated with relict Red River channels were established
and occupied during that period when the channel was a
productive oxbow lake.
Archeological site distributions in the Red River alluvial
valley appear to be related to and largely dictated by river
activity. Prehistoric settlements are more likely to be associ-
ated with recently formed oxbow lakes, because of the
optimum conditions they offer, in comparison to active
river channels. In the study area, it appears that as the
meander belt shifted there was a concomitant shift in
settlement to take advantage of the newly formed levees
and, presumably, recently relict oxbows and channel seg-
ments. The prehistoric settlement distributions observed in
the valley today are also, in part, a consequence of site
destruction brought about by the effects of river meander
activity.
Heinrich (1991:320) has recently suggested that the pro-
cesses oflateral channel migration and alluviation along the
active channel of streams can, inherently, produce a pattern
of site distribution which only appears to indicate a cultural
preference for settlement along relict channel segments and
courses. He uses archaeological site data from along the
Mississippi River below Baton Rouge to demonstrate that
sites of widely varying ages are, in fact, found associated with
the levees of the present channel. Heinrich may be correct
concerning the lower Mississippi; it is really a unique case.
However, importantly, there are no relict meanders or chan-
nel segments associated with the modern course of the river
below Baton Rouge which would serve to test his hypothesis.
We would argue, in general, that where relict channels do
occur they offer an array of environmental advantages that
attracted human use and settlement, although, no doubt
some settlements would be located along active streams. The
biological advantages of relict channels are at their optimum
during their early life, the period when human use would be
at its greatest. Support for this pattern of occupation is found
in the soil stratigraphy reported from many archaeological
sites in alluvial valley as well as deltaic settings. Cultural
remains, particularly in the Red River flood plain, tend to be
found stratigraphically above, or intermingled in, the very
upper levels of identified natural levee sediments. This
suggests that the human occupation occurred after the
cessation of, or near the very end of, natural levee accretion
and, thus, about the time the channel became relict.
Systematic archeological surveys should be directed at test-
ing the proposi tions concerning the age ofthe meander belts
and associated landforms put forth in this study. Archeo-
logical surveys of a sample of the recent land surfaces
identified in the modern meander belt should provide the
data necessary to test the hypotheSis that they are less than
400 years old. Similar work should be directed at selected
areas of the intermediate age meander belt for the same
reason.
The Finn Bayou meander belt offers an ideal research uni-
verse within which to examine the interrelationships be-
tween prehistoriC settlements and the Red River. Site data
from this area should provide informa tion on the age of the
meander belt as well as insight into the nature of site
location in relation to the major components of the mean-
der belt system (e.g., oxbow lakes, active channeC crevasse
levees, etc.). The erosional remnants in the valley and the
identified Deweyville surfaces are areas that should provide
evidence on the earliest prehistoric occupants of the valley.
Although other early surfaces exist in the valley (e.g., early
meander scar landforms), sites located on them are likely to
be inaccessible because of alluviation.
Estimating Meander Activity and Site
Destruction in the Great Bend Region
The extreme meander activity ofthe Red River results in the
continuous destruction and redeposition of a considerable
percentage of the land surfaces within its meander belt.
Since these surfaces contain archaeological sites, it is pre-
sumed that the longer the river occupies a given meander
belt the more sites will be destroyed.
38
Some insight into the amount and rate of site destruction is
provided by data concerning the destruction of historically
documented sites in the vicinity of the study area. Of the 49
mounds reported by Moore (1912) and other early sources,
only 26 have been relocated; most of the others have been
lost to the river (Frank Schambach, personal communica-
tion). Therefore, within approximately a 100-year time
span, possibly one-half of the prehistoric sites known to
have been located in the modern meander belt have been
destroyed. If Abington (1973) is correct in assuming that Red
River meander activity has lessened since the 1880s, then
the possibility that the rate of site destruction was greater in
the early historic and prehistoric periods than it was in the
past 100 years must be considered. In light of this possibili ty
of extensive site loss, the available archeological sample of
prehistoric sites within a Red River meander belt, may only
be a poor representation of the original population of sites.
This factor is most critically related to assessments of past
site populations within meander belts which were active for
some period oftime. In those instances where meander belts
are abandoned after a short period of activity, or in those
where complete meander belt segments or systems are
abandoned in toto, then current site distributions and types
are presumably more representative of the original popula-
tion that existed and provide more meaningful information
on past settlement systems. The well-preserved Finn Bayou
meander belt mentioned above is a case in point. This
meander belt contains a number of cu t-offs, suggesting some
long period of activity, but it was apparently abandoned
suddenly, leaving a full range of meander belt landforms
available for settlement. Archaeological site distributions
across these landforms should provide inform a tion on how
these landforms were utilized. Several well preserved mean-
der belt systems are induded in the present field trip,
specifically Bayou Rapides and Bayou Boeuf. The general
lack of cut-offs and abandoned meander segments along
these two bayous suggests that neither was occupied for a
long period of time before abandonment. Thus, thevariabil-
i ty in, as well as sheer number of, preferred landform settings
alongthese two meander belts maybe less than will be found
along systems like Finn Bayou which were active for long
periods of time. It is possible that these geomorphiC charac-
teristics will be reflected in the archaeological record, Le.,
fewer sites and less variability in types of sites along systems
like Bayou Boeuf than along systems like Finn Bayou, but
this question has not yet been addressed by archaeologists.
Case Study 2: The Monda Gap Diversion
In that portion of the Red River below Alexandria, Louisiana,
Fisk (1944) identified several relict courses of the river on the
basis of physiographic and topographic evidence. In the
same area, Saucier (1974:Fig. 1) has identified four former
courses in addition to the present course. The identified
relict courses, as shown in figure 13 flowed west, southwest
and south of an eleva ted outlier of the late Pleistocene Prairie
Complex known as the Avoyelles Prairie. Other earlier
courses are presumed to have existed, although physical
evidence of their existence has been obliterated by the
activities of later streams.
In its final 80 km, the modern course of the Red River flows
within the alluvial valley flood plain of the Mississippi River.
This segment became occupied when the river's course
diverted through Monda Gap, located at the northern end
of the Avoyelles Prairie (Fig. 13). The new northern course
reduced from 65 km to 13 km the distance required for the
river to descend to the Mississippi River flood plain. In 1986,
using archaeological data, Pearson (1986) provided new
suggestions on the date of the Red's diversion through
'Nfonda Gap. His findings are summarized here.
Several suggestions as to the date of diversion through
Monda Gap had been presented, but none had never been
accurately determined. Fisk (1944:Table 6), correlating the
diversion with stage 15 of his chronology for the lYfississippi
River, suggested a date of about A.D. 1500 to A.D. 1600;
Abington (1973:10) and Saucier (1974:Fig. 3), generally
accepted this date. Russell (1967:32-33) believed the diver-
sion occurred within the past 1500 years, while Lenzer
(1979) argued that the diversion could have occurred 1000
years ago.
All of these estimates relied on geologic and geomorphic
evidence. Pearson (1986), relying on information from three
archaeological sites associated with the modern Red River
meander belt below Monda Gap, was able to bring more
precise temporal information to bear on this question. These
three sites (Fig. 13) were all initially reported by Clarence B.
Moore in connection with his work along the Red River in
the early years of this century (Moore 1912). The sites are:
mounds near mouth ofL'Eau Noire Bayou (16AV 39),lower
mound on Saline Point (16 AV 41), and upper mound on
Saline Point (16AV 13). Twoofthesites (16AV13 and 16AV
41) are now on an abandoned segment of the Red River
produced when the river was shortened for navigation
purposes in the 1930s.
Toth (1977:439-441) reanalyzed Moore's ceramic collec-
tions from two of the sites (16 AV 13 and 16 AV 41) and
identified the earliest components at each as falling within
the early Marksville period. Marksville period and later
ceramics have also been recovered from the third site, the
mounds at L'Eau Noire Bayou (16 AV39). Excavations at the
site have indicated the presence period ceram-
ics, though the most intensive occupation occurred during
post-Marksville times (Klinger et al. 1983; Pearson et al.
1983).
Currently accepted dates for the Marksville period in the
Lower Mississippi Valley are on the order of 100 B.C. toA.D.
400 (Toth 1977:16; ShenkeI1981). Toth's identification of
early Marksville components at 16 AV 13 and 16 AV 41
would argue for occupation occurring at these two sites near
the beginning of the period. Where the other site, 16 A V 39,
would fall within the time span of Marksville is presently
unknown.
All three of the sites are located near the present channel of
the Red River and within the meander belt (Smith and Russ
1974). Borings indicate that Red River levee and point bar
deposits in the area of the sites are on the order of 10 to 12
m thick (Smith and Russ 1974). C. B. Moore (1912) noted
that both of the Saline Point sites were mounds that rose
about 3 m above the ground surface and that at 16AV 41 the
39
'('
01--- __ )
\ c.s .....

. -.-a-kV---t3------
8 AV 14
8 AV 12-
\ .
t,
? AVOYELLES
"' /) PRAIRIE
GREENHOUSE
ARKSVILLE
HS AV 215
"../
: V" c'C,:
. "
Lo,

oJC}-ov
J
JL A-..
.
\.\
,
tb
1
o IS 10
H Jr.7.o'JI:.teu i

UNI)IFFERENTJATI.:D PLEISTOCENE
'TERRACES
Bil
LATE PLEISTOCENE TERRACE
SURFACES
/V
PRESENT RED RIVER COURSE
/\J
RELICT RED RIVER COURSES

ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES WITH
MARKSVILLE PERIOD COMPONENTS
Figure 13 - Geological and cultural features in the vicinity of Monda Gap. The
archaeological sites used to estimate the age of the modern Red River course are
underlined (source: Pearson 1986).
deepest of a number of burials excava ted was only 1 m below
the surface. All of these data suggest that these sites are
associated with the natural levees of the modern course of
the Red, and thus necessarily post da te the appearance of the
river in this area (Pearson 1986).
The stratigraphic relationship of cultural deposits to natural
levee formations is clearer at the other site, 16 AV 39. Here,
excavations located intact cultural deposits containing
Marksville period ceramics at a depth of 2.5 m below the
present surface. Beneath these cultural materials are Red
River levee deposits (Klinger et al. 1983).
Itis argued that the Marksville period occupations identified
at these three sites occur on, and in association, with the
naturalleveesofthe Red River. Consequently, theynecessar-
ily post-date the river's occupancy and subsequent levee
development in this area. IfToth is correct in his assessment
of early Marksville occupations, then diversion through
Monda Gap and natural levee formation had to have oc-
curred by approximately A.D. 1 and certainly no later than
A.D. 200.
No pre-Nfarksville period sites are reported along the Red
River below Monda. Although this may be a reflection of
lack of site information, it would seem to indicate that the
river diverted through Monda Gap by early Marksville times
or, at least, had not developed levee systems suitable for
habitation prior to then. The time reqUired to develop such
landforms is currently unknown,
40
An early Marksville period date for the Red River below
Monda Gap may provide partial explanation for the con-
centration of Marksville period settlements on the northern
and eastern edge of the Avoyelles Prairie near the present
course of the river (Fig. 13). Here there are several archaeo-
logical sites with Marksville period occupations, induding
the rna jor mound center of Marksville. Presumably, Marksville
period populations were attracted to the combined re-
sources of the elevated AvoyeUes Prairie, the 1vfississippi
River flood plain, and the alluvial flood plain of the active
Red River producing the observed site concentrations. The
Red River diversion through Monda Gap would have been
an important factor in influencing Marksville period, as well
as later prehistoric, settlement in the region.
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Society, no. 2, p. 29-126.
Webb, C. H., and McKinney, R. R., 1975, Mounds plantation
(16Cd12), Caddo Parish, Louisiana: Louisiana Archae-
ology 2, p. 39-127.
Weinstein, R. A., 1981, Meandering rivers and shifting
villages: a prehistoric settlement model in the upper
Steele Bayou basin, Mississippi: Southeastern Archaeo-
logical Conference Bulletin 24, p. 37-41.
Weinstein, R.A., 1985, Development and regional variation
of Plaquemines culture in south Louisiana: 6th Mid-
South Archaeological Conference, Mississippi State
University.
Weinstein, R. A., and Gagliano, S. M. , 1985, The shifting
deltaic coast of the Lafourche country and its prehis-
toric settlement in Uzee, P. D., The Lafourche Country:
43
The People and the Land: Center for Louisiana Studies,
Lafayette, p. 122-48.
Weinstein, R. A., Glander, W. P., Gagliano, S. M., Fulgham,
S., Pearson, C. E., and McCloskey, K. G., 1979, Cultural
resources survey of five proposed construction projects
along the Lower Red River, Louisiana: Coastal Environ-
ments, Inc., Baton Rouge, 291 p.
SECTION II
he i ld Trip
44
STOP 1
Late Tertiary to Middle Pleistocene Evolution of an
Upland Erosional Landscape
Review of the Williana and Bentley Areas
W. f. Autin, f. 1. Snead, P. M. Walthall, D. J. McCraw, and W. f. Day
liThe Williana Terrace forms the main divides of Grant and La Salle Parishes and is
everywhere badly dissected. U. S. Highway 167 (from Alexandria to Winnfield) follows
the main stream divide between Little River and Red River drainage, and the typical
surface is named from the section crossed by the highway one mile south of Williana.
Streams flowing southeast and southwest from the divide in this vicinity have cut
through the terrace materials, exposing their unconformable contact with the Tertiary
sediments."
liThe Bentley Terrace is best developed in central Grant Parish, where it is preserved as
a narrow area at the foot of a fairly well preserved escarpment one mile north of Bentley.
The escarpment is only locally preserved in other parts of the area. The extent of the
original surface has been reconstructed from the general accordant elevation of ridges."
Location
The Williana-Bentley transect (Fig. 1.1), located in northern
Grant Parish illustrates the complexity of soil geomorphic
relationships of an erosional landscape with multiple geo-
morphic surfaces and geologic map units. The traverse along
U. S. Highway 167 from Bentley to Willian a is on the
regional drainage divide between the Red River and Little
River valleys. Comparison of the sedimentologic and ped-
ologic features of the Williana core, the Williana pit, and the
Bentley core illustrate the effects of differential geosol ero-
sion, burial by a variable thickness of colluvial veneer, and
the complexity of using landform and lithologic associa-
tions as a guide to geologic mapping.
Topography and geomorphology
Elevations along the transect range from over 82 m immedi-
ately south of Williana to near S4 m in the upper drainage
of the Big Creek valley near Dry Prong. The landscape is
moderately sloping, with local gently sloping to nearly level
summits and shoulder slopes. Big Creek is the only stream
along the transect with a notable size flood plain. The
boundary between Fisk's (193a) Bentley and Williana Ter-
races is marked by a change in the drainage dissection
pattern 2 - 3 km north of Bentley (Fig. 1.2). Surface slopes
heading north and east (up the stratigraphic dip) to the Little
River are greater than surface slopes heading south and west
(down the stratigraphie dip) to the Red River. Both of Fisk's
(1938) units were grouped into the High Terraces (Snead and
45
- Fisk, 1938, p. 59-60, p. 62
McCulloh, 1984) and the Upland Complex (Saucier and
Snead, 1989).
Site characterization
The Williana core is from an area near where Fisk (1938)
described a typical Willian a Terrace landscape. A 4 m core
reveals a sequence of 1.7 m of colluvium over an eroded
paleosol developed in the Vicksburg Group (RR1, Tables 4
andS). The colluvium is a 10YRIoamwithanargillichorizon
that has 7.SYR mottles and a weakly developed soil struc-
ture. Tongues and root fills began at the base of the collu-
vium, where mixing with the underlying paleosol is evident.
The underlying paleosol developed in the Vicksburg Group
is truncated, and only the lower 30 cm of its Bt horizon is
preserved at this site. Faint laminations of clay, silt, and silt
loam were observed in the C horizon.
The Willi ana pit is located 0.8 kmfrom the Willi ana core, but
exposes a 3 m sequence of the weathering profile of the
Upland geosol (RR22, Tables 6 and 7). A 40 cm thick sandy
loam to loam A-E-B\E horizon sequence is interpreted as
colluvium. The primary lines of evidence for this inference
are the lithologic similarity of the surface horizons in the pit
to colluvial deposits of other landscape positions, and the
thickening of this horizon set in a downslope direction
across the pit exposure. The profile of the geosol consists of
a red 2.SYR sandy clay loam argillic horizon with moderate
subangular blocky structure and heavy clay films on ped
surfaces. Pockets, tubes, and lamellae of 10YR bleached sand
~
Hu
Alluvium
(U ndifferen tia ted)
Tej
Prairie Complex
~
Ppl
(Lower Surface)
~
Prairie Complex
Ppu
(Upper Surface)
Pu
Upland Complex
~
Toe
Catahoula Formation
< Vicksburg Group
g
Tov
(U ndifferentia tea)
~
Jackson Group ~
Tej
(Undifferentiated)
\
Loca tion of Williana -
Bentley Cross Section
RR 1
Core Location
0 5
Kilometers
Pu
N
Figure 1.1 - Geologic Map of the Williana - Bentley Area. The transect of the Williana-
Bentley Cross Section is indicated.
46
are the primary C horizon properties. Rotted chert gravel
occur throughout the weathered interval. The reticulate
mottled and tongue pattern common in the Upland geosol
through its regional extent can be observed in a lenticular
clay loam channel fill lateral to the sampled soil profile.
The Bentley core is from an area near where Fisk (1938 )
described a typical Bentley Terrace landscape. A 6 m core
revealed a sequence of 1.6 m of colluvium overlying a
truncated weathering profile of the Upland geosol (RR11,
Tables 8 and 9). The colluvium has a 10YR clay loam argillic
horizon with platy structure, plinthite, and gray tongues of
silt loam and silty clay loam. Theunderlyinggeosol is eroded
down to its BC horizon. Tongues from the overlying collu-
vium terminate in the upper .horizon of the geosol. The C
horizon texture varies from sandy loam to medium sand and
the horizon has oxide stains and mottles.
Stratigraphy of sediments and soils
The Tertiary formations occur beneath a regionally-exten-
sive unconformity that separates the units from the Quater-
Figure 7.2 - Topographic Map of the Williana - Bentley Area. The stop 7 site is indicated.
47
TABLE 4 - Characteristics of a Core From Beneath Fisk's (1938) Williana Terrace Type Locality
Location: Grant Parish, Louisiana; 31
0
39'26" N, 92
0
33'27" W (Sec 22 T8N R2W); Williana, LA 7.S-minute quadrangle;
LGS core locality RR-1; site is on an upper sideslope along Forest Service Road 165; elevation is 82.3 m; slope is 1 to 3
percent; surface soil classifies as Metcalf Series (Aquic Glossudalf).
DEPTH, em HORIZON MATRIX COLOR MOTTLE COLOR TEX STRUCTURE CONSIST BDY COMMENTS
0- 20 2.5YR 5/8 LS fr ab fill; rt; G
TOP OF COLLUVIUM
20 - 30 Ap 1 OYR 5/2 SL wk fn ab fr cI rt
30 - 40 E 1 OYR 6/4 10YR 5/2 L wk fn ab fr ab rt; 10YR 5/2 SL burfills
40 - 70 Btl 10YR 7/8 L wkmed ab hd gr rt; disc C flm on peds
70 - 90 Bt2 10YR 7/8 7.5YR 6/6 L wk med sab hd gr disc C flm on peds
90 - 130 Bt3 10YR 7/8 7.5YR 6/6 L wk med sab hd cI C flm & 10YR 8/3 SiL flm on peds
130 - 170 Bt&2Bt 1 OYR 6/8 2.5YR 4/8 SCL mod med sab fm gr 10YR 7/2 SiCL tng & rt fills
TOP OF TRUNCATED PALEOSOL DEVELOPED IN OLIGOCENE VICKSBURG GROUP
170 - 200 2Bt 10YR 7/2 7.5YR 5/8 CL mod med sab fm df 10YR 7/2 SiCL tng & rt fills
200 - 260 2BC 5Y 6/3 SiCL wk med ab fm df 10YR 6/8 & 7.5YR 5/8 st
260 - 400 2C 2.5Y 7/3 L fm 10YR 6/8 & 7.5YR 5/8 st; faintlam
TABLE 5- Particle SIze Data for Williana Core- RR1- Metcalf Series
HORIZON DEPTH, cm VCS CS MS
Ap 20 - 30 1.0 1.3 4.8
E 30 - 40 0.6 0.6 3.2
Btl 40- 70 0.6 0.3 1.8
Bt2 70 - 90 0.2 0.2 1.8
Bn 90 - 130 0.1 0.2 1.5
Bt&2Bt 130 - 170 0.0 0.1 1.7
2Bt 170 - 200 0.0 0.1 1.3
2BC 200 - 260 0.0 0.1 0.4
2C 260 - 400 0.0 0.1 0.2
nary Upland Complex. The local distribution of Tertiary and
Quaternary geologic units are illustrated in Figure 1.2. In the
area of the Willian a-Bentley transect, Tertiary formations
range in age from the middle Eocene Jackson Group to the
upper Miocene Fleming Group. Surface soils that develop in
the outcrop area of the Tertiary Formations along the
Williana-Bentley transect are mostly Cadeville and Metcalf
soils (Hapludalfs and Glossudalfs) (USDA, 1986).
The Upland Complex is mapped as a blanket deposit of sand
and gravel across the area mapped as Williana and Bentley
of Fisk (193a). The sand and gravel blanket, mapped as the
Citronelle Formation by Chawner (1936) on correlative
landsca pes in neighboring Catahoula Parish, was deposited
on an irregularly dissected Tertiary landscape. The deposit is
continuous across much of what Fisk (1938) considered the
Bentley Terrace, and is distributed as discontinuous hilltop
caps or is absent from some areas originally considered the
Williana Terrace. Observations indicate that the formation
is generally greater than 10 m thick in the areas originally
mapped as Bentley Terrace. Surface soils that develop in the
FS VFS TOTAL SAND TOTAL SILT TOTAL CLAY
13.3 38.4 58.8 36.1 5.1
20.9 26.3 51.5 41.0 7.5
12.1 20.2 34.9 40.2 24.9
18.6 23.8 44.7 40.7 14.6
19.3 24.3 45.3 38.6 16.1
19.4 30.3 51.5 27.8 20.7
15.6 15.4 32.4 39.2 28.3
3.5 12.2 16.2 52.0 31.9
1.8 27.5 29.5 46.6 23.8
outcrop area of the Upland Complex along the Williana-
Bentley transect are mostly Smithdale, Ruston, Malbis, and
Glenmora soils (Paleudults and Paleudalfs) (USDA, 1986).
The yellowish loamy colluvium drapes most upland land-
scapes of the Tertiary formations and the Upland Complex.
In southeastern Louisiana, a similar lithology occurring in
the same stratigraphic position is termed the Montpelier
Colluvium where it overlies a truncated geosol in the
Citronelle Formation (Autin et al., contributed notes, this
guidebook). Both deposits may be part of a family of collu-
vial deposits that veneer landscapes as young as the Interme-
diate Complex, Montgomery Alloformation (Stop 2, this
guidebook).
The cross section along the Williana-Bentley transect (Fig.
1.3) illustrates the geometry of the landscape, the distribu-
tion of formations, and variations in lithology within map
units. Colluvium is the first unit beneath the land surface at
all locations investigated. The thickness of the colluvium
varies, but the landscape pattern of thickness variations in
48
Williana - Cross Section
North
o 2 4 6 8 10 South
861 ____ ____ ____ L_ __ ____ _L ____ ____ L_ __ ____ _L ____ __
84
82
80
78
76
74
72
70
68
66
64
62
60
58
56
Williana
Vicksburg Group Upland Complex
86
84
82
80
78
76
74
56
54
Lithofacies of Williana - Bentley Cross-Section
Iiii Silty Clay Loam,
Clay Loam, Clay
Silt Loam, Loam,
E:..::::::J Loamy Sand Loam,
Loamy Sand
Topography
Figure 1.3 - Cross Section of the Williana - Bentley Area.
this area has not yet been determined. Tertiary clay and clay
loam was identified in the Williana area in the northern 5
km of the cross section. To the south, weathering profiles of
the Upland geosol were identified. The modern land surface
is in tensely dissected, however, the upper surface of both the
Tertiary formations and the Upland geosol form complex
geomorphic surfaces whose forms do not correlate directly
with the present landscape.
n:::.1 Sand

I'1iJ Sand & Gravel
D Colluvium
- Base of Colluvium
Unconformity
Geologic mapping
Tertiary geologic units locally mapped are the Vicksburg and
Jackson Groups, the Oligocene Catahoula Formation, and
the Miocene Fleming Formation. Vicksburg and Jackson
lithologies are primarily fine-grained silty and clayey depos-
its. The Jackson outcrop area is delineated on upland sum-
mits by broad, low relief nearly level landscapes. The
Vicksburg Group and Catahoula Formation have erratic to
saw-tooth shaped topographic contours and dissected den-
49
TABLE 6 - Characteristics of a profile from the Wlliana gravel pit.
Location: Grant Parish, Louisiana; 31 39'23" N, 9232'52" W (Sec 23 T8N R2W); Williana, LA 7.5-minute
quadrangle; LGS locality RR-22; site is in a gravel pit on an upper sideslope along Forest Service Road 127; profile
is on the eastfacing wall ofthe pit; elevation is 76.2 m; slope is 3 to 5 percent; surface soil is mapped as Smithdale
Series (Typic Paleudalf).
DEPTH, em HORIZON MATRIX COLOR MOnLECOLOR TEX STRUCTURE CONSIST BDY COMMENTS
0- 30 10YR 3/3 SL fr ab filii rti soil clasts
TOP OF COLLUVIUM
30 - 45 A 1 OYR 6/3 SL wk vfn gr vfr ab rti Wdi chari bur
45 - 60 E 1 OYR 6/3 5YR 5/8 SL wk vfn ab vfr cI rti bur; some rt & bur filled with
1 OYR 3/3 LS
60 - 70 B\E 5YR 5/8 L wk fn ab fr cI rt; bur
GEOSOL DEVElOPED IN CITRONELLE FORMATION OR ITS EQUIVALENT
70 - 120 2Bt1 2.5YR 4/4 SCL mod med sab fm gr C flmi scat 4 - 8 mm G; rot G
120 - 155 2Bt2 2.5YR 4/6 SCL mod med sab fr df C flm; scat 4 - 8 mm G; rot G
155230 2BC 2.5YR 4/8 SCL wk med sab fr df scat 8 16 mm Gi rot Gi tb of
7.5YR 6/8 & 1 OYR 8/2
230 - 270 2C1 2.5YR 4/8 GSL vfr gr abun 8 16 mm G; rot G; pock
& tb of 7.5YR 6/8 & 1 OYR 8/2 GS
270 - 330 2C2 2.5YR 4/8 SL vfr scat 4 - 8 mm G; rot G; pock, tb,
& lame of 7.5YR 6/8 & 10YR 8/2 S
TABLE 7 - Particle Size data for Williana gravel pit-RR22-Smithdale series.
HORIZON DEPTH, cm VCS CS MS FS
A 30 - 45 1.2 6.6 34.0 14.0
E 45 - 60 0.5 5.3 29.9 21.5
B\E 60 - 70 0.4 4.5 24.1 16.0
2Btl 70 - 120 0.7 3.9 24.3 18.0
2Bt2 120 - 155 0.3 3.9 26.1 18.5
2BC 155 - 230 3.7 15.6 40.6 4.6
2C1 230 - 270 5.7 10.3 48.1 13.1
2C2 270 - 330 0.2 4.2 66.9 10.4
dritic drainage networks. Rounded to elongated sloping
shoulder slopes and summits indicate isolated, discontinu-
ous outcrop areas of Upland Complex alluvium and/or
colluvium covering the Tertiary formations. When the Ter-
tiary units outcrop in side slope to foot slope positions, their
geomorphic recognition is considerably more difficult.
The Upland Complex consists of predominantly sand and
gravel deposits of what has been previously considered the
Citronelle Formation (Matson, 1916; Chawner, 1936). The
upper boundary of the fluvial deposit is marked by the
Upland geoso!. At most places, the geosol is truncated and
buried by younger colluvium. Geosol erosion is more severe
in areas originally mapped as Williana Terrace than in the
areas mapped as Bentley Terrace.
VFS TOTAL SAND TOTAL SILT TOTAL CLAY
14.6 70.4 26.4 3.1
6.5 63.8 30.2 6.0
8.0 53.0 29.9 17.1
5.7 52.6 20.0 27.4
8.9 57.8 13.5 28.7
5.8 70.4 3.5 26.1
1.1 78.3 2.2 19.5
0.6 82.3 1.1 16.6
Significance of relationships
The Upland Complex has been called by a multitude of
names (see Mossa and Autin, 1989; Autin et al., 1991 for
summaries). Citronelle is the name commonly applied to
the eastern GCP, Citronelle or Lafayette is typically applied
in the LMV, and Willis and/or Lissie is generally applied west
of the LRRV. The LGS geologic mapping program has yet to
determined if a boundary exists between these formation
names, or if the synonymy implied by Matson (1916) and
Rosen (1972) is applicable. Regional petrologic variations as
a function of source area differences have not been fully
evaluated (see Potter, 1955). Such variations might provide
reasons to adhere to traditional formation names that are
presently considered provincial (Autin et al., 1991).
The Upland Complex was deposited on a Tertiary erosion
surface with a complex landscape history. The modern
50
TABLE 8 - Characteristics of a core from beneath Fisk's (1938) Bentley Terrace type locality
Location: Grant Parish, Louisiana; 3130'04" N, 9231'44" W (Sec 5 T6N R1W); Dry Prong, LA 7.5-
minute quadrangle; LGS locality RR-11; site is on a topographic flat along the right of way of US Hwy.
167; elevation is 73.2 m; slope is 0 to 1 percent; surface soil is mapped as Glenmora Series (Glossaquic
Paleudalf).
DEPTH, em HORIZON MATRIX COLOR MOTTLE COLOR TEX STRUCTURE CONSIST BDY COMMENTS
0- 50 10YR 7/3 L fr ab filii rti G; soil clasts
TOP OF COLLUVIUM
50 - 75 B\E 1 OYR 6/8 10YR 7/2 L fr cI po filled with 10YR 7/3 L; 2.5YR 4/
8plin
75 - 11 0 Bt 1 OYR 6/8 10YR 7/2 CL md med pty fr gr rt; disc 10YR 5/4 C flm on peds; 2.5YR
5/6 plin; 10YR 7/2 SiL tng
110 - 190 BC 1 OYR 6/8 2.5YR 5/6 CL md tn pty fr gr 1 OYR 7/2 SiCL tng
190 - 210 BC&2BC 2.5YR 5/6 1 OYR 6/8 SC wk tn pty fr cI 10YR 7/2 SiCL tng
TOP OF TRUNCATED GEOSOLIN CITRONELLE FORMATION OR ITS EQUIVALENT
210-295 2BC 2.5YR 4/6 7.5YR 6/6 SCL wk tn pty fr gr 10YR 7/2 SiCL tng
295 - 325 2Cl 7.5YR 6/6 2.5YR 5/6 SL vfr cI 2.5YR 4/8 st on rt tr
325 - 370 2C2 10YR 7/8 10YR 7/3 SL fr cI 2.5YR 5/6 st
370 - 395 2C3 2.5YR 5/8 10YR 7/8 SL fr gr
395-415 2C4 2.5YR 5/8 SL fr ab 7.5YR 7/8 st
415 - 485 2C5 5YR 6/6 med S 10 df
485 - 500 2C6 10YR 7/8 med S 10 df
500 - 600 2C7 5YR 6/6 fn S 10
TABLE 9- Particle Size Data for Bentley Core- RRll- Glenmora Series
HORIZON DEPTH, em VCS CS MS FS
B\E 50 - 75 0.5 0.4 1.6 1.6
Bt 75 - 110 0.1 0.1 0.9 7.6
BC 110 - 190 0.0 0.1 0.5 9.2
BC&2BC 190 - 210 0.0 0.1 0.4 4.5
2BC 210 - 295 0.0 0.0 0.4 16.9
2C1 295 - 325 0.1 0.1 0.7 20.5
2C2 325 - 370 0.0 0.0 2.6 7.3
2C3 370 - 395 0.0 0.1 3.3 18.2
2C4 395-415 0.0 0.0 2.7 14.2
drainage network was probably not established and many of
the Upland Complex streams crossing the LRRV in Central
Louisiana may not be directly related to the LRRV. Field
observations support the inferences of Kesel (1987) that
paleocurrents were primarily from a set of NE to SW flowing
braided stream alluvial aprons. These alluvial aprons were
part of a regional set of aprons across the northern GCP.
Upland Complex deposits to the NW ofthe Bentley-Williana
area were likely associated with an ancestral Red River
Valley. Reconnaissance observations suggest that the red
jasper content of the granule gravel fraction may increase in
the LRRV to the northwest. Source sediments were primarily
coarse-grained siliciclastics. The red color of the sediments
appears to be derived from weathering of iron bearing
minerals. A set of erosion surfaces developed after deposi-
tion of the alluvial aprons. The erosion surface complex has
a mantle of colluvium that locally veneers the Intermediate
Complex, Montgomery Alloformation and older landscapes.
VFS TOTAL SAND TOTAL SILT TOTAL CLAY
32.6 36.5 42.1 21.4
23.6 32.3 37.1 30.6
30.7 40.5 29.6 29.8
46.4 51.5 12.6 36.0
42.9 60.2 11.3 28.5
48.5 69.8 12.1 18.1
60.4 70.3 14.1 15.5
42.2 63.9 10.9 25.2
51.8 68.8 12.7 18.4
51
Pimple Mounds
Several miles north of Montgomery, on your way to FOP stop
#2 pimple mounds can be seen in a pasture on your right. The
leveling effects of agriculture and mechanized logging have
eliminated the pimple mounds in much of the area, but these
are unmodified classic examples. These natural hillocks exist on
both Tertiary and Quaternary deposits in Louisiana, Arkansas,
Texas, Missouri, and Kansas, but have never been reported east
of the Mississippi (Murray, 1948).
Pimple mounds occur on hilltops, sideslopes, and valley bot-
toms, but seem to be best developed on sandy terrace flats.
Owen (1860) was probably the first to describe them and his
origin theory was that of differential weathering. Subsequent
writer's theories have included mud lumps, hydrostatic pres-
sure, vegetation clumping, indian mounds, whirlwinds, ant
hills, sand dunes, indian agricultural practices, ground squirrels,
pressure, artesian waters, soil horizon thickening, and poor
drainage. There is increasing evidence in recent years that "all
features referred to as pimple mounds were not formed by the
same agent" (Holland, 1943).
-John Snead
52
STOP
Late Middle Pleistocene Evolution
of a Constructional Alluvial Plain
Review of the Montgomery Area and the St. Maurice Section
W. J. Autin, ,. I. Snead, P. M. Walthall, D.'. McCraw, and W. J. Day
"The Montgomery Terrace is so named because of its typical development on the
southern outskirts of the town of Montgomery, near the intersection of U. S. Highway
71 and State Highway 162. The terrace forms the divide between small streams flowing
west into Red River and those flowing east into Nantaches Creek, which follows the base
of an escarpmen t marking the eastern limit of the terrace. Although marginal erosion has
destroyed much of its initial flatness, enough of the Montgomery surface is preserved to
reveal its original character./I
Location
The St. Maurice-Montgomery-Wadell transect (Fig. 2.1),
located in northwestern Grant and southwestern Winn
Parishes, illustrates the soil geomorphic and stratigraphic
characteristics of what is likely the oldest preserved Pleisto-
cene meander belt of the LRRV. The traverse along U. S.
Highway 71 from the St. Maurice railroad cut, through the
town of Montgomery, to Wadell Bluff follows a nearly
contiguous outcrop of the ancestral alluvial plain. Locally,
this landform produces the drainage divide between the Red
River Alluvial Valley and N antachie Creek, a tributary of the
Red River. Sedimentologic and pedologic features of the
Montgomery core (RR12) and the St. Maurice railroad cut
illustrate common stratigraphic relations observed in the
area. This stop highlights the lithofacies patterns of an
ancestral LRRV meander belt with red bed source area
sediments, burial of the alluvial deposit by a veneer of
colI uvi urn, and the effects of drainage network development
on the morphology of a constructional geomorphic surface.
Historically, investigators have commonly discussed the
stratigraphy at St. Maurice (Harris and Veatch, 1899), and
Nfontgomery Landing and Wadell Bluff (Fisk, 1938; Alfordet
aI., 1985; Alford and Holmes, contributed note to this
guidebook). However, reconnaissance visits have shown
that Montgomery Landing and vVadell Bluff are poorly
exposed at present and provide limited information on the
sedimentary sequence beneath Fisk's (1938) Montgomery
Terrace.
Topography and Geomorphology
Elevations along thetransect range from about 55 m north
of Montgomery to less than 31 m in local gullies near
vVadell. Topographic highs, reflecting the geomorphic sur-
p. 56-57
face preserved by the upper limits of alluvial aggradation,
typically range from 52 to 44 m in the transect area. The
landscape is mostly level to gently sloping, except for locally
steep slopes near local gullies and escarpments. Small streams
that dissect the edges of the geomorphic surface commonly
headwater on alluvial flats to form weakly-expressed den-
dritic networks. Constructional alluvial landforms, such as
abandoned channels, point bar and natural levee ridges, and
ridge and swale topography cannot be readily identified
without soils or sedimentologic data. Pimple mounds lo-
cally occur along the transect between Montgomery and St.
Maurice. Fisk's (1838) Montgomery Terrace was correlated
to the Intermediate Terraces (Snead and McCulloh, 1984)
and the Intermediate Complex (Saucier and Snead, 1989).
Site Characterization
The Montgomery core is from an area near where Fisk
(1938a) described a typical Montgomery Terrace landscape.
A 12.1 m core reveals a sequence of 1.3 m of colluvium over
a paleosol developed in the Montgomery alluvial fill (RR12,
Tables 10 and 11). The colluvium is a 7.5YR mottled loam.
A surface soil with a 2.5YR argillic horizon developed through
the colluvium and the upper sandy clay loam cap of the
underlying alluvium. The surface soil has weak to moder-
ately developed soil structure and clay films on peds. The B
horizon grades to a C horizon developed in the upper part of
a point bar facies. The core terminated on a water saturated
loamy sand with gravel. A distinct lithologiC discontinuity
can be identified in the core within the B horizon. This
discontin uity marks the stratigraphic boundary between the
colluvium and the underlying alluvium. Total silt percent
drops substantially along with a sharp increase in total clay
per cent across this boundary (fable 11). The colluvium has
a higher silt content than the underlying alluvium.
53
~
Hrm
Red River
Ppl Prairie Complex (Lower Surface)
\
Location of
Meander Belts
Ppu Prairie Complex (Upper Surface)
Montgomery
~
Red River
Cross Section
Hri
Natural Levee
Pi Intermediate Complex
~
RR 12
Core Location
~
Hb
Backswamp
Pm
Intermediate Complex-
g
Hu
Alluvium
Montgomery Surface
(Undifferen tia ted)
Pu Upland Complex N
~
Tej Jackson Group (Undifferentiated)
0 5
t
Claiborne Group I I
~
Tee
(Sparta and Cook Mountain Formations
Kilometers
~ Undifferentiated)
~
Teee Claiborne Group (Cockfield Formation)
Figure 2 .1 - Geologic Map of the Montgomery Area. The transect of the Montgomery-Waddel
Cross Section is indicated.
54
The St. Maurice rail road cut exhibits facies patterns and
stratification typical of the bed load sediment preserved in
channel belt lithofacies. Three exposures combine to pro-
duce a 1000 m long view of the stratigraphy along the bluff
adjacent to the alluvial valley (Fig. 2.2). The elevation of the
railroad grade is at 40 to 41 m. The southern end of the
exposures are where a local dirt road heads into the flood
plain of the Red River towards St. Maurice Lake. The 1000 m
point of the transect is at the railroad bridge across Saline
Bayou.
Exposure I, at the northern end of the exposure set, has a 4
m vertical cut into Tertiary beds along the east wall of the
cut. Exposed is a reddish brown (SYR 5/3) clay with thin silt
laminations, reddish yellow and brownish yellow (7.SYR
and 10YR 6/8) stains, and paper thin iron stained and
indurated silt beds. This lithology grades laterally to a light
gray and white (SY 7/2 and 8/2) lens of clay and silty with
yellow (2.SY 7/8) mottles and very dark brown and yellowish
red (10YR 2/2 and SYR 5/8) stains.
Exposure 2 is a continuous cut of up to 7 m thick and about
150 m long. Exposures of Pleistocene sand and gravel and
Tertiary beds are on both the east and west walls. The upper
part of the alluvium has been eroded from dissection near
the terrace escarpment. The cut reveals a 4 m thick red sandy
lithofacies that is the lower part of the weathering profile. A
1.5 m thick gravelly facies marks the base of the alluvium.
The upper 60 em of the gravelly facies is a set of matrix
supported lenticular gravelly sand beds with a small-scale
fining upward cycle. The lower 90 em is a mostly clast
supported sandy gravel, with individual clasts up to 8 mm
diameter, and the basal bed having even coarser clasts. The
lowest lithofacies in the cut is a 1.5 m sequence of the Eocene
Cockfield Formation, a bedded sand with abundant clay rip
clasts and iron stains on beds.
Exposure 3 is a continuous cut of up to 12 m thick and about
350 m long. The general stratigraphie sequence reveals that
the Montgomery alluvium has an upper reddish sandy
Figure 2.2 - Topographic Map of the St. Maurice Area.
55
TABLE 10- Charcteristics of a Core from Beneath Fisk's (1938) Montgomery Terrace Type Locality.
Location: Grant Parish, Louisiana; 3139'SO" N, 92S3'OS" W (Sec 21 T8N RSW); Montgomery, LA 7.S-minute
quadrangle; LGS locality RR-12; site is on a topographic flat in a yard of an abandoned home west of US Hwy.
71; elevation is 48.8 m; slope is 0 to 1 percent; surface soil is mapped as Kolin series (Glossaquic Paleudalf).
DEPTH, em HORIZON MATRIX COLOR MOTTLE COLOR TEX STRUCTURE CONSIST BOY COMMENTS
TOP OF COLLUVIUM
0-10 Ap 10YR 7/4 SL fr cI fill; rt; G
10- 45 A\E 10YR 7/4 7.5YR 6/6 SL fr ab overwash; rt; 5YR 5/8 cone
45 - 70 E\B 7.5YR 5/8 L wk fn ab fr cI rt; po; bur; disc 5YR 5/8 C tim in po&
on peds
70 -100 B\E 5YR 5/8 7.5YR 5/6 L wk med ab sl hd gr po & bur, some filled with 10YR 8/1 fS;
7.5YR 7/6 L tng
100 - 130 Bt 2.5YR 5/8 7.5YR 7/6 SCL wk med sab sl hd cI po; 5YR 5/4 & 7.5YR 5/4 C flm on ped;
tng 1 OYR 8/4 LS
TOP OF THE INTERMEDIATE COMPLEX, MONTGOMERY ALLOFORMATION, POINT BAR FACIES
130 - 190 2Bt1 2.5YR 5/8 7.5YR 8/6 SCL mod med sab sl hd df 2.5YR 4/6 C flm on peds; 5YR 5/4 &
7.5YR 5/4 C flm on peds, po, & rt tr;
1 OYR 8/3 LS tng
190 - 230 2Bt2 2.5YR 5/8 SCL md med sab sl hd cI po; rt tr; 2.5YR 4/6 C flm on peds;
10YR 7/2 LS tng
230 - 320 2BC 2.5YR 5/8 SCL md med pty fr cI 2.5YR 4/6 C flm on peds & rt tr
320 - 350 2C1 5YR 6/6 SL wk tn pty vfr gr
350 - 440 2C2 5YR 7/4 LS 10 df
440 - 750 2C3 5YR 8/4 fn S 10 df 5YR 6/8 & 10YR 7/8 st
750 - 880 2C4 7.5YR 7/4 fn S 10 df
880 - 940 2C5 7.5YR 7/4 LS 10 cI 5G 7/1 C clasts at 920 em
940 - 995 2C6 7.5YR 7/4 LS 10 cI sat; 1 OYR 2/2 & 1 OYR 6/8 st at top of
water table
955 -1210 2C7 7.5YR 7/4 LS 10 sat; G
TABLE 11 - Particle Size Data for Montgomery Core-RR 12 -Kolin Series
HORIZON DEPTH, em VCS CS MS FS VFS TOTAL SAND TOTAL SILT TOTAL CLAY
Ap 0- 10 2.6 7.2 12.2 18.0 26.7 66.8 28.7 4.5
A\E 10- 45 1.5 2.1 4.0 13.3 38.3 59.2 35.0 5.8
E\B 45 - 70 0.8 0.4 0.5 7.5 30.2 39.3 40.4 20.3
B\E 70 - 100 0.6 0.1 0.2 0.2 50.8 51.9 33.7 14.5
Bt 100 - 130 0.1 0.1 0.2 8.5 41.6 50.5 27.5 22.0
2Bt1 130 - 190 0.0 0.0 0.1 12.7 42.3 55.1 12.8 32.1
2Bt2 190 - 230 0.0 0.0 0.2 10.9 51.1 62.2 12.6 25.2
2BC 230 - 320 0.0 0.0 0.3 13.2 54.5 67.9 11.1 20.9
2C1 320 - 350 0.0 0.0 0.2 44.4 37.2 81.8 7.7 10.5
2C2 350 - 440 0.0 0.1 0.6 39.8 46.3 86.8 11.2 2.1
2C3 440 - 750 0.0 0.2 2.5 47.4 39.8 90.0 6.1 4.0
2C4 750 - 880 0.0 0.1 1.1 52.5 36.9 90.6 5.0 4.4
2C5 880 - 940 0.1 1.4 7.5 33.7 44.1 86.7 8.0 5.3
2C6 940 - 995 0.8 5.6 21.6 40.4 18.0 86.5 8.6 4.9
2C7 995-1210 0.2 4.1 16.8 42.0 21.1 84.3 8.8 6.9
56
TABLE 12- Characteristics ofa Vertical Profile From the Montgomery Alloformation At the St. Maurice Railroad
Cut.
Location: Winn Parish, Louisiana; 31 45'27" N, 9257'24" W (lrreg Sec 37T9N R6W); St. Maurice, LA 7.5-minute
quadrangle; LGS locality RR-38; site is at a railroad cut a about 1 km west of the village of St. Maurice; elevation
is 49.2 m; slope is 5 to 8 percent; surface soil is disturbed.
DEPTH, em MOTTLE COLOR TEX STRUCTURE CONSIST BOY COMMENTS
0-200 DISTURBED COLLUVIUM, MIXED WITH SPOIL
TOP OF THE INTERMEDIATE COMPLEX, MONTGOMERY ALLOFORMATION, POINT BAR FACIES
200 - 300 2Bt 2.5YR 4/6 7.5YR 8/6 SL wk med sab fr df rt; C tim on peds; overgrown
and poorly exposed
300 - 440 2Cl 5YR 5/6 LS
440 - 600 2C2 5YR 5/6 7.5YR 8/4 S
600 - 750 2C3 5YR 5/6 1 OYR 8/2 S
750 - 950 2C4 5YR 5/8 SG
COCKFIELD FORMATION, EOCENE CLAIBORNE GROUP
950 -1250 5Y 8/1 S
weathering profile, an underlying bedded yellowish sand
that grades to gravelly sand, then a basal gravel lag deposit.
The gravel lag rests on an unconformity with the underlying
Eocene Cockfield Formation, a fine to medium sand with
common to abundant clay chips, no gravel, and intricate
patterns of iron staining. The thickest vertical profile of the
exposure is at 290 m on the west wall. This profile, which
illustrates most of the common features observed in expo-
sure, is summarized in Table 12.
The continuity of the Montgomery alluvium in the St.
Maurice railroad cut is disrupted by two distinct channel
fills. At 180 m, a 4 m thick channel fill sequence consists of
a light gray (10YR 7/2) silt loam Bt horizon with red (lOR 4/
8 and 2.5YR 5/6) mottles, moderate angular blocky struc-
ture, and hard consistence. The underlying white (2.5Y 8/2)
BC and Chorizonshaveyellowishred (5YR5/6) mottles, and
texture grades from a friable loam to sandy loam. A loose
sand and basal gravel rests beneath the erosional scour
surface at the base of the channel fill. A second 4 m thick
channel fill at 380 m cuts through the Montgomery sands
and thin basal gravel into underlying Cockfield sand beds.
The channel fill sequence is lithologically similar to the
profile at 180 m, however the cross sectional dimension of
the lens is wider, and also appears to be slightly siltier. Both
of these lenses have smaller dimensions than a modern Red
River channel cross section, cut into and through the Mont-
gomery alluvium, and have lithologies and geometries that
suggest an origin as local gully fills that formed subsequent
to Montgomery aggradation.
Along the St. Maurice-Montgomery-Wadell transect, the
Montgomery alluvium rests unconformably above the Ter-
vfr
10
10
10
10
cI bur; G clasts 4 - 8 mm; pock
7.5YR 8/3 S
ab 2.5YR 4/8 lame of LS
ab scat G up to 8 mm; 2.SYR 5/8
st; 1 OYR 8/2 bleached zones
ab fabric is mostly clast supported;
8 -16 mm G
bedded with complex stain
zones
tiary stratigraphic sequence (Fisk, 1938a; Smith and Russ,
1974). Units outcropping in the area range from the Eocene
Claiborne Group to the Miocene Fleming Group (Snead and
McCulloh, 1984). The local Tertiary outcrop pattern is
illustrated on the geologic map of the area (Fig. 2.1 ). The
lithologic character of the lowermost facies in the St. Maurice
rail road cut is similar to sediments mapped as the Eocene
Cockfield Formation exposed along U. S. Highway 84 west
of Winnfield, about 25 km north of St. Maurice. Data from
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers investigations (Smith and
Russ, 1974) and LGS field localities suggests that the thick-
ness of a complete vertical profile of the Montgomery
aggradational sequence should be on the order of 15 m.
The character of the Montgomery geomorphic surface, litho-
logic and geometric properties of lithofacies, and the unit's
distinctive basal and lateral boundaries suggest that the unit
can be considered as an alloformation. The Montgomery
Alloformation has facies variations that indicate a tendency
for fining upward vertical profiles with sandy and loamy
facies grading down to sandy and gravelly facies in and near
channel belts, and localized areas of clayey backswamp
facies in flood basin areas away from channel belts. The St.
Maurice rail road exposure of bedded sands and gravels
grading upwards into sandy and loamy sediments indicates
meander belt aggradation. The Montgomery core has simi-
lar properties (Tables 10 and 11), with a distinct fining
upward profile of a point bar facies grading upward to an
upper point bar/natural levee facies. Surface soils that de-
velop in the outcrop area of the Montgomery Alloformation
along the St. Maurice-Montgomery-Wadell transect are
mostly Gore, Kolin, Malbis, and Glenmora soils (Paleudalfs)
(USDA, 1986). The Kolin is the only surface soilofthis group
with a lithologic discontinuity defined within its soil profile
(USDA, 1986).
57
Montgomery Cross Section
North
o
South
26km

4 6 8 10 2 12 14
54
52
50
48
46
44
42
40
38
36
34
St. Maurice
rn Tn TTl TI'J-r,
Eocene Cockfield Formation"""" r-r-,. /"
Montgomery Wadell 54
52
50
48
46
44
42
40
38
36
34
32
30
28
Lithofacies of Montgomery Cross-Section
32
30
28
26
24
Red River
Silty Clay Loam, Sand
Oay Loam, Oay
26
24
m Sand & Gravel
Silt Loam, Loam,
22
Loamy Sand Loam, D Colluvium
Loamy Sand
22
lQQI Covered Interval -- Base of Colluvium

Figure 2.3 - Cross Section of the St. Maurice - Montgomery - Waddell Area.
The colluvium drapes the Montgomery Alloformation as a
veneer deposit, covering the Montgomery constructional
geomorphic surface. The colluvium generally is a loam with
a total silt content higher than the underlying alluvium
(Table 11). The colluvial veneer over the Montgomery
Alloformation is probably a facies of the colluvium identi-
fied on higher landscape positions (Stop 1, this guidebook).
An alternative interpretation is that the colluvium on the
Montgomery Alloformation inherits much of its lithologic
character from reworking of the colluvium from higher
landscapes and deposition on lower landscape positions.
The cross section along the St. Maurice-Mon tgomery-Wadell
transect (Fig. 2.3) illustrates the geometry of the landscape,
the stratigraphie relation between the Montgomery
Alloformation and the overlying colluvium, and variations
in Montgomery Alloformation lithofacies. The colluvium is
the first unit beneath the land surface at all locations
investigated, except where local gully fill sequences were
encountered. The thickness of the colluvium varies slightly,
but the pattern of thickness variations in this area appears to
be related to post depositional sheet erosion and terrace edge
gully dissection. Clay to silty clay loam lithofacies of the
upper Montgomery Alloformation reflect deposition in
backswamp environments, whereas loamy to sandy
lithofacies reflect deposition in a channel belt environment.
Vertical profiles typicall y become sandy with depth, grading
to loamy sand and sand with occasional gravel. A basal
gravelly channellagfacieswas observed everywhere the base
of the Montgomery Alloformation has been confidently
identified.
Geologic mapping
Fisk (1938) initially mapped the area of the St. Maurice-
Montgomery-Wadell transect as his Montgomery Terrace.
The LGS revision of the type area distribution of the Mont-
gomery Alloformationis illustrated in the geologic map (Fig.
2.1). Subsequently, Smith and Russ (1974) and Russ (1975)
correlated the southern part of this transect (Fig. 2.3, 20 to
26 km) as part of their Prairie Terrace. Alford et al. (1985)
revisited the Wadell Bluff locality described by Fisk (1938)
and obtained 23 to 30 ka radiocarbon age estimates from
organic deposits from greater than 20 m below the top of
Wadell Hill. An update of the age estimates at Wadell Bluff
is provided as a contributed note to this guidebook (see
58
Alfoi'd and Holmes). The LGS core collected from Wadell Hill
(Fig. 2.3, RR 37) did not penetrate the lithology with the
preserved organic debris reported by Fisk (1938) and Alford
et al. (1985).
This apparently incompatible set of observations produces
the following set of alternate possibilities to explain the
stratigraphic significance of Wad ell Bluff. 1) IfWadell Bluff
is Wisconsinan as inferred by Alford et al. (1985), then this
is the likely age of the Montgomery Alloformation. How-
ever, tentative regional correlations suggest that the Mont-
gomery Alloformation and the Prairie Complex, Upper
Surface predate the Sangamonian interglacial. 2) The re-
gional distribution of colluvial veneers and Sicily Island
Loess, plus Sangamonian and pre-Sangamonian TL dates for
deposits beneath the Prairie Complex, Upper Surface
(Harrelson and Smith, 1988) support a middle Pleistocene
age for the Montgomery Alloformation. 3) Wadell Bluff does
not correlate to Aloha, since Wadell Hill is 7 m higher in
elevation than Aloha, the Red River Prairie Terrace type
locality of Fisk (1938) (Stop 3, this guidebook). Wadell Hill
is also veneered by colluvium, whereas none of the Aloha
cores are veneered by this colluvium. 4) Regional strati-
graphic projections suggests that Aloha is correlative to the
Mississippi River lithofacies of the Avoyelles Prairie (Stop 9,
this guidebook). The A voyell es Prairie has an inferred middle
to late Wisconsinan age, based on the local relation to the
Prairie Complex, Upper Surface at Holloway, a 27 ka radio-
carbon age at the correlative Mt. Pleasant Bluff type locality
(Autin et al., 1988), and regional distribution of Peoria Loess
that buries the paleosol on the Avoyelles Prairie and at Mt.
Pleasant Bluff.
Present geologic map revisions correlate the Montgomery
Alloformation to the a constructional alluvial fill of the
Intermediate Complex. The Montgomery Alloformation is
differentiated from the Upland Complex by its lower topo-
graphic elevation, preservation of a constructional land-
scape, and preservation of a fining upward alluvial fill with
channel belt and flood basin lithofacies identifiable in
ancestral LRRV deposits. The Montgomery Alloformation is
differentiable from younger Prairie Complex stratigraphic
units based on its higher topographic elevation, greater
degree of stream dissection, and better developed gullies
near escarpments. Constructional landform features are also
distinctly definable on the younger surfaces of the Prairie
Complex. Mappable thicknesses of colluvium are absent
from vVisconsinan Prairie Complex units such as at Aloha
(Stop 3, this guidebook), the Avoyelles Prairie (Stop 9, this
guidebook), and other Prairie Complex Wisconsinan equiva-
lents.
Correlating the Montgomery Alloformation from the main
axis of the LRRVintolocal tributary streams is tenuous. Local
correlatives are absent to rare in tributaries because 1) some
tributaryvalleysmaypostdatetheMontgomeryalluviation,
and 2) older fills of the Prairie Complex are readily discern-
ible only where they are preserved adjacent to younger
Prairie Complex deposits. Differentiating multiple Prairie
Complex surfaces and their deposits is possible only with
detailed morphologic data such as projections of
alloformation slopes,lithofacies patterns, and soils geomor-
phic comparisons.
The Montgomery Alloformation is apparently the oldest
constructional meander belt alluvium in LRRV. The alluvial
fill associated with this unit has differentiable channel belt
and flood basin lithofacies. The alloformation reflects the
initiation of sediments derived from a red bed source area in
the Southern Great Plains (Gustavson et al., 1981).
The Montgomery Alloformation is the alluvial fill associated
with Fisk's (1938) Montgomery Terrace. The Montgomery
Alloformation is a valid LRRV stratigraphic unit, however
the regional extent inferred by Fisk (1939, 1944) has yet to
be verified. The Montgomery Alloformation is presently
considered a regionally correlative to the Intermediate Com-
plex. An alternative interpretation is that the Montgomery
Alloformation is a Red River alluvial fill regionally correla-
tive to the Prairie Complex. Through much of the coast-
parallel Pleistocene of the northern GCP, the Intermediate
Complex is a set of erosion surfaces developed on the
Citronelle Formation (Autin et al., contributed note, this
guidebook). The erosion surface complex has a mantle of
colluvium that veneers the Montgomery Alloformation
locally in the LRRV. Either the Montgomery Alloformation
is part of what is elsewhere mapped as the Prairie Complex,
Upper Surface (Autin and McCulloh, 1991, 1992), or it
represents an alluvial fill that has not yet been recognized
outside of the LRRV.
59
Fossil Flora in Pleistocene Gravel
In some Pleistocene gravel deposits there is a high percentage
of petrified wood among the pebbles. Petrified palmwood is a
common find on gravel bars in Louisiana rivers and also in the
bedded deposits of the Pleistocene streams and is oneofthetwo
official Louisiana State Fossils by Legislative decree (the other is
Senator B.B. "Sixty" Rayburn -11m serious!).
The Eocene Claiborne Group of North Louisiana is rich in
petrified wood and is the closest source area although some
well-rounded specimens may have traveled much farther. Oc-
casionally rather large pieces including whole petrified tree
stumps can be found in Pleistocene basal deposits.
The angular 1 O-pound Petrified Wood specimen pictured was
collected from the base of the Pleistocene at the St. Maurice
railroad cutl the FOP stop #2 location.
-John Snead
60
STOP 3
Wisconsinan Constructional Alluviation
Review of the Aloha Prairie Area
W. J. Autin, J. 1. Snead, P. M. Walthall, D. J. McCraw, and W. J. Day
"The name Prairie Terrace is proposed for a surface typically developed near Aloha, sec.
16, T. 7 N., R. 4 W., Grant Parish and at Nebo School, irregular sec. 40, T. 7 N., R. 3 E.,
La Salle Parish. This surface is characteristic of the most distinctive terrace in central
Louisiana. Along the western border of the Mississippi valley, in this general region, the
identical surface has been known since earliest settlement as "Prairies." Locally, it has
been referred to as the Catahoula Prairie (at Nebo School), Holloway Prairie, and
Avoyelles Prairie (Hills)."
Location
Th e Aloha Prairi e transect (Fig. 3.1), I oca ted in western Gr an t
Parish, illustrates the soil geomorphic and stratigraphic
characteristics of a Wisconsinan age LRRV meander belt
with distinct remnants of constructional topography(fig.3.2).
Aloha is a terraced remnan t in the LRRV along U. S. Highway
71 about 10 km northwest of Colfax. Across section through
Aloha (Fig. 3.3) to an equivalent remnant on the valley wall
north of Bayou Grappe illustrates common stratigraphic
relations and variations in sedimentologic and pedologic
features observed in the area. The Aloha Prairie provides a
good example ofLRRVWisconsinan meander belt lithofacies
with preservation comparable to Holocene deposits. Its
relation to surrounding geomorphic surfaces is a good ex-
ample of the difficulties in subdividing the Prairie Complex
into components. Its internal architecture provides an ex-
ample of how allostratigraphy can help to define and delin-
eate Quaternary deposits. Fisk (1938) described the area at
Aloha Cemetery as an example of the general character of
the Prairie Terrace in the LRRV. Reconnaissance data indi-
cates that the preservation of this unit in the LRRV is of
limited areal extent relative to Fisk's (193a) Montgomery
Terrace and the Upper Prairie Terrace of Smith and Russ
(1974) and Russ (1975).
Elevations on the Aloha Prairie range from about 36 to 37m
in the channel belt to slightly less than 34 m in the distal
flood basin. Elevations are less than 28 m in the abandoned
Holocene Corefine Bayou-Bayou Grappe channel belt.
Topographic highs reflect the preserved upper limits of
point bar aggradation in the transect area. The landscape is
mostly level to gently sloping, except for locally steep slopes
near local gullies and escarpments. Constructional alluvial
landforms, such as abandoned channels, point bar and
natural levee ridges, and ridge and swale topography can be
identified. However, their delineation is easier in areas with
61
-Fisk, 1938, p. 51-52
greater con tiguous areal exten t preserved. Drainage network
developmen t is minimal, with small surface streams occupy-
ing abandoned Pleistocene channels.
The Aloha core is from where Fisk (1938) described a typical
Prairie Terrace landscape for the LRRV. Other relevant Prai-
rie Terrace localities described by Fisk (1938, 1940) include
Nebo in the Little River valley, and Holloway and Avoyelles
Prairies of the LMV. The Avoyelles Prairie is discussed in Stop
9 of this gUidebook. A 10.5 m core (RR18, Tables 13 and 14)
reveals a sequence of interbedded backswamp and natural
levee facies of the Red River. The surface soil is a paleosol
developed in backswamp facies of the alluvial fill. The thin
25 cm silt loam Ap-E horizons are considered to be partly
developed by surface sheet wash, but may also result from
pedogenic eluviation at the top of the alluvial deposit. The
paleosol has red silty clay Bt-BC horizons with light gray
mottles and stains on peds and root traces, blocky structure,
and slightly hard consistence. The silty clay C horizon is
structureless, has discontinuous stains on root traces, and
has occasional slickensides. In the Aloha core, backswamp
facies are differentiated from naturallevee facies primarily
by texture. Backswam ps typically have clay, silty clay or silty
clay loam texture, whereas, natural levees have loam, silt
loam, or silty clay loam textures. Natural levee facies are
typically less than 2 m thick, whereas backswamp facies are
of variable thickness.
The Aloha Prairie has facies variations from flood basin
backswamps to channel belt point bars and channel fills.
The variability across the Aloha area is illustrated by the cross
section (Fig. 3.3). Channel belt facies have a tendency for
fining upward vertical profiles with sandy and loamy facies
grading down to sandy and gravelly facies. Backswamp
facies are mostly clayey, with silty interbeds representing
~
Hrm
Red River P ~ Prairie Complex (Lower Surface) 0 5
Meander Belts
Prairie Complex (Upper Surface)
~
N
~
Red River
Ppu
Kilometers
i
Hrf
Natural Levee
PI Intermediate Complex
~
Toc Catahoula Formation
~
Hb Backswamp
Pm
Intermediate Complex-
\
Location of Cross Sections

Alluvium
Montgomery Surface
Hu
(Undifferentiated)
Pu Upland Complex
RR 18
Core Location
Figure 3.1 - Geologic Map of the Aloha Prairie Area. The transect of the Aloha Prairie Cross Section is indicated.
pulses of levee sedimentation into flood basin areas away
from channel belts. The predominant surface soil of the
Aloha Prairie is the Gore series (Paleudalfs) (USDA, 1986).
The Gore series is associated with Cahaba and Bienville soils
(Hapludults and Paleudalfs) on correlative geomorphic sur-
faces in nearby Rapides Parish (USDA, 1980). The surface A
and E horizons across the Aloha Prairie are considered to
have developed as a sheet wash deposit of silt loam. Al-
though the texture of the surface horizons is fairly uniform
across the Aloha transect (Fig. 3.3), the thickness of the
surface horizons are greater over the meander belt facies
than over backswamp facies. Pedogenic eluviation is likely
to have been a significant process of surface horizon devel-
opment, and the characteristics of these surface horizons
does not appear to have stratigraphic significance.
Geologic mapping
Fisk (1938) initially mapped the Aloha area as the Prairie
Terrace in the LRRV. All subsequent geologiC map compila-
tions have correlated this area to the regional Prairie Terrace
(Smith and Russ, 1974; Russ, 1975; Snead and McCulloh,
1984; Saucier and Snead, 1989). The relationship between its
geomorphic surface and lithofacies suggests that the Aloha
Prairie can be considered as an alloformation. Regional
stratigraphic projections suggests that the Aloha
Alloformation is correlative to the Avoyelles Prairie (Stop 9,
this guidebook).
The Aloha Alloformation is situated topographically above
geomorphic surfaces correlated to the Deweyville Complex
and Holocene Alluvium. It is lower than geomorphic sur-
faces associated with the Prairie Complex, Upper Surface,
the Montgomery Alloformation, the Intermediate Com-
plex, and the Upland Complex. Soils of the Aloha
Alloformation are typically Alfisols and Ultisols and have
argillic horizons, distinguishing them from soils developed
in Holocene Alluvium. The Aloha Alloformation has readily
identifiable meander belt lithofacies and its geomorphic
surface has preserved distinct constructional alluvial land-
forms identifiable on most modern topographic maps, soils
maps, and aerial photographs. Soil development is compa-
rable to older units of the Prairie Complex. However, the
62
Aloha Alloformation lacks a distinctly mappable veneer of
yellowish colluvium, diagnostic to older surfaces.
Correlating the Aloha Alloformation from the trunk of the
LRRV into local tributary streams is complicated, but some-
times possible. Local correlatives are easiest to define in
larger valleys like the Little River and in areas where they are
preserved adjacent to older Prairie Complex deposits.
The Aloha Alloformation is apparently the youngest con-
structional meander belt alluvium of the Prairie Complex in
the LRRV. The alluvial fill associated with this unit has
differentiable channel belt and flood basin lithofacies. Sedi-
ments associated with this unit were derived from a red bed
source area in the Southern Great Plains.
The Aloha Alloformation is the alluvial fill associated with
Fisk's (1938) Prairie Terrace in the LRRV. The Aloha
Alloformation appears to be a valid LRRV stratigraphic unit,
however the regionally extensive uni t inferred by Fisk (1944)
has variable lithologic, morphologic, and pedologic proper-
ties. These variations reflect different source areas, different
styl es of fl uvial archi tecture, and deposi tional environments
associated with other than fluvial systems. Detailed regional
paleogeographic reconstructions of the LRRV, LMV and
GCP have yet to be produced.
The term Aloha Alloformation should be restricted to middle
to late Wisconsinan meander belt alluvium of the LRRV.
Stratigraphically equivalent Red River channel belts in south-
western Louisiana west of the Lafayette meander belt (Fisk
Figure 3.2 - Topographic Map of the Aloha Prairie Area.
63
Aloha Prairie Cross Section
West
Elevation a
(m)
56
54
52
50
48
46
44
42
40
38
1 2 3 4 5
Road Cut
Prairie Complex RR 20 I
36
34
32
30
28
26
24
22
Holocene Red River Alluvium
Lithofacies of Aloha Alloformation
~ Silty Clay Loam,
~ Clay Loam, Oay
Silt Loam, Loam,
Q ~ Loamy Sand Loam,
Loamy Sand
I :: .;.:) Sand
~ Sand & Gravel
E: Unconformity
Figure 3.3 - Cross Section of the Aloha Prairie Area.
64
6
East
7km
Elevation
(m)
56
54
52
50
48
46
44
42
40
38
36
34
32
30
28
26
24
22
TABLE 13 - Characteristics of a Core from Beneath Fisk's (1938) Aloha Prairie Terrace Type Locality.
Location: Grant Parish, Louisiana; 31 34'43" N, 9248'30" W (Sec 16 T7N R4W); Aloha, LA 7.S-minute
quadrangle; LGS locality RR-18; site is on a topographic flat in a barn yard next to Aloha Cemetery west of US
Hwy. 71; elevation is 33.S m; slope is 1 to 3 percent; surface soil is mapped as Gore Series (Vertic Paleudalf).
DEPTH, em HORIZON MATRIX COLOR MOTTLE COLOR TEX STRUCTURE CONSIST BOY COMMENTS
O 10 Ap 1 OYR 4/2 SiL wk fn ab fr abr overwash; rt; 1 OYR 4/6 st
10- 25 E 10YR 7/4 1 OYR 5/2 SiL wk vfn ab fr cI rt; 7.5YR 6/6 st; 1 OYR 4/2 SiL in po
&: rt tr
TOP OF PRAIRIE COMPLEX, ALOHA ALLOFORMATION
BACKSWAMP FACIES
25 - 45 E&:2Bt 5YR 5/6 1 OYR 6/4 SiCL mod med sab fr cI rt; 10YR 6/4 C flm in po &: rt tr
45 - 70 2Bt 2.5YR 4/8 2.5Y 7/2 SiC mod med sab slhd cI rt; disc 2.5Y 7/2 st on peds
70 - 115 2BC 2.5YR 4/8 2.5Y 7/2 SiC wk fn ab slhd cI rt; disc 2.5Y 7/2 st on peds &: rt tr
115 130 2Cl 5YR 5/6 2.5Y 7/2 SiC slhd slpl gr disc 2.5Y 7/2 st on rt tr; slick
130 - 150 2C2 2.5YR 5/6 SiC slhd slpl ab disc 2.5Y 7/2 st on rt tr
NATURAL LEVEE FACIES
150230 3Cl 5YR 5/6 SiL vfr cI lam; beds of SL &: S; 7.5YR 6/8 st on
lam
230 - 255 3C2 5YR 5/6 SiCL mod med sab fr gr po; rt tr; 5YR 4/4 C flm &: 1 OYR 2/2
st on peds
255 - 305 3C3 5YR 6/6 SiL vfr ab 1 OYR 2/2 st on rt tr; lam; SiCL &: LS
beds
BACKSWAMP FACIES
305 335 2.5YR 3/6 C hd ab 10YR 7/8 &: 2.5Y 7/2 st; 1 OYR 2/2 st
on slick &: in rt tr; lam; CaC0
3
nod
335 - 375 5YR 5/6 SiCL mod cse sab slhd ab po; 5YR 4/4 C flms on peds; 10YR
2/2 st on rt tr; SL bed
375 530 2.5YR 3/6 5Y 6/2 C hd df 1 OYR 2/2 &: 10YR 7/8 st on slick &: rt
tr; CaC0
3
nod
530 - 600 2.5YR 3/6 C hd df 1 OYR 2/2 &: 1 OYR 7/8 st on slick; I
am; CaC0
3
nod
NATURAL lEVEE FACIES
600640 5YR 5/6 10YR 7/6 SiCL wk med ab slhd cI 5YR 4/4 C flm on peds &: rt tr; 10YR
8/1 C bodies
640670 5YR 5/6 L vfr gr 1 OYR 2/2 st on lam &: rt tr
BACKSWAMP FACIES
670 - 750 5YR 4/4 C vhd gr 1 OYR 2/2 st; CaC0
3
nod
750 - 840 2.5YR 3/6 C hd gr 1 OYR 2/2 st; lam; slick; CaC0
3
nod
NATURAL LEVEE FACIES
840870 5YR 6/6 SiL vfr gr lam; 2.5YR 3/6 lam C beds with
1 OYR 2/2 st
BACKSWAMP FACIES
870900 2.5YR 3/6 C hd gr 1 OYR 2/2 st; Si lam; CaC0
3
nod
900975 2.5YR 3/6 C hd cI 1 OYR 2/2 st; 2.5Y 8/3 st on Si &: LS
lam
975 1010 5YR 7/4 SiCL vfr cI 2.5YR 6/3 lam with 1 OYR 2/2 st
1010 1050 2.5YR 3/6 C hd 1 OYR 2/2 st; Si lam
65
TABLE 14. - Particle size data for Aloha Prairie - CORE RR19- Gore Series
HORIZON DEPTH, em VCS CS MS FS
Ap 0- 10 1.4 1.3 1.4 3.8
E 10- 25 0.3 0.8 1.0 2.0
E&2Bt 25 - 45 0.3 0.2 0.4 1.7
2Bt 45 - 70 0.1 0.2 0.2 1.3
2BC 70 115 0.0 0.1 0.2 0.0
2C1 115 130 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.9
2C2 130 - 150 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.7
3C1 150 - 230 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.4
3C2 230 - 255 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.2
3C3 255 - 305 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.3
BACKSWAMP 305 335 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.6
335 375 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.3
375 530 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
530 - 600 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.2
NATURAL LEVEE 600 - 640 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.6
640 - 670 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.6
BACKSWAMP 670 - 750 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
750 - 840 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
NATURAL LEVEE 840 870 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1
BACKSWAMP 870 - 900 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
900 975 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
975 1010 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.1
1010- 1050 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.1
and McFarlan, 1955; Saucier and Snead, 1989; Autin et al.,
1991) are also likely candidates for inclusion into this unit.
The Aloha Alloformation is inferred to be stratigraphically
correlative to the Avoyelles Prairie of the LMV and its
equivalents (Stop 9, this guidebook). Other probable strati
graphie equivalents include the Mt. Pleasant Bluff
Alloformation in East Baton Rouge Parish (Autin et al.,
1988), the Prairie Complex, Lower Surface (Autin and
McCulloh, 1991, 1992) of southeastern Louisiana,the
Wisconsinan sand sheet of the Florida Parishes (Mossa and
Autin, 1989) capped by the PG-1 geosol (Autin et al., 1991),
the Wisconsinan Prairie Complex of southwestern louisi-
ana (Birdseye and Aronow ,1991), and the Little River Valley
(LGS, geologic mapping file data). The Aloha Alloformation
is likely to be older than the lowest coast parallel Prairie
Terraces surface (Snead and McCulloh, 1984), and the PG-2
geosol (Autin et al., 1991).
Alford et al. (1985) inferred a Wisconsinan age for the LRRV
Prairie Complex based on radiocarbon ages from the Wadell
Bluff locality of Fisk (1938a) (Stop 2, this guidebook). As
previously discussed, the relation between this age assign-
ment and the inferred stratigraphie position of the organic
deposits are enigmatic. Is it possible that a remnant of the
Aloha Alloformation was adjacent to the base of the Wadell
Bluff locality? Elsewhere in the LRRV, Harrelson (1990)
reported radiocarbon ages of 36 to 23 ka for deposits that are
apparent correlatives to the Aloha Alloformation.
VFS TOTAL SAND TOTAL SILT
18.1 25.4 67.2
19.2 23.3 64.7
8.5 11.2 53.2
6.2 8.1 42.4
8.8 9.1 44.0
8.5 9.7 44.2
12.9 13.7 44.1
26.6 27.1 61.6
13.4 13.7 56.9
17.6 18.0 60.8
5.0 5.7 38.6
17.5 17.9 48.6
0.3 0.3 34.2
0.4 0.7 39.5
17.2 17.9 43.4
37.7 38.5 45.3
0.2 0.3 33.5
0.1 0.2 31.2
1.1 1.3 74.7
0.2 0.2 32.9
0.1 0.1 34.8
0.6 0.9 61.3
0.2 0.4 39.5
66
TOTAL CLAY
7.4
11.9
35.6
49.5
46.9
46.1
42.1
11.3
29.4
21.2
55.8
33.5
65.5
59.8
38.7
16.3
66.2
68.6
24.0
66.9
65.1
37.9
60.2
Fisk's Cartographic Error
Fisk's 1938 report "The Geology of Grant and LaSalle Parishes"
established his famous terrace sequence. It is a much-quoted
work but it contains a small but significant cartographic error
which may have mislead some subsequent investigations.
On the plate entitiled Physiography of Grant and LaSalle Parishes
Waddell bluff is mislocated, either by Fisk or his cartographer,
upstream to a bluff mapped as Montgomery. The true location
of Waddell bluff on this map is mapped by Fisk as Prairie. On the
Geologic Map of Grant Parish plate in the samevolume, Waddell
bluff is correctly located but the Quaternary terraces are
undifferentiated. So, did Fisk work on an incorrect base map and
consider Waddell to be Montgomery? Or did Fisk's cartogra-
pher mislocate Waddell Bluff after Fisk had mapped it as Prairie?
Many writers who have studied Fisk believe that he considered
Waddell bluff to be Montgomery- (Alford, et aI., 1985). Indeed
Fisk did describe a Waddell bluff section in his chapter on the
Montgomery but may be suggesting that the Montgomery
Formation is only exposed in the lower part of the section,
leaving the possibility that he consid ered the top of the bluff to
be a Prairie surface as mapped. Others have considered the bluff
to be Prairie (Smith and Russ, 1974) also citing Fisk.
-John Snead
SECTION
TERRACE SECTION
67
68
STOP 4
Archaeological Sites Along the Pleistocene Terrace
Margin and Red River Flood Plain
C.E. Pearson and D.G. Hunter
location
Zimmerman Hill is located just west of 1-49 approximately
29 kmnorthwest of Alexandria in irregular Section 61, T.5
N., R.3 W (Fig. 4.1). The site has been selected because
numerous geomorphological features relating to the mod-
ern alluvial valley can be viewed in association with archaeo-
logical remains at a single locale at the edge of the Pleisto-
cene terrace. River channel chronologies reconstructed
from cartographic sources dating to 1803 demonstrate the
dynamic nature of the Red River in this locale over the past
200 years (Fig. 4.2).
Geomorphology
The stop is located on the western margin of the Red River
alluvial valley. The exposed escarpment here is Pleistocene-
aged fluvial deposits relating to the Prairie Complex. Eleva-
tions range from apprOximately 43 m above mean sea level
(msl) in the nearby uplands to about 30 m msl at the toe of
the escarpment. Zimmerman Hill, itself, is a remnant of a
terrace projection into the alluvial valley which has been
bisected by a railroad cut made during the 1890s.
To the north, east, and south of Zimmerman Hill is the Red
River flood plain. In this locale, elevations range from
approximately 30 m msl at the toe of the escarpment to 18
m msl along the water's edge of the recently cutoff channel
lying directly to the east. One of the more obvious geomor-
phological features of the flood plain can be seen directly
north of Zimmerman Hill. Locally known as the Mill Pond,
this feature is an excellent example of a largely unfilled, Red
River oxbow lake. The recent channel of the river lies
directly to the east. It was artificially cut by the U. S. Army
Corps of Engineers in the 1980s as part of the development
of the Red River Waterway. Across the river is the point bar,
which has been prograding westerly for at least the past 200
years.
Cultural History
The earliest settlers in this area during the historic period
were Apalachee Indians who were originally from Florida
and who moved to Mobile in 1704 to escape repeated raids
by English allied Indians. At the conclusion of the French
and Indian War, the Apalachee requested that the French
allow them to move into Louisiana. The Apalachee formed
their village here in the fall of 1763, and other immigrant
tribal groups, including the Pascagoula, Taensa, Coushatta,
Alabama, and the Mobilians, would soon follow. Through-
out the remainder of the eighteenth century, there was little
European settlement in this area of central Louisiana.
In the last decade of the eighteenth century, more Europe-
ans began to move into central Louisiana. Some purchased
lands form the local Indians and created small plantations
devoted toward the production of tobacco and indigo. The
Indian presence in the region continued, but it was soon to
be overshadowed by the increasing American population
that was entering Louisiana under Spain's liberal immigra-
tion policies. After the United States purchased Louisiana,
more Americans started to move into the region, and after
the introduction of steam powered boats and cotton gins in
the second decade of the nineteenth century, large planta-
tions sprang up along the entire length of the river as they
did throughout the rest of the South.
Isaac Baldwin acqUired the property around 1820 and estab-
lished his Village Plantation. The Indians were still living on
the land as late as 1834 when forced off the property by
continued encroachments and depredations committed by
Baldwin and his overseer. Baldwin was one of the largest
cotton planters in the area, and by 1833 he had some 200
slaves. His main plantation complex, slave quarters, and
fields were on the opposite (east) side of the river.
Throughout the remainder of the nineteenth century, this
land was owned by various individuals who continued to
plant primarily cotton on the east side of the river. After the
Civil War, tenant farming and share cropping by blacks
replaced the former slave-based labor system. Still, the
agricultural use of the land continued as it does today.
In 1895, the property just north of Zimmerman Hill was
acquired by the ]. A. Bentley Lumber Company. A large
sawmill, which cut primarily southern yellow pine, was
constructed on the other side of the oxbow lake which was
used as the mill pond. The mill continued in operation until
1961. At that time its production exceeded the availability
of usable timber, primarily because the company had not
established a reforestation program in its earlier years.
Archaeological Sites
Previous archaeological research has identified 15 archaeo-
logical sites near Zimmerman Hill. For convenience, these
have been grouped into three basic categories: prehistoric
69
/
\
./
,- '.
\J@
\
..
':i
. ~
-------
Figure 4.1 - Topographic map of the Zimmerman Hill Area.
(prior to A.D. 1540), historic Indian (1763-1834), and late-
nineteenth- to early-twentieth-century Euro-American (Fig
4.2 ).
There are three locales in the immediate vicinity of
Zimmerman Hill which have produced prehistoric Indian
artifacts. The ages of two of these are not precisely known,
but both have produced artifacts similar to those found in
Late Archaic contexts (ca. 2000 B.C. to 500 B.C). Both of
these are situated on the edge of the Pleistocene terrace
overlooking the alluvial valley. The third prehistoric site is
within the confines ofthe flood plain and situated justto the
west of the mill pond. Research has indicated that this site
has an occupation dating to the Coles Creek period (A.D.
900-A.D. 1200). Test excavations have also indicated that it
may have earlier components.
Three locales have produced historic Indian artifacts. One
of these is at Zimmerman Hill where diagnostic artifacts
have been recovered from both the Pleistocene terrace
remnant and the edge of the cutbank overlooking the recent
Red River channel. This location corresponds with the
position of the principal Apalachee village depicted on an
1803 survey. On the opposite side of the recent channel, two
additional areas have produced historic Indian artifacts.
These are situated on point bar deposits associated with the
Red River and are presumed to have been associated with
individual Apalachee houses that were known to have once
occupied this point.
Nine archaeological sites in this locale were occupied in the
late nineteenth or early twentieth century. On the east side
of the river, there are three sites of this age that are presumed
to have been associated with tenant quarters on the Thomp-
son Plantation. There are two similar sites si tuated just to the
north of the old Zimmerman mill, which were probably
70
J.A. Bently Lumber Co.
, Zimmennan Saw Mill
(1895-1961)
\
\ ,
\
- ~ .. , , - ~
.... I
"./ I
\'.
Prehis toric Indian
.A Historic Indian
Late 19th to Early 20th
Century Euro-American
" \
~ . \ ~ " '\-L-----.1--________ . ______ --'_ .... _ .. _, __ -L..c:::: __ , ~
Figure 4.2 - A portion of the 1971 USGS "Boyce, La." quadrangle (7.5' series) showing the historic
Red River channel chronology, major physiographic features, and known archaeological sites
in the vicinity of Zimmerman Hill.
71
workers housing. One additional site of this age is located
east of the old mill, while another is just northwest of Boyce.
All of these are situated in alluvial settings on either Red
River point bar or natural levee formations. Only two late-
nineteenth- to early-twentieth-century sites are located in
the uplands, both near the edge of the valley wall.
Geoarchaeological Implications
Figure 4.2 also shows the Red River channel chronology for
this area reconstructed from a series of historic maps dating
between 1803 and 1971. Developing this type of channel
model in the extremely dynamic Red River flood plain is a
prerequisite for determining the ages of different land sur-
faces and, thus, predicting possible site locations. This
reconstruction indicates that Zimmerman mill pond was a
part of the active channel of Red River in 1803. Around
1820, this hard bend in the river began to be cut off.
Interestingly, the small prehistoric site located on the west
side of the mill pond appears to be situated on Red River
natural levee deposits. Apparently, however, this natural
levee remnant was not associated with the mill pond,
because the cultural material from the site indicates it is at
approximately 1200 years old. This seems entirely too long
for this channel to have been occupied, considering the
dynamic nature of the river. This natural levee feature is
somewhat higher than the other portions of the levee along
mill pond, and it is believed to be associated with an earlier
channel that once flanked the western valley wall in this
locale. The small stream entering the west side of the mill
pond may occupy a portion of the now largely filled aban-
doned course with which this site was associated.
There are four archaeolOgical sites situated in the uplands
along the margin of the valley wall (Figs. 4.2 and 4.3). Two
are prehistoric, two are late-nineteenth- to early-twentieth-
merman
Pre- Mill Pond ! Pre-
I
Post- I
Post-
Post-
Pleistocene Terrace 1820 Pre-1820 1820 I 1820
! 1820
1820
Natural Channel, !Natural'
Natural
!Channel
Point
Levee Natural Levees, Levee
Levee I Bar
c c
0 0

e
e e
-0
.3
3 3
fd
....
.": :I: >,:I:
::J
fd""

-Sfd3
I U J

V V
v

:I:.- W v
0'1 .... -i: QJ c cv

I
"'C
u -0 .... i:
<3
0'1 .... 0'1 ....
!\S
. E

<3 <.3
-tf E-o
I
0

ex:
:JQ.

+J-o
:JQ. :JQ.
0
I
c C "--0 "'-0
..0

fd
lij
E W 3! Q.:I:.,w
u", u",
.,
3

31 31

VI
NU.
u'-cu .......
3
'c O'Iu:;
c

v
u
.!!! cO 0'1
:I:.,N<

0'1
Figure 4.3 - A generalized cross section through portions of the Pleistocene uplands and Red River alluvial valley at
Zimmerman Hill showing major geomorphic features and locations of known archaeological sites (Note:
arrows indicate archaeological sites).
72
century site, and one is historic Indian site (related to the
Apalachee occupation of the area). Although the prehistoric
sites may have been utilized to some extent for procuring
lithic raw materials, their placement along the edge of the
valley wall and their size may indicate that they were
occupied for relatively short periods of time when the Red
River was at flood stage. Similarly, the historic Indian and
Euro-American sites may have been so located to avoid flood
waters. Elevated lands, such as those provided by the nearby
Pleistocene terrace, near water or a flood plain, are usually
considered by archaeologists as having a high potential for
site occurrence.
Two historic Indian sites have been located on the point bar
of the recen t channel. These were the locations of A palachee
houses during the 1820s. The coarse deposits of the point
bar were elevated, well drained and naturally suited for
growing crops.
73
What Happened to
Zimmerman?
A look at the series of 7.5' and 15' Boyce quad-
rangles through the years shows a common
occurence in early 20th century Louisiana, namely
the ascent and decline of a "company town". The
Bentley Lumber Company established a mill here in
1895 and soon builta company store and residences
for the mill workers.
The community of Zimmerman on the 1932 quad
contains 58 buildings including the saw mill and two
schools (separate but equal?), plus 4 railroad sidings
connecting with the Texas and Pacific mainline and
to the logging railroad which connected the lumber
mill with its piney woods raw materials. The main
highway to Shreveport passed by the front gates.
By 1945 a ring levee had been constructed around
the main mill and town site to protect it from Red
River flooding. 65 buildings are depicted including
two large mill structures. The two schools are not
indicated but a church is.
The 1971 map shows what is left 10 years after the
mill closed. The large mill is gone, only 4 residential
and 4 non-residential structures still stand. The
logging railroad is long abandoned and the sidings
are gone from the T & P tracks. The main highway
has moved a mile to the west leaving the much
diminished "community" of Zimmerman on a dead-
end, unmaintained segment of the old highway. An
Interstate highway now leapfrogs the area com-
pletely (1991 map revision, page 70).
In a few more years there wit I likely be little trace of
the lumber town of Zimmerman other than the mill
pond, the levee, and perhaps a name on the map
designating a country intersection.
-fohn Snead
74
STOPS
Archaeological Sites long Bayou Rapides:
An Abandoned Red River Course
Location.
England Air Force Base is located between Louisiana High-
ways 1 and 28 approximately 6 kIn west of Alexandria. The
specific stop location is situated in irregular Section 34, T. 4
N., R. 2 W. Bayou Rapides, which flows just south of England
Air Base, is.an abandoned Red River course (Fig. 5.1). Several
archaeological sites have been recently located in the imme-
diate vicinity of this locale which contribute toward an
understanding of past Euro-American land use and provide
some information concerning the age of this abandoned
course.
Geomorphology
This stop is located in the approximate center of the Red
River alluvial valley. Bayou Rapides is one of the most
pronounced geomorphic features in this locale. Elevations
range from about 27 m msl on the highest segments of the
natural levee of Bayou Rapides to about 24 msl in the
backswamp areas. A number of relict courses of the Red have
been identified in this area by Smith and Russ (1974) and are
shown in Figure 5.2. Approximately 1 kIn north of this locale
is Big Bayou, another abandoned and largely filled Red River
course. Judging from the amount of channel fill in Big
Bayou, its course appears to be earlier than that occupied by
Bayou Rapides, plus it appears to be cross cut by Bayou
Rapides (Smith and Russ 1974). Still further north is the
modern channel of Red River, which is located approxi-
mately 2 kIn from this stop location. It should be noted that
the existence of some of the meander belts shown in Figure
5.2 must be considered tentative; the identification of the
earlier meander belts, in particular, is based on speculative
topographic evidence (Smith and Russ 1974).
Cultural History
Historic settlement of this portion of central Louisiana
seems to have commenced during the late eighteenth cen-
tury in the last years of Spanish rule. Although some of the
early settlers were French, most of the families to settle on
this portion of Bayou Rapides were Anglo-Americans. Rapid
development along the banks of the bayou probably began
during the early American period with the introduction of
steam powered mills for processing cotton and, to a some-
what lesser extent, sugarcane. During the plantation era,
Bayou Rapides served the local planters as a navigable water
body to transport crops to the river and, thence via the Red,
to markets in New Orleans. At low water stages of the river,
Bayou Rapides could have served as an route in circumnavi-
gating the rapids, a set of siltstone shoals which blocked the
river at Alexandria. This feature gave Rapides Parish its
name. Except for the development of the air base, the area
along Bayou Rapides has remained basically rural and agri-
cultural throughout its known history.
Archaeological Sites
Until recently there were no known archaeological sites in
the immediate vicinity of England Air Force Base. Environ-
mental assessments made in relation to base closure opera-
tions have located three sites which contribute an under-
standing to past settlement patterns and land use activities
(Fig. 5.2). One is located at the present stop location. Known
as Oak Isle Plantation, this site was initially occupied at the
turn of the nineteenth century. In later years, it became a
relatively large plantation, probably producing both cotton
and sugarcane. During the Federal invasion of central Loui-
siana in the spring of 1864, this plantation, which belonged
to Dr. John Seip, was burned along with several others along
the bayou. After the war, the Seips rebuilt, and the property
apparently was utilized for agricultural purposes and a
family residence until acquired by the government in the
1940s.
A second archaeological site is located apprOXimately 1.4 kIn
southwest of the stop locale and, again, is situated on the
natural levee of Bayou Rapides. Known as the McNutt
Plantation, this site seems to have been initially occupied
during the 1870s probably as a small Reconstruction period
plantation. little is known about the specific history of this
plantation; however, some of the buildings were still in use
in the early 1940s when the military acquired the property.
Adjacent to the McNutt Plantation is a site that was a black
quarters area dating to the turn of the twentieth century.
Known as the Wei! site, this location served to house workers
on Clio Plantation located on the opposite of the Bayou.
This site is also situated on the natural levee of Bayou
Rapides.
The three sites discussed above are all nineteenth- and
twentieth-century Euro-American sites related to plantation
developments along Bayou Rapides (Fig.S.3). The natural
levee feature on which they are situated provided the high-
75
// --.- ~ ~
" I'
II
:1
I{
ii
i;
Figure 5.1 - Topographic map of the England Air Force Base area.
est lands locally available for habitation. The elevation of
the natural levee provided some degree of protection during
flooding, especially before extensive levee construction com-
menced along Red River during the late 1800s. There are no
known sites in the backswamp areas to the north of Bayou
Rapides or along Big Bayou. This would be expected, as these
areas are relatively low lying and generally not suited for
habitation. Although some prehistoric sites could be ex-
pected along the natural levee features of Big Bayou, they
might be buried by alluvial sediments.
One of the most important geoarchaeological implications
comes from the Oak Isle site. limited test excavations there
have revealed the presence of a minor prehistoric compo-
nent. The aboriginal materials include lithics and ceramics.
A preliminary analysis of these artifacts indicates they date
to the Plaquemine period, or between A.D. 1200 and A.D.
1700. This suggests this abandoned course could date as
early as 800 B.P. Additional archaeological research along
Bayou Rapides will likely locate other archaeological sites
which can be used to more precisely date this relict channel
course. Our current interpretation is that the Bayou Rapides
course predates the historic period by some considerable
period of time.
76
'. . . . . . . . . . . . --"
............. 1 .... ::'
'f} r....\
:-:-:-:-:.j "'::-:-::-1
.J ,. J I
:- :- :- :- ( ':-:-:-:-: J
....... J.'.
D
. . . . . . . . . . . .
IfJth Ctmttu"y Pl9Inbticns
Abcrigin9l1 Sites
D
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
D
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
...........................
. . ./ /. .... Jr . . ':"-. ..........---'-.....".."
............... ...r ...... ( .... '. . . . . . . . . . .. . ........... .
1::::..::::::.,' ..1 l...... i" r.("'"> ... \. .............................. r ........... ...................... .
1 L / ...... y ....... ."............. . . . . . .. ...... 1
\ 1....;..- ........... --.. . ..... .. l.., '.. ...................... .
...... .:... :.- ....- ./. J, ."/ ,..,. .- r- 0:- ...... ". i/f'l ,. . l 1 ......... .
..... \ \>:- :;'>'/'-: -: -: -:. >. -:./ / > >: \ l>. -: . -: -:.:-:-:- >:-
'\' -:..:.,. ./............... ..........:. 1\ '\ ... '. .' ........ .
-"':--:-"-:-':':':':':':':':':'. .. ':"";":":':
..................... ':-., \'" ...... .........
.......................................... l. .-..:.: .... .-.. '.'
.... ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::.
- -
- - -
Figure 5.2 - Plan view of the England Air Force Base Stop area showing the various relict Red River channels
identified in the area by Smith and Russ (1974) and known archaeological sites along Bayou Rapides.
77
England Air Force Base
Backswamp Natural Levee
and Point Bar
Bayou
Rapides,
Abandoned
Course
Natural Levee Backswamp
. '. '. '. '. '.

............. . ....... . .............. .
. .................. .......... . .................. .
I"
Big Bayou,
Abandoned
Course
I '. "' ..... " .... f"'- .... ...., .......... ' ....... '"
>.J' .... / .... / .... /'Io,./'Io,./'d
I, I, I'. I, I, ',' I' I, I, I, '.', I, 'I I .............. " ................................ -"
.. " . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ................................ v'J"'"..,./ .... .... .rf
,.... .... ' ......... J' ....... ' ..... ".
' I I I " " .... , ......... ' ........ ,"- .....
:-:.:. Holocene Deposits .:.:-:.:-:.:.:.:-:.:-:.:-:.:.:.:. ::.:.:.:.:.:.:-:.:-:.:.:.:-:-:.:.:-:.:-:.:-:.:-:.:-:.:-:.:-:.:-:.:-:.:-:.:r ................ " .....'- ........
0 I I I I I I V" ..... ""'"' .../ .... ,,,J0
..................................... ,......... ., ................ ' ................... , ....... ', ........ , ..... ", .... ....,
' I '. '.' I ' I ' '. '. '.' '. '. I .' I .' I. I I ' I '. '. I '. ' v .... , ........ , ......... ,"- .... .
'.' I'. I I .. I I.... I \j .... ,' .... /',/'Io,..I ..... J
......' .. >.: .. ,.:.'.: ...... >.: ...... : ..: .... : ... : ...... : ...: .. : .. : : ... :.: ... :: ... : ... :.: .. : .... : ... , ......:.'.: .. , .. > ..:.:.: ... :.:.: ..... : .. >.: '.: -:.' .. ' '.> : ... : ... : ...: ... : ..... : .. : ..: .... : ... : .... :.'.: .... :.' ........ :. '. . :.: . :.: I :.: :.: 1 : 1 : 1 : 1 ': : I ' ' '. '. I ' I
',,, I ' I,: I I,: I. I" I, .. I ', I '1I' I.: I I. ,I I, I' , I ... I I. I' I, I' I ... 1. II I' 0 II " I I. I' I I. I' I I. I' I. ,I I, I' I '. I' I,.' , ., .. I ' I I, " I I. I" I ::: :.1::: :.1:.'::,'::: :.'::: :11::: :.':'': ::::: ::.::: :.;.:: :,:,:: :,:,,': :,:,:: :1:
'
:: :.:.:: :'::'::'=1:: :,',"',':.f ' 'V" ..... , 'A I I " I '.'. '
;:} ;:'::': ;

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!G
I I 1
0
to I, II 't II II'I 0, I I 1
0
' 0 I, 1
0
' 0 't tt '
1
'1 II '. I, Ie eo I. '0 t. t .... , 0 1
0
'. to eo to 0 , t I, '0 'I '0' .0., , I I to I. to I. 00 O. 10 '0 't' I I, .... 0 .. 't eo e l " ' o
1
' I 1
0
" I 10 'I 0 tl eo" I t.' I I, ". '0 I, I, I. " I, eo ee 10 I, It I ..
1
10 I I
0
I. 1
0
0, I, '0 I. II I I 10 I I 1
0
1 "0 tl 'e'
Figure 5.3 - A generalized cross section through portions of the Red River alluvial valley showing the
major geomorphic features associated with Bayou Rapides and Big Bayou and locations of
known archaeological sites (Note: arrows indicate archaeological sites).
78
Flying Tigers
The last aircraft left England Air Force Base last summer as the
base was closed in the post-cold war military reductions. For the
last twentyyears the base was hometo the 23rd Tactical Fighter
Wing, the descendent unit of the WWII American Volunteer
Group, better known as the Flying Tigers.
Led by Louisiana native General Claire Chenault, the Flying
Tigers in their famous shark-mouthed P-40 fighters, fought the
Japanese in China before America's official entry into the war.
The unit became the 23rd Fighter Group after Pearl Harbor and
later became the 23rd Fighter Wing in the postwar TactIcal Air
Command. The wing flew several types of tactical fighter in the
50's and 60's in both attack and air defense roles.
Atthe close of the Vietnam Warthe unitwas assigned to England
Air Force Base and began conversion from A-7 attack aircraft to
the tank-busting A-l 0 close support attack fighter. Two of the
23rd TFW's three squadrons were deployed to Saudi Arabia and
earned distinguished unit honors during the Gulf War in 1991.
Upon their return the wing was inactivated, the planes trans-
ferred or retired, and the base was closed.
England Air Force Base itself was constructed by the Army Air
Corps during World War II as a B-17 bomber training base.
Briefly closed after WWII, it was reactivated during the Korean
War and housed several different Tactical Air Command units
during the Cold War. The base trained F-' 00 Super Sabre and
F-4 Phantom units during most of the Vietnam War, rotating
several squadrons overseas and was also home to an Air Com-
mando Group during this period. The base was permanently
closed by the military in 1992.
-John Snead
79
80
STOP 6
Hydrodynamics and Suspended Sediment Transport
of the Lower Red River
Joann Mossa
location
This stop is near the great rapids of the Red River(FIg.6.1).
The Red River, which drains about 90,000 mF (233,000 km
2
)
of five states including Louisiana, Arkansas, Texas, Okla-
homa, and New Mexico (Fig. 6.2) is appropriately named
being that the river has a reddish color from the significant
quantities of sediment that it transports which are derived
largely from the Permian red beds in the upper part of the
basin. Originating in the semi-arid plains region of eastern
New Mexico, comprising the boundary between Oklahoma
and Texas, and flowing towards the southeast, the Red River
is a major tributary of the Atchafalaya River. The Old River
Outflow Channel where flow is controlled from the Missis-
sippi River through various structures of the Old River
control project is also a major contributor to the Atchafalaya,
and infrequent contributions are funneled through the
Morganza Floodway during extreme floods (Fig. 6.3).
Throughout its length, the Red River is a shallow unstable
river. Even in the lower reaches where it becomes deeper and
more stable below Alexandria, the Waterways Experiment
Station (1950, p. 3) has noted that controlling depths at low
water are something less than four feet. At this site(Fig. 6.3),
the modern processes of the river are briefly discussed, with
the emphasis being on the suspended sediment dynamics,
and the importance of this river for supplying sediment to
southern Louisiana where vast quantities of coastal wet-
lands are being transformed into open water. Current rates
of wetland loss in Louisiana, for example, are apprOximately
30 mF/yr (77.7 km2/yr) (May and Britsch, 1987; Britsch and
Kemp, 1990). This characterization regarding hydrology
and suspended sediment in the Red River is confined to the
LO'wer Red River, especially the reach between Alexandria
and Simmesport, Louisiana (Fig. 6.3). In order to understand
the role ofthe Red River in the Mississippi-Atchafalaya river
system, it is important to evaluate hydrology and sediment
transport at other locations in the system.
Hydrology: Discharge Means,
Extremes and Trends
In contrast with the MissiSSippi, the Lower Red River at
Alexandria shows highly variable maximum, mean, and
minimum discharges from year-to-year, with means fluctu-
ating about seven-fold over the period of record (Fig. 6.4).
Because the drainage area is smaller and precipitation in the
Red River basin is not as regular or abundant as the Missis-
81
sippi, the Red River lacks the sustained baseflow of the
Mississippi and floods are more episodic. Also unlike the
Mississippi, the years with high mean discharges are not
often the same as years with high maxim urn discharges. In
some years, with numerous events, mean flows may be high
although no single event stands apart from the remainder.
Conversely, a single large event of short duration might not
significantly increase the mean discharge during a year of
otherwise below-normal flow quantities.
Flow in the Mississippi River below the diversion, in con-
trast, is fairly consistent, and fluctuates only two-to three-
fold from extremes of maxima, means, and minima (Fig.
6.4). The regularity of flow is related to the large basin size,
the humid climate with precipitation throughout the year,
and its ability to store groundwater. Years with high annual
mean discharges typically coincide with high annual maxi-
mum discharges. Overall, the discharges on the Mississippi
are dominan t in the system and strongly affect discharges on
the Old and Atchafalaya rivers (Fig. 6.4). Mean discharges on
the Mississippi below the diversion are about twice those on
the Atchafalaya, about three times that of the Old River
system, and generally over ten times that of the Red River.
The Red River discharges consequently do not strongly
influence quantities and time series patterns of discharge on
the Atchafalaya in most years.
Suspended Sediment Means,
Extremes and Trends
Declining trends in suspended sediment load and concen-
tration since 1950 are characteristic of the Red River and
other rivers in the Mississippi-Atchafalaya system (Fig. 6.5).
Factors that may contribute to this decrease include cumu-
lative effects of dams and reservoirs, bank revetments, other
engineering structures, and land use and land manangement
changes upstream in the basin. Most trends are significant at
the 5% Significance level for both suspended load and
concentration. The four rivers in the system show differ-
ences in quantities of sediment supply reflecting climatic
and geologic differences of the drainage area, and differ-
ences in timing that reflect the differing sequences of pro-
cess phenomena in each region (Fig. 6.5). The Red River has
highest concentrations for every year over the period of
record, generally exceeding the MissiSSippi and Old rivers by
two to five times. The differences are attributed to the greater
sediment yields insemi-arid as compared to humid climates
because of differences in vegetation and soil erosion poten-
Figure 6.1 - Topographic map of the Red River / Fort Buhlow Lake area
tial (Langbein and Schumm, 1958; Fournier, 1960; Douglas,
1967; Walling and Kleo, 1979; Dunne, 1979; Hadleyet al.,
1985). Mean annual suspended sediment concentrations
are typically lowest in Old River, but in some years are lowest
in the lYfississippi. The Atchafalaya, receiving some flow
from the Red River and most from the Mississippi through
Old River, shows mean suspended sediment concentrations
intermediate to both rivers but generally closer to the
Mississippi and Old rivers than the Red River.
The Role of the Red River in the
Mississippi-Atchafalaya System: Examples
of Annual Discharge and Suspended
Sediment Contributions
Part of why the the Red River may have received little
attention in terms of its contribution to the Atchafalaya
River is possibly because some researchers believe that a large
river as the Mississippi (1,124,000 mil or 2,910,000 krnZ)
would likely drown out sediment contributions from the
much smaller the Red River (90,000 mF or 233,000 kmZ).
Indeed, on the average the bulk of the flow comes from the
Old River, although the year-to-year scenario and the sedi-
ment scenario are more complicated. The Old River system
has provided from about 39 to 84% of the flow of the
Atchafalaya River at Simmesport for various water years
between 1966 to 1991, with the flow discharge averaging
about 67.3% over this period (Fig. 5). The remaining smaller
proportion is provided by the Red River, which accounts for
16 to 61 % of the Atchafalaya River flow and averages 32.7%
over this period (Fig. 6.6).
The annual suspended load contribution of Old River sys-
tem presently ranges from about 25% to 97% of the annual
suspended load of the Atchafalaya at Simmesport, and
therefore shows a wider range than the flow (Fig. 6.7). That
of the Red River above the Old River Outflow Channel,
computed as the remainder, provides about 3% to 75% of
the Atchafalaya's load (Fig. 6.7). Thus, because the contribu-
tions provided by the Red River are highly variable, in some
years the Red River provides only a minor contributions of
suspended sediments in the Atchafalaya, whereas in other
years it is the dominant component of the suspended
sediment load. On the average for the period between 1966
and 1991, the annual suspended load provided by the Old
River system is 54.7%, whereas that provided by the Red
River is 45.3%. Thus, while the Red River provides less than
one-third of the flow in the Atchafalaya it provides nearly
one-half of its sediments because of its high suspended
82
o 100 200 kilometers
I
I I I
I I
o too 200 miles
Figure 6.2- Primary tributaries and distributaries of the Red River system in the south-central United States (Arkansas,
Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas). A small portion of the basin also falls in New Mexico (data simplified from
the u.s. Geological Survey 1 :2,000,000 scale Digital Line Graph).
OLDRNER
'LOW CHANNEL
.... ___ _____ -,
Laroncnd7AinN9,ZA (
\
\
Figure 6.3 - The drainage system and levees (dotted lines) of southern Louisiana. Stations discussed in this paper
include: 1) the Red River at Alexandria; 2) the Red River above the Old River Outflow Channel near Simmesport;
3) the Mississippi River below diversion (Red River and Tarbert Landing); 4) the Old River Outflow Channel near
Knox Landing; and 5) the Atchafalaya River at Simmesport (from Mossa, 1990).
83
(X)

Discharge in thousands of cIs
500
1
450
400
350
300
250
200
1966 1970 1976 1980 1985
WATER YEAR
- Maximum Mean 0 Minimum -<>- Moving Mean
ATCHAFALAYA RIVER AT SIMMESPORT
Maximum, Mean, and Minimum Discharges
Discharge in thousands of cfs

900 - ,-_ .. .... -.- ..- _ .. -.. .._._....
800
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
1950 1966 1960 1966 1970 1976 1980 1985 1990
WATER YEAR
- Maximum Mean 0 Minimum -<>- Moving Mean
MISSISSIPPI RIVER BELOW DIVERSION
/ Maximum, Mean, and Minimum Discharges
Discharge in thousands 01 cIs
2000
1
1800
1600
1400!
1200,
1
1000 1
800'
800
400
200 , , , ,I
1956 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1986 1990
WATER YEAR
- Maximum Mean 0 Minimum -i>- Moving Mean
OLD RIVER SYSTEM
Maxim:Jm, Mean, and Minimum Dischsrges
Discharge in thousands 01 cIs
1000
1
900
800
700
600
600
400
300
1955 1980 1966 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990
WATER YEAR
- Maximum Mean 0 Minimum -e- Moving Mean
Figure 6.4 - Maximum, mean, and minimum discharges in the Mississlppi-Atchafalaya River system (Red,
Mississippi, Atchafalaya and Old rivers) (from Mosso, 1990).
00
l.I'I
RED RIVER AT ALEXANDRIA
Susp. Sed. Discharge and Concentration
SSO (t/day X 1000) and SSC (mgll)
2000
1
1800
1800
1400
1200
1000
800
800
400
I I 1" " ,I
1960 1965 1980 1985 1970 1975 1980 ,985 1990
YEAR
_ssa -Mow.M nSSa --.. CI'I.I .... nSac
ATCHAFALAYA RIVER AT SIMMESPORT -----+----!
Suep. Sed. Discharge lind Concentration
SSO (ttday X 1000) and SSC (mg/l)
2000
1
1800
1800
1400
1200
1000
1955 1980 10S5 1970 1976 1980 1985 1990
YEAR
_ssa ---Mov. M ... n S80 --"CI'I ..... " SSC
)
MISSISSIPPI RIVER BELOW DIVERSION
/ Suap. Sed. Dillch8f911 and Concentration
SSO (I/day X 1000) lind SSC (molt)
2000
1
1800
1800
1400
1200
1000
- sao 88C _ Mow. M n 880 -- "CI'I. M" ... SSC
OLD RIVER OUTFLOW CHANNEL NEAR KNOX lG.
Sulll). Sed. Discharge and Concentration
SSO II/day X 1000) and SSC (mgll)
2000
1
1800
1800
1400
1200
1000
600
800
400
200
0
1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1960 1965 1990
YEAR
- sso SSC ..... "ow..... " ssa -- Mo.o..... n sac
Figure 6.5 -:- Suspended sediment discharges and concentrations in the Mississippi-Atchafalaya River system (Red,
Mississippi, Atchafalaya and Old rivers) (from Mossa, 1990).
sediment concentrations. Assessment of discharge-sediment
relationships in the Atchafalaya are thus incomplete with-
out examining the spatial and temporal variations of these
parameters in the Red River.
Discharge-Suspended Sediment
Relationships in the Red River
Red River at Alexandria
Suspended sedimen t and silt-clay concentrations on the Red
River at Alexandria show strong linear relationships (Fig.
6.8), with maxima in excess of 5000 mg/I. Total suspended
sediment, suspended silt-clay, and suspended sand concen-
trations generally increase rapidly throughout the range of
discharges, with the suspended sand concentration showing
more scatter and a lower correlation coefficient than the
total suspended sediment and silt-clay concentration rela-
tionships with discharge. Because of the high suspended
sediment concentrations, the Red River at highest discharges
has suspended sediment loads comparable to that on the
Mississippi River below the diversion. The percentage of
sand in suspension shows tremendous scatter throughout
the discharge range (Fig. 6.8), with most scatter in the
intermediate discharges and no apparent increase with
increasing discharges. Since both silt-clay and sand concen-
trations show similar increases with discharge as manifested
by similar slopes of the regression equations, the propor-
tions manifest by the percentage sand in suspension show
much scatter but no consistent relationship with discharge.
Red River above Simmesport
(above Old River Outflow Channel)
Further downstream on the Red River above Simmesport
above the Old River Outflow Channel, the discharge-sus-
pended sediment relationships are somewhat different than
upstream. Although both suspended silt-clay and sand con-
centrations on the Red River above Simmesport increase as
discharge increases, they have very different slopes and
intercepts (Fig. 6.9). The graph of total suspended sediment
concentration with discharge strongly resembles that of its
major constituent, the suspended silt-clay concentrations.
The suspended sand concentration is minimal at low flows
but considerable at high flows, whereas the suspended silt-
clay concentration and total suspended sediment concen-
trations show much smaller slopes. Thus, in contrast with
the upstream station, the percentage sand in suspension
shows a fairly good relationship with discharge, increasing
as discharge increases especially above a threshold level of
50,000 cfs or 1500 m
3
/s (Fig.6.9).
A Sample Daily Time Series
Despite the relatively small contributing flow of the Red
ATCHAFALAYA FLOW DISCHARGE
Percent contributed by Red & Old rivers
Percent of Q at Simmesport

8 0 ..................................................................... -.......................................................... __ .......... __ ................................................................................................. --........ _ ......... __ .-...... _ ................................ .
60
40
20
o
20
40
60
80

1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990
WATER YEAR
.. Q, RED OLD
Figure 6.6 - Percent flow of the Red River and Old River system to the Atchafalaya. In most years, th.e Red
River contributes between 20 and 40% (mean is 32.7%) of the flow to the Atchafalaya, as contrasted WIth 60
to 80% (mean is 67.3%) contributed by the Mississippi River through the Old River Outflow Channel (data
source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District, 1992).
86
River to the Atchafalaya as compared to the Mississippi
contribution through the Old River system, the Red River
has an important influence on the sediment time series of
the Atchafalaya. Evidence discussed above shows that in
terms of annual contributions, the Red River provides an
average of 45.3% and maximum of 75% of the suspended
sediment load in the Atchafalaya River. High suspended
sediment concentrations, which exceed 1000 mg/l during
high flows, are also characteristic of the Red River. Since the
Red River comprises a large component in selected years, it
may strongly influence the sediment time series or signature
of the Atchafalaya over smaller timescales as well. Wateryear
1968 (Fig. 6.10), when 34.8% of the flow and 58.9% was
provided by the Red River, is indicative of this phenomena
where the Red River is the dominant influence on the
sediment time series or signature of the Atchafalaya. This is
evidenced by the numerous large peaks that occur on the
Atchafalaya that do not occur on the Mississippi but instead
can be traced to the Red River. Several other years show
similar phenomena, even if the flow in the Red River flow is
not particularly high, one or a few large events may be noted
on the Atchafalaya River time series with no apparent
relation to the Mississippi River system. Thus, even though
the flow time series strongly resembles the Old River or the
1tfississippi River, the sediment time series is a hybrid of the
Red River and Mississippi River sequence.
Summary and Conclusions
The Red River, which has low discharges throughout much
of the year, is periodically the major contributor of sus-
pended sediment supply the Atchafalaya and thus coastal
Louisiana. As the suspended sediment concentrations of the
Mississippi River have declined because of reservoirs and
bank protection by revetments and improved soil conserva-
tion measures, the relative contribution of sediment in the
Red River system has become increasing important for
supplying sediments for wetland accretion in the Atchafalaya
basin. In fact, the Red River strongly influences the sediment
time series signature of the Atchafalaya, comprising in
excess of 70% of the suspended sediment in the Atchafalaya
in some years. Recent projects involving construction of
several locks and dams on the Red River should consider that
any changes in sediment regime related to these and associ-
ated engineering projects such as revetment construction,
mayim pact the suspended sediment loads in the Atchafalaya
basin to a considerable extent and thus that available for
deposition in the coastal wetlands of southern Louisiana.
ATCHAFALAYA SUSPENDED SEDIMENT LOAD
Percent contributed by Red & Old rivers
Percent of as at Simmesport
1 0 0 r - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ~
8 0 ......................................................................................... _ ..................................... _ ............................ _ ..................................... _ ..... _ ....................... _ ....... _ ... _ .. _ ........................ _ ................................ ..
60
40
20
o
20
40
60
80
1980
WATER YEAR
.. Qs, RED _as, OLD
1985 1990
Figure 6.7 - Percent suspended sediment discharge of the Red River and Old River system to the Atchafalaya.ln most
years, the Red River contributes between 20 and 70% (mean is 45.3%) of the suspended sediment to the
Atchafalaya, as contrasted with 30 to 80% (mean is 54.7%) contributed by the Mississippi River through the
Old River Outflow Channel (data source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District, 1992).
87
-
-
o
CI)
CI)
-
""-
0)
E
-
z
0
:3
0
I-
C/')
1963-91
Q /s)
10 100 1000 10000 10 100 1000 10000

-
-

i 40
1mam.mllfil
D..

100 1000 10000 100000 1000000
Q (cfs)
10, 100 1000 10000
1000
100
10

100 1000 10000 100000 1000000
Q (cfs)
-
""-
t:D
E
-
z
0
0
0

o
100 1000 10000 100000 1000000
Q (efs)
10 100 1000 10000
1000
100
10

100 1000 10000 100000 1000000
a (efs)
Figure 6.8 - Discharge-suspended sediment relationships for the Red River at Alexandria, 1963-91. Discharge (Q) is
shown in cubic feet and cubic meters per second on the x-axis, whereas suspended sediment concentration
(SSC), percentage sand in suspension (PCTSAND), suspended silt-clay concentration (STCLCON), and
suspended sand concentration (SANDCON) are shown on the y-axis. Suspended sediment concentrations
above 1000 mg/I are not unusual during high flows. Percentage sand in suspension does not show a good
relationship with discharge (data from U.S. Geological Survey and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers).
'88
-
.......
10 100
RIVER OUTFLOW
CHANNEL ABOVE SIMMESPORT, LA
1974-87
1000 10000 10 100 1000 10000
10000 1111111 I 11111111 I 11111111 I /1111
100
1111111 I I 1111111 I I 1111111 11111
O. 1 9 x 0. ()-g r O. h
Iy o 0.82 0]
III At.
80
..
1ooom.31
-

100
----
60
a

J

-
o
en
en
.......
0)
E
-
z
0
g

fI)
1gm'.Rmme.

100 '000 1 oro:) 100000 1000000
a (cfs)
10 100 1000 10000
10000
1111111 I I 1111111 I I 1111111 I I 1111111
ft
''1000
100
10
1
100
, .. "
O.57x 0.57 r 0.6
III
!A!!
f.:
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1000 10000 100000 1000000
Q (c1s)
t5
D...
40
20
- ..
o
100
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10

:.'
J
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1000 10000 100000 1000000
Q(cfs)
100 1000 10000
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1111111111111111111111111 111111
:fy
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1
100
Ox 1.48 r
-0.7
.&
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16

l
14-

rll
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1 11111111
1000 10000 100000 1000000
Q(cfs)
Figure 6.9- Discharge-suspended sediment relationships for the Red River above theOld River Outflow Channel near
Simmesport, 1974-87. Discharge (Q) is shown in cubicfeet and cubic meters per second on the x-axis, whereas
suspended sediment concentration (SSC), percentage sand in suspension (PCTSAND), suspended silt-clay
concentration (STCLCON), and suspended sand concentration (SANDCON) are shown on the y-axis.
Suspended sediment concentrations above 1000 mg/I are not unusual during high flows. Percentage sand in
suspension does not show a good relationship with discharge (data from U.S. Geological Survey and U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers).
89
MISSISSIPPI RIVER AT TARBERT LANDING ATCHAFALAYA RIVER AT SIMMESPORT, LA
5.00 i .... tar y.oor 19611 :: r --.-,- > '"
2.20 J
4.00 110
i -, i 2.00 i I It .. 110
UO-l
I
3_00 60 1.60 -1,
r; a 60
:l 1.4
0
1 r;
t. t. F 1.20 -1 i
} 2.00 t. 40 } t. t. 40
U I t.A .\ A .. u I ..
A A A A A t5 0.
110
1 A 2i
:If A A A A e :If Q
'. 1.001 ZO A zo :z;
41 I. 11 W1 ;
C7 _. III C7 A III
0.00 , i 0 - '- u 0.00 ,.. .... -_---_ ..... -_---,;;p..-........... ---...... ---....;;;;;;;;

u.,... D.."..
-- Q - sse 3I!IIQ L IIISAMI -- ill - -- sse SSQ t.!IIS.lND
RED RIVER AT ALEXANDRIA OLD RIVER NEAR KNOX LAKDi:f.':C
_tar Jeer lMe _tar Jeer 1966
5.00 2.60 I ------- 100
2.40
i 5.00 100 2.20
.... 2.001 }-IICI
" z :If A
4.00 IICI } 1.11C1
t ... .' .. I ! ..
if . r:. 1.20 fa
! .1 t. \ 1.001- t. A 40
..:. 2.00 I 40; U ..
:; A:' .:l 0..80 I, 2i
..... A 41: '\. 41 A ..
;r 0.60 " J \ t. 1'\ A
:: 20 :: .\ I \ I \ I '. 20
.; 1.00 .; 0.40 " r\ \ .1 t. ! ",\ _ _ A:
0.20
0.00 0.00
50 100 150 300 3'lO 50 100 150 zoe 300 3'lO
lJe7a lJe7a
-- II - sse -- S!IQ t. IIS.I.NO -- CII -- - - sse S!IQ 1. lISL'ID
figure 6.10 _ Discharge-suspended sediment time series for the Mississippi-Atchafalaya river system in water year 1968 beginning October 1, 1967.
Discharge (Q) is expressed in millions ofcfs for the Mississippi, Atchafalaya, and Old rivers, and in hundred-thousands cfs for the Red River. Suspended
sediment discharge (SSQ) is expressed in millions of tons/day and suspended sediment concentration (SSe) in grams/liter. Percentage sand in
suspension is shown as a triangle following the right Y-axis. The differences appear to be related to contributions from the Red River. Although the
Mississippi andAtchafalayashowsimilar discharge (dark line) signatures, theyshowverydifferentsignaturesforsuspendedsedimentdischarge(light
line), and suspended sediment concentration (dashed line). Such patterns are most pronounced during years in which the Red River discharge is
relatively high whereas the Mississippi River discharge is relatively low, which can be approximated using the data in figure 3 (from Mossa, 1990).
Acknowledgements
Jan Coyne ofUF produced the diagram ofthe Red River basin
and Beth Wilder of UF generated the graphs of discharge-
suspended sediment relationships. Individuals in the LGS
Cartographic Section drafted the diagram of southeastern
Louisiana and integrated the time series graphs of the
lvfississippi-Atchafalaya river system. Early portions of this
research were supported by NASA (Grant No. NAGW-1SS2)
and the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources (Con-
tract 21940-88-02). Funding was also provided by the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers, Waterways Experiment Station
(DACA39-92-M-4918) project (fom Richardson, Coastal
Engineering Research Center, project manager) which as-
sesses suspended sediment fluxes to the Gulf of Mexico. Data
were willingly provided by the New Orleans District, U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers (Nancy Powell, Hydrologic Engi-
neering Section).
91
Bedload
Much gravel in Louisiana occurs as lentils in the basal deposits
of Pleistocene units. They contain pebbles averaging less than
1" in diameter although boulders of up to 24" have been
recorded. Lemon and baseball sized gravels are fairly common
in the deposits of the Upland Complex and the occasional
grapefruit-sized rock wi" be found.
Coarse sediment usually travels as bedload, its journey charac-
terized by rolling, bouncing, and sliding along the bed surface,
the biggest pieces remaining immobile within the channel for
long periods. A stream of high competence is needed to
transport the heaviest sediment particles.
The specimen pictured is a 94-pound quartzite boulder found
atop the Miocene contact among the basal gravels of the
Pleistocene. It was collected from the railroad cut on the east
side of Buhloh Lake that you pass when you enter and leave FOP
stop #6. The closest source area for such material is the
Catahoula Formation 20 miles to the north.
-John Snead
92
STOP 7
Loyd's Hall: Historic Period Settlelllent
and Use of the Bayou BoeufMeander Belt
location
Loyd's Hall, a nineteenth-century plantation home, is lo-
cated on the natural levees of Bayou Boeuf about 33 km
south of Alexandria and just east of Highway 71 (Fig. 7.1).
Generally considered to be the youngest of the relict Red
River meander belts in the region, Bayou Boeuf exhibits
modestly well-preserved natural levees and a reasonably
open channel. These natural levees rise about 3 m above the
surrounding backswamp and provide the area's highest and
most arable land. During the late eighteenth and early
nineteenth centuries Indian and white immigrants into the
region began to settle and cultivate these natural levees.
Additionally, they exploited and used the nearby Pleisto-
cene uplands for a variety of purposes. The Loyd's Hall
location typifies the characteristic use of the higher natural
levees of relict Red River courses in the region.
Geomorphology
This stop is located on the n a t u r a ~ levee on the south side of
Bayou Boeuf. As a relict course ofthe Red River, Bayou Boeuf
extends about 89 km from Alexandria in the north to near
the town of Washington in the south, where it enters Bayou
Teche. An extension of the Bayou Boeuf system below
vVashington, known as Bayou Little, again enters Bayou
Teche about 11 km south of the upper entrance. Near
Alexandria, the Bayou Boeuf course occupies present-day
Bayou Robert. Through almost all of its length, the Bayou
Boeuf meander belt occupies the western side of the Red
River flood plain, often impinging on the adjacent Pleisto-
cene and Tertiary up lands, as it does just west of Loyd's Hall.
The natural levees of the Bayou Boeuf meander belt are on
the order of 2 to 4 km in width and rise only about 2 to 3 m
above the surrounding flood plain. The age of the Bayou
Boeuf meander bel t is not precisely known, but it is generally
assumed to be among the youngest of the relict Red River
courses that extended south of Alexandria prior to the
diversion through Moncla Gap. Just west of Loyd's Hall, the
Bayou Boeuf course cuts through an earlier north-south
trending relict Red River course identified by Smith and Russ
(1974) (Fig. 7.2). This earlier course is not discernable at the
surface in the vicinity of Loyd's Hall, but several kilometers
to the north its natural levees are fairly obvious and the old
course is occupied by several streams, including Cross Bayou
and Bayou Latanier.
Today the channel of Bayou Boeuf is only partially open,
blocked along much of its length by numerous trees. In the
nineteenth century, however, the channel was cleared of
trees and snags along much of its length and it served as an
important regional waterway for the transport of produce,
merchandise and people. A variety of vessels used Bayou
Boeuf, including keelboats, flatboats and small steamboats.
About 3.5 km west of Loyd's Hall lie Pleistocene terrace
uplands which rise 7 to 8 m above the all uvial flood plain.
A number of small swamps (rimswamps) are found at the
base of the Pleistocene terrace, where water is impounded by
the natural levees of Bayou Boeuf.
Cultural History
Little is known about the prehistoric use of Bayou Boeuf,
since few early sites have been found along it. In the historic
period, many of the early settlers in the region settled along
the banks of Bayou Boeuf, attracted by its fertile and elevated
levees. The earliest settlements known in the vicinity of
Loyd's Hall were made by several immigrant tribes, who
moved to Bayou Boeuf in the late 1700s. Among these
aboriginal groups were the Biloxi, Yowini, Pascagoula, and
Choctaw. Their settlements were made on the west side of
Bayou Boeuf, either adjacent to or in the Pleistocene up-
lands. These villages extended for a distance of about 12 km
up the bayou from Loyd's Hall, and two of the village
locations are shown in Figure 7.2. These groups cultivated
fields in the flood plain adjacent to Bayou Boeuf, and also
hunted and trapped in the wooded uplands. In 1802, these
tribes became indebted to the merchants William Miller and
Alexander Fulton and, subsequently, the two were able to
acquire all of the Indian lands, some 46,800 arpents, at a cost
of about 3 cents per acre (Whittington 1970:21-22). A small
number of these Indian peoples remained in the Bayou
Boeuf area well into the present century, but with the loss of
their lands most of them left the area.
Subsequently, a number of Americans acquired property
along Bayou Boeuf, in what was the new American Territory
of Orleans. Many of these early immigrants came from states
like Virginia and South Carolina on the eastern seaboard,
anxious to acquire cheap and fertile land. Soon, these
newly-arrived Americans overshadowed the earlier French
and Spanish settlers of the region. Among these early settlers
was James Bowie, who acquired a tract of land along Bayou
Boeuf just a short distance above Loyd's Hall. These early
settlers established their homes, fields and outbuildings on
93
n
\
11
1\
" "
"

II "
II \ 11
11
11 '
:\./1\ 1\ i
I
t ill'
II '
, "
, " :
II .
" I II
II
"
11
"
Figure 7.1 - Topographic map of the Bayou Boeuf / Loyd's Hall area.
the natural levees of Bayou Boeuf and, because these levees
are fairly narrow, buildings tend to be concentrated close to
the banks of the bayou, on the crest of levee (Fig. 7.3).
Sugarcane became the most important agricultural crop in
the region in the decade of the 1820s (Whittington 1970:66).
Soon most of the arable lands along Bayou Boeuf were
planted in sugarcane, and sugar houses for processing the
cane were constructed on almost every major plantation.
These sugar houses, like most other buildings, were situated
on the high natural levee lands and, generally, close to the
bayou where there was easy access to water transport (Fig.
7.2). Sugarcane cultivation fluctuated, depending upon
market conditions and, particularly, weather, since Bayou
Boeuf lies near the very northern range for successful cane
cultivation. When sugarcane was not profitable, the plant-
ers turned to cotton, and this periodic fluctuation between
major crops has continued to this day.
Many Bayou Boeuf planters had second homes in the adja-
cent pine-covered Pleistocene uplands, where they often
resided in the summer months. Additionally, these uplands
were exploited for their timber and game, just as the Indian
populations had done previously, and many established
their family cemeteries there (Fig. 7.2).
Loyd's Hall itself was apparently constructed by James D.
Loyd who acquired the property in 1840, having moved into
the area from Tennessee. The house, probably built in the
1840s, is constructed of brick made on the property with
cypress and pine used for framing and flooring. Loyd's Hall,
in its style, size, and construction, is somewhat more refined
than were most of the planter houses along Bayou Boeuf.
Little is known about the use of the land under Loyd's
ownership which lasted until his death in 1864. Interest-
ingly, no sugar house was located on the property in 1861,
although many of the adjacent properties had them (Fig.
7.2). In 1851 there were 25 planters producing sugar along
Bayou Boeuf in Rapides Parish, but James Loyd is not listed
among them, nor does his name appear for other years
during this period (Champomier 1852). If sugar cane was
grown on Loyd's property, it may have been processed atone
of his neighbor's sugar houses.
94
Zkm
I
o 1m!
----.... ---.---:-
19th Century Sugar Houses
18th Century Indian Sites
RELICT CHANNEL
Lloyd's Hall
Figure 7.2 - Plan view of the Llody's Hall Stop area showing major geological features and
archaeological sites along Bayou Boeuf. The relict channel data are obtained from Smith
and. Russ (1974).
95
Bayou Boeuf
Pleistocene Terrace Marginal Lake
Natural
Levee
Natural Levee
and Point Bar
Backswamp
Figure 7.3 - A generalized cross section through portions of the Pleistocene uplands and Red River
alluvial valley showing the major geomorphic features in the vicinity of Bayou Boeuf and
Lloyd's Hall (Note: arrows indicate archaeological sites).
Archaeological Sites and
Geoarchaeological Implication
Relatively few archaeological sites have been reported along
the natural levees of Bayou Boeuf. This may in part be due
to its fairly young age, but it is also related to the lack of
extensive archaeological survey of the Bayou Boeuf meander
belt. Gagliano et al. (1979:66) report only a single prehis-
toric site along the lower end of Bayou Boeuf, near where it
joins Bayou Teche. This site was initially occupied during
the Coles Creek period, suggesting a pre-700 yrs B.P. age for
the natural levees here. How much older the meander belt
may be is not known.
Several archaeological sites are known in the vicinity of
Loyd's Hall, but these are either prehistoric sites located in
the adjacent Pleistocene uplands, or are late prehistoric and
historic sites located on the na turallevees of Bayou Boeuf. As
noted above, however, these sites do provide information
on the settlement patterns of the historic period, patterns
which were closely tied to the physiography of the available
landforms.
96
97
Ralph Smith Smith's Railroad
The railroad that you followed from Alexandria and crossed
under near Loyd's Hall is now a Union Pacific mainline. But the
portion from Alexandria to Lecompte is using the original right-
of-way of the Red River Railroad, also known as Ralph Smith
Smith's Railroad which was built in 1837 and was reportedly the
first railroad west of the Mississippi River. The broad Red River
natural levee flanking Bayou Robert was utilized to keep the
tracks on high ground.
The railroad connected Bayou Boeuf with the Red River and
gave the Bayou Boeuf planters a quicker route to the markets of
New Orleans via big steamboats on the Red, Atchafalaya, and
Mississippi Rivers. Formerly cotton and sugar moved by wagon
north to the Red or south byflatboat and a few small steamboats
via Bayous Boeuf, Teche, and Courtableau.
Of course the railroad was demolished by the Union Armyin the
Red River Campaign of 1864. They also burned the towns of
Alexandria and Campti as well as over 70 plantation homes after
being defeated at Sabine Crossroads by a Confederate army a
third it's size. Fortunately Loyd's Hall and a few others in the
Bayou Boeuf country were spared, probably because the main
retreat followed the Red to Simmesport.
Esther Wright Boyd, wife of LSU president David French Boyd,
wrote of the railroad,
"The 'train' consisted of a locomotive, a baggage car
and a passenger car. When the Yankees destroyed the
road they 'laughed until they cried' over the 'loco' which
was so antique that they had never seen the like "(7 906)
-John Snead
98
STOP 8
Monela Gap and the Red River Diversion
C.E.Pearson and D.C. Hunter
Location
Monda Gap is located about 10.5 km northwest of the town
of Marksville (r3N, R3E, Sec. 54-58). The Red River cuts
through Monda Gap, passing from its alluvial flood plain
into that of the Mississippi River. At the narrowest pOInt of
the gap, approximately 2 km eastofthe Highway 107 bridge,
the valley of the Red is less than a kilometer wide (fig.8.1).
South of the gap is the elevated Prairie Terrace (Qtp) feature
known as the Avoyelles Prairie (Snead and McCulloh 1984).
Bounding Monda Gap on the northwest is a small segment
of Prairie Terrace (Qtp), and on the north is an extensive
Pleistocene-age braided stream surface produced by glacial
outwash of the ancestral Arkansas River.
Geomorphology
Prior to its diversion through Monda Gap, the Red River
flowed west and south of the Avoyelles Prairie, tributary to
either an early course of the Mississippi River or to the Teche
course of the Mississippi. Several relict courses of the Red
River have been identified in the alluvial valley west and
south of the Avoyelles Prairie (Russ 1975; Saucier 1974,
Saucier and Snead 1989). These are the Wauksha course,
believed to be tributary to the Teche-Mississippi and dating
circa 5400 to 3900 years B.P; the Petite Prairie course, dating
circa 4000 to 2200 years B.P., the Huffpower course, circa
1500 to 2200 years B.P., and the Boeuf course, dating circa
1500 until 500 years ago These dates must be considered
very tentative, and, in fact, recently Autin et al. (1991:562)
have sidestepped the question of dating individual Red River
meander belts because of inadequate chronologic informa-
tion and the complexities of channel morphology. How-
ever, Gagliano et al. (1979) have presented some archaeo-
logical data that, at least, supports the dates suggested for the
Petite Prairie course.
When the Red River cut through the northern end of the
A voyelles Prairie and diverted its flow toward the east, it
reduced from 65 km to 13 km the distance required for the
river to descend to the MissisSippi River floodplain. This
reduction in length disrupted the equilibrium of the system
and effectively increased the gradient of the Red, initiating
a wave of entrenchment up the alluvial valley above Monda
Gap (Commonwealth Associates, Inc. 1981:28; Russ 1975).
Abington (1973) suggested that the gradient of the river
continues to increase, although Russ (1975:173) argued that
channel degradation along the Red is not uniform and, at
least in areas above Natchitoches, is probably more dosely
related to the removal of the rafts and tectonics than to the
diversion through Monda Gap. It has been generally
agreed, however, that the diversion resulted in channel
shifts and abandonments above the diversion.
Several suggestions as to the date of diversion through
Moncla Gap have been presented. Fisk (1944:Table 6),
correlating the diversion with st'.lge 15 of his chronology for
the Mississippi River, suggested a date of about A.D. 1500 to
A.D. 1600; Abington (1973:10), Russ (1975) and Saucier
(1974:Fig. 3), generally accepted this date, although Saucier
and Snead (1989) assign no date to the modern Red River
course which passes through Moncla Gap. Russell (1967:32-
33) believed the diversion occurred within the past 1500
years while Lenzer (1979), argued that the diversion could
have occurred 1000 years ago.
Archaeological Evidence and
A number of archaeolOgical sites are known from the vicin-
ity of Monda Gap(Fig.8.2). Relying on data from several of
these sites, Pearson (1986) has been able to bring more
precise temporal information to bear on the question of the
date of the Monda Gap diversion. Three sites, in particular,
have proven useful in addreSSing this question. The sites are:
mounds near mouth of L'Eau Noire Bayou (16 A V 39), lower
mound on Saline Point (16 AV 41), and upper mound on
Saline Point (16 AV 13) (Fig. 8.2), all of which are located 12
to 15 km west of this stop. Two of the sites (16 A V 13 and 16
AV 41) are now on an abandoned segment of the Red River
produced when the river was shortened for navigation
purposes about 60 years ago. All of these sites were initially
examined by Clarence B. Moore early in this century (Moore
1912).
The aboriginal ceramic collections from two of the sites, 16
AV 13 and 16 AV 41, indicate the earliest components at
each falls within the early Marksville period (Toth 1977:439-
441). Marksville period and later ceramics have also been
recovered from the third site, the mounds at L'Eau Noire
Bayou (16 A V 39) (Klinger et al. 1983; Pearson et al. 1983).
The currently accepted dates for the Marksville period in the
Lower Mississippi Valley are on the order of 100 B.C. to A.D.
400 (roth 1977:16; Shenkel 1981). The identification of
early Marksville components at 16 AV 13 and 16 AV 41
99
Figure 8.1 - Topographic map of the Moncla Gap area.
would argue for occupation occurring at these two sites near
the beginning of the period. Where the other site, 16 A V 39,
would fall within the time span of Marksville is unknown.
All three of these sites are located within the modern
meander belt of the Red River below Monda Gap (Smith and
Russ, 1974). Red River levee and point bar deposits in the
area of the sites are on the order of 10 to 12 m thick (Smith
and Russ, 1974). Moore's (1912) information on the Saline
Point sites and excavations at the other site, 16 AV 39,
indicate the Marksville cultural deposits are associated with
Red River natural levee deposits. Consequently the sites
necessarily post-date the river's occupancy and subsequent
levee development in this area. If the identification of early
Marksville occupations at two of the sites is correct, then
diversion through Monda Gap and natural levee formation
had to have occurred by approximately A.D. 1 and certainly
no later than A.D. 200.
An early Marksville period date for the Red River below
Monda Gap may provide a partial explanation for the
concentration of Marksville period settlements on the north-
ern and eastern edge of the Avoyelles Prairie near the present
course of the river (Fig. 8.2). Here there are several archaeo-
logical sites with Marksville period occupations, induding
the major mound centers of Marksville and Greenhouse. It
can be argued that Marksville period populations were
attracted to the combined resources of the elevated Avoyelles
Prairie, the Mississippi River floodplain, and the alluvial
floodplain of the active Red River, producing the observed
si te con centra tions. The Red River diversion through Monda
Gap seems to have been an important factor in influencing
Marksville period, as well as later prehistoric, settlement in
the region.
100
/\./
MONCLA GAP
16 AV 41
o 6 10
H H H I
kllomehu
UNDIFFERENTIATED PLEISTOCENE
'TERRACES
LATE PLEISTOCENE TERRACE
SURFACES
PRESENT RED RIVER COURSE
RELICT RED RIVER COURSES
ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES WITH
MARKSVILLE PERIOD COMPONENTS
Figure 8.2 - Geological and cultural features in the vicinity of Monda Gap. Those archaeological
sites used to estimate the age 6f the modern Red River course are underlined (source Pearson
1986).
101
The Monela Cultural Gap
When passing from the uplands across Monda Gap to the
Avoyelles Prairie, one notices a difference in landform and
natural vegetaion. It takes a doser look but you also cross a
cultural boundary at Monda Gap - the boundary between
North and South Louisiana.
North of Monda you will find the "upland south" culture, that
is English speaking and mainly Protestant with Anglo-Saxon
surnames. South of Monda one finds the "Acadian" culture that
is primarily Catholic with French surnames and the Acadian
French language survives although many no longer speak it
fluently. Still, one can detect a remarkably swift accent change
from the drawl of the "redneck" to the patois of the "cajun"
when traveling from Rapides to Avoyelles Parish.
Geographers have noted and drawn demarcation lines between
North and South Louisiana using criteria as varied as house
types, cuisine, type of burials, historic voting trends, "blue"
laws, agricultural practices, and settlement patterns. The lines
break out different areas in some parts of the state, but they all
pass through Monda Gap showing the Avoyelles Prairie as the
northernmost part of "Acadiana."
-John Snead
102
STOP 9
Wisconsinan Constructional Alluviation
of the Mississippi River
Review of the Avoyelles Prairie Area
W. ,. Autin, A. AsIan, ,. I. Snead, and D. ,. McCraw
"Stream behavior and development within the comparatively unstable modern meander
belts provide a basis for reconstruction of older meander belts, and by connecting arcuate
streams on the Prairie surface it is possible to show the position of channels on the Prairie
Terrace belt. That rivers with similar volume-gradient ratios formed both meander belts
is indicated by the marked similarity between reconstructed Mississippi River meander
belt of Prairie time (fig. 13) and its modern counterpart in northeastern Louisiana and
west-central Mississippi (fig. 14). The width of channels on the Prairie Terrace is
comparable to that of modern cut-off channels of the Mississippi River, and the average
cut-off meander loop has a radius of approximately three miles on both surfaces."
Location
The Avoyelles Prairie (Fig. 9.1), located in western Avoyelles
Parish, illustrates the soil geomorphic and stratigraphic
characteristics of a Wisconsinan age ancestral meander belt
of the Mississippi River. The preservation of constructional
ridge and swale topography in this area and correlative areas
to the south in the Opelousas and Lafayette areas, are
unsurpassed in the LMV. The Avoyelles Prairie is an isolated
terrace remnant surrounded by the Red River Alluvial Valley
to its north and west, and the Mississippi River Alluvial
Valley to its east and south. Cores collected from selected
landscape positions illustrate lithofacies dependent varia-
tions in sedimentologic and pedolOgiC features, and com-
mon stratigraphic relations observed in the area. Fisk (1940)
used the Avoyelles Prairie as an example of how the con-
structional morphology of the Prairie Terrace in the LMV
compared directly to Holocene meander belts, and con-
cl uded that similar fluvial regimes existed during both times
(Fig. 9.2). Lithofacies characteristics of the Avoyelles Prairie
are compared and contrasted to the Holocene meander belts
of the Ferriday-Vidalia area (Fig. 9.3), presently mapped as
meander belts 1 and 3 by Saucier and Snead (1989). Ped-
ologic and sedimentologic characteristics of point bar ridge
and swale and natural levee deposits of the Wisconsinan
Mississippi River will be examined in cores and compared
with data from Holocene alluvium of similar depOSitional
environments. This comparison illustrates the effects of
shallow burial and base level lowering on lithofacies and
pedogenesis of an originally aggradational flood plain set-
ting. Stratigraphic similarities between the Wisconsinan
and Holocene meander belt depOSits also suggest that at least
two, and perhaps three, meander bel ts existed in the A voyelles
Prairie during the Wisconsinan. Lastly, the morphology of
Wisconsinan meander belt deposits, paleosol development,
- Fisk, 1940, p. 7S
and age correlations provide insight on the geologic history
of the area as well as on possible influences of glacio-eustasy
and relative sea level change on Mississippi River sedimen-
tation patterns.
Elevations on the Avoyelles Prairie range from slightly over
25 m on point bar ridges and outer bend natural levees to
about 15 m in modern streams that occupy abandoned
channel courses (Fig. 9.1). Elevations are less than 13 min
adjacent Holocene swamps. The Mississippi River alluvium
is buried by a veneer of Peoria Loess up to 4 m thick along the
eastern escarpment of the terrace. The loess veneer does not
substantially mask the constructional morphology of the
meander belt, which is characterized by complex and cross-
cutting ridge and swale sets and abandoned channel courses
(Fig. 9.1). Ridges are represented by broad and linear, level to
slightly elevated areas. Swales have been slightly modified
by the development of small gullies that have eroded the
edges of the escarpment and drain abandoned trunk and
splay channels of the meander belt.
Eight cores, ranging from 7.5 to 12.5 m in length were
colleCted and used to study the effects of landscape position
and depositional environment on sediment and paleosol
types (Fig. 9.1). Landscape, lithofacies, and paleosol com-
parisons include adjacent ridge and swale pairs (Fig. 9.4), a
high and a low on a nearly level point bar flat (Fig. 9.5), and
proximal to distal natural levee variations on an abandoned
channel cut bank (Fig. 9.6).
The ridge-swale pair (Fig. 9.4) is separated by about 500 m
103
I
- of the Avoyelles Prairie area.
9 7 Topographic map Figure . -
104
0&'
PRAIRIE TERRACE
MEANDER 'BELT
's
Figure 9.2. - Meander scars of the Avoyel/es Prairie (from Fisk, 1940).
105
10'
10'
0$'
LEGEND
D
ALLUVIAL VALLEY
, COVERED BY BACK-
, ~ WATER or 1929,
~ ~ ~ ~ : UPLAND ON MARGIN
" " , \ ~ or ALLUVIAL VALLE '(
1
[illJ
,: ALLUVIAL VALLEY
',::: ,:':. NOT COVERED BY
: ' .. ',::::::. BACKWATE.A OF 1929,
TAKEN FROM
41ISS, RIVER COMA/.
SURVEYS
91"Jo'
Figure 9.3 - Meander scars of the Ferriday Vidalia area (from Fisk, 1940).
106
31'00'
meters
25
Swale
__________________________ IDdge
MV2
25.0m
meters
MVl
22.9m
A
Btx
BC
-25
A-Bw
2E
2Bt
2BC
Peoria Loess
C
2Bw
20

-20
3Bw
2C
------
3C
3C
------
15
-15
Point Bar Facies
Levee Facies
E1 Silt Loam
Point Bar Facies
Loam,
D

Peoria Loess
Silt Loam
Swamp Facies
Clay, Silty Clay Loam
Figure 9.4. - Comparison of ridge and swale landscape positions.
and has about 2 m vertical relief. The top of the sandy point
bar facies has relief identical to that of the overlying land
surface. The ridge has a 2.5 m thick natural levee facies that
does not appear beneath the swale. Both ridge and swale
positions have a clayey backswamp facies draping the lateral
accretion and proximal over bank natural levee facies, but
the clay has greater than twice the thickness in the swale.
Peoria Loess is slightly thicker in the swale, butthis thickness
includes a surface horizon that may in part be of cumulic
origin due to surface sheetwash.
Cores from the nearly level point bar flat (Fig. 9.5) are
separated by about 1250 m and have about 1.5 m relief. The
top of the sandy point bar facies is about 1 m lower beneath
the landscape low than the landscape high. The loamy
upper point bar facies are draped by a clayey swamp facies
that drapes the lateral accretion facies. The clay has greater
than twice the thickness on the landscape high. Peoria Loess
is slightly thicker beneath the landscape low, here again
probably due to a cumulic surface horizon.
Cores from the natural levee of the abandoned channel
outer bank (Fig. 9.6) are separated by about 950 m and have
about 1.5 m relief. The top of the sandy point bar facies is at
an identical elevation beneath both locations, but is over 2
m lower than the lowest sand body elevation on the inner
bend of the abandoned channel. The sandy upper point bar
facies are draped by a clayey backswamp facies 2 to 2.5 m
thick that covers the lateral accretion facies. Above the
swamp facies is a natural levee facies. Proximal to the
abandoned channel, the levee is 3.7 m thick, has a silt loam
to sandy loam texture, and has a buried Bw horizon devel-
oped at the top of the facies. Distal to the to the abandoned
channel, the levee is 1.6 m thick, has a silt loam texture, and
has a buried weak Bt horizon developed through its entire
107
meters
25
MVl0
22.9m
MV12
24.4m
meters
-25
A
Bt
BC
A-Bwg
2Btg
2Cg
Peoria Loess
C
20
2C
-20
3Bt
3C
Point Bar Facies
15
3C
Swamp Facies
Clay, Silty
---- Clay Loam
Peoria Loess
D SiltLoam
Figure 9.5 - Stratigraphy of a point bar flat.
thickness. A clayey swamp facies 1. 7 to 2 m thick caps the
entire alluvial sequence. Peoria Loess thickness is identical at
both locations.
All surface soils of the Avoyelles Prairie are developed in
Peoria Loess (USDA, 1986). Variations in soil morphology
reflect differences in topography, drainage, loess thickness,
proximity to escarpments, and to a lesser degree, t?e
lying constructional alluvial morphology. Two soIl aSSOCIa-
tions are present on the Avoyelles Prairie. The Memphis and
Loring soils, representing well-drained profiles, occur along
the eastern terrace escarpment where loess thickness is
greatest and on elevated landscapes such as point bar ridges
and natural levee crests. The Calhoun, Coteau, and Loring
soils occur in areas not affected by escarpments. Calhoun
and Coteau soils are poorly drained soils associated with
landscape depressions of point bar swales and abandoned
channels. All loess soils of the Avoyelles Prairie are Udalfs,
except the Calhoun, which is an Aqualf.
Basal loess mixing zones occur at the contact between Peoria
. Point Bar Facies
L?')l Sand, Loamy Sand,
Sandy Loam, Sandy
Clay Loam
-15
Loess and the underlying Mt. Pleasant Bluff Alloformation.
Pedogenic mixing incorporates surface horizons of the
paleosol developed in the underlying alluvium into the base
of the overlying loess. Pedogenic mixing zones are recog-
nized in the field by one or more of the following criteria: 1)
marked increases in selected particle size classes, 2) transi-
tional textures of lithologically different deposits, 3) mix-
ture of pedogenic properties identified in overlying and
underlying horizons, and 4) vestigial properties of surface
horizons where no surface horizon is preserved.
Mixing zone properties in loess deposits are largely a func-
tion of loess thickness and underlying sub-loess texture
(Schumacher et al., 1987, 1988; Miller et al., 1986). Thicker
mixing zones are associated with thinner loess deposits and
sandy to loamy sub-loess material. Thinner mixing zones are
associated with thicker loess deposits and clayey sub-loess
material.
Paleosols developed in Wisconsinan Mississippi River allu-
vium were distinguished from the overlying Peoria Loess by
the occurrence ofafirm yellowc1ayor silty clay below the silt
loam mixing zone. In general, the alluvial paleosols are
weakly developed and are characterized by B or C horizons
108
Proximal ________________ Distal
meters
25
A
E
Bt
MV13
24.4m
MVll
22.9m
meters
25
C
Peoria Loess
A
E
20
3Bw -' '-' -' :-' . '.
-=- .. ::r::
.... ...
Btx
20
2Bt
3C .... .. : ....
Levee Facies
3Bt
15 15
4C
Swamp Facies
5C
Point Bar Facies
Peoria Loess
D SiltLoam
Levee Facies
Point Bar Facies
B(j
Swamp Facies

Silt Loam, Silty Clay Loam,
Loam, Sandy Loam
Clay
Figure 9.6 - Stratigraphy of the outer bend of a meander.
with common color mottles, iron nodules, occasional root
traces, and slickensides. The abundance and distribution of
these features varies between profiles representing different
depositional environments.
Paleosols developed in point bar ridge deposits generally
consist of an upper clayey unit that overlies sandy units (Fig.
9.4). The upper clayey unit is commonly represen ted by 2 to
4 m of yellow or yellow-brown, acidic clay with common
reddish-brown mottles, large iron nodules, and occasional
root traces. The clayey unit represents Bw or C horizons that
grade downward into weakly laminated, fine to medium
brown sands with silty interbeds and occasional iron nod-
ules.
In comparison to ridge profiles, paleosols developed in
swales are characterized by a thicker upper unit of clay and
complex interfingering of sands, silts, and clays in the lower
half of the profile (Fig. 9.4). The upper clayey unit is com-
monlyrepresented by 1 to 4 mofyellowand gray, acidic clay
or silty clay with common reddish-brown mottles and few
iron nodules. The clayey unit is interpreted as C or Cg
horizons, which grade downward into the complex
interbedded brown sands, silts, and clays. These interbedded
units increase in sand content with depth.
Paleosols developed in natural levee deposits consist of an
upper clayey unit that overlies sandy loams to loamy sands
(Fig. 9.6). The upper clayey unit consists of 1 to2m of yellow,
acidic day to silty clay loam with common reddish-brown
mottles and large iron nodules. Clay and silt films occur
occasionally within root pores and along ped faces in the
109
A
Point Bar
Ridge
500m
Natural Levee'
D Sandy Silt
~ Silty Sand, Sand
~ Clay, Silty Clay
N
Buried Point Bar
SOOm
Buried Natural Levee
CJ Sandy Silt
rn Silty Sand, Sand
~ Clay, Silty Clay
Figure 9.7 - Landscape morphology, lithofacies, and pedogenic properties of Holocene Mississippi River alluvium.
silty units. Slickensides filled with silt derived from the
overlying loess also were observed (Fig. 9.6, core MV13). The
upper clayey unit is interpreted as B or BC horizons, which
thicken away from the channel cut bank and towards the
margin of the natural levee (Fig. 9.1). The yellow clay grades
downward into 1 to 3 m of brown, acidic, sandy loams to
loamy sands with common reddish- and yellow-brown
mottles, iron nodules, and occasional roottraces. The brown
silts are either structureless or exhibit a weak angular blocky
structure associated with few, thin clay films along pores and
ped faces. The silts are interpreted as 2Et, 2BC, and/or 2C
horizons, which thin away from the channel cut bank and
towards the margin of the natural levee (Fig. 9.6).
The brown silt grades downward into 2 m of reddish-brown
clay with many gray and yellow-brown mottles, iron nod-
ules, root traces, and occasional sil t-filled slickensides, which
are the same as the slickenside fills in the upper yellow clay.
The slickenside fills and clayey texture suggest that these
deeper clays probably represent the upper part of an older
paleosol developed in backswamp deposits. The mottled
reddish-brown clay grades downward into brown sand,
which occurs at a depth approximately 2 m below the sands
of the point bar ridge and swale profiles.
Holocene meander belt deposits
Comparison between Wisconsinan and Holocene meander
belt deposits of the Mississippi River provides an unique
opportunity to assess the effects of base level lowering on
soils developed in an originally aggradational floodplain
setting. Information on Holocene lithofacies and soils come
from cores of meander belts 1 and 3 (meander belt designa-
tions from Saucier and Snead, 1989), which represent pres-
entlyactive and middle Holocene all uviation in the Vidalia-
Ferriday, LA area (Fig. 9.3). Soils were sampled from point bar
ridge and swale, natural levee, and backswamp environ-
ments of each meander belt.
Meander belt 1 2.8 ka) deposits of the Mississippi River are
characterized by thick, weakly developed soil profiles with
multiple parent materials, abundant color mottles, iron and
carbonate nodules, and slickensides. These characteristics
reflect the dominance of flood plain sedimentation and soil
hydromorphy on pedogenesis. Soil morphology and tex-
ture, however, varies among depositional environments.
Point bar ridge soils are relatively well-drained, up to 7 m
thick, alkaline, and typically consist of sandy loam in the
upper half of the profile and fine to medium sand towards
110
the base (Fig. 9.7). The sandy loams are generally brownish-
gray and contain abundant root pores, earthworm burrows,
and yellow-brown and gray mottles. The loamy units form
Bw, BC, and BCg horizons, which grade downward into
sands that are weakly laminated and/or interbedded with
sil t and form 2C and 2Cg horizons. The base of the profile is
commonly marked by well-laminated, dark gray sands.
In comparison to ridge soils, swale soils are generally more
clayey and exhibit more complex interbedding, which re-
flect the episodic infilling of these landscape depressions.
Swale profiles are poorly drained, alkaline, and typically
consist of clay in the upper half of the profile and silt and
sand towards the base (Fig. 9.7). The clay is generally 1 to 2
m thick, gray, mottled, rooted, and contains occasional
slickensides. The clayey units are Bg horizons that grade
downward into complexly interbedded Cg horizons of gray
sand, silt, and clay which become increasingly sand-rich and
iron nodule-poor with depth.
Natural levee soils are moderately well drained, alkaline, and
are 1 to 3 m thick (Fig. 9.7). Profiles typically consist of
brownish-gray and gray silt loam, sandy loam, and silty clay
loam with common gray mottles, root pores, earthworm
burrows, and occasional iron nodules. The silty levees are
typically Bw and BCg horizons. Gray matrix and mottles
colors increase in abundance in the lower half of the profile,
and weakly laminated Cg horizons commonly occur to-
wards the base of the profile. The base of natural levee
profiles are marked by either a sharp and erosional or diffuse
l: :::,:1 Sandy Silt
l?:::?J Silty Sand, Sand
~ Clay, Silty Clay
Figure 9.8 - Conceptual relations of the effects of base level alteration on Mississippi River meander belt deposits.
111
and bioturbated con tact with underlying clays of backs warn p
environmen ts.
Backswampsoils are poorly drained, up to 10 min thickness,
alkaline, and typically contain common yellow-brown
mottles, iron and carbonate nodules, and slickensides of Bg
and Bkg horizons (Fig. 9.7). The abundance of mottles,
nodules, and slickensides commonly decreases with depth
and proximi ty to the water table and the B horizons grade to
Cg and Ckg horizons. The base of backswamp soils are
commonly marked by uniformly gray and well-laminated
clays oflake or poorly-drained backswamp environments, or
by sands of crevasse splay origin.
Meander belt 3 (3.8 to 6 ka) deposits of the Mississippi River
differ primarily from alluvium by the occurrence of 1 to 2 m
of pedogenically-modified clay, which overlies silty and
sandy soil horizons and represent the upper clay-rich por-
tion of cumulic soils developed in point bar ridge, swale, and
natural levee deposits (Fig. 9.7). Additional differences be-
tween young and old meander belt soils include the occur-
rence of acidic horizons in the upper 1 m of older profiles
and clay accumulations (Bt and Btg horizons) in relatively
well drained or moderately well drained soils developed in
old point bar ridge and natural levee deposits.
Mapping of Holocene meander belt deposits and their
stratigraphic relationships in the Vidalia-Ferriday area sug-
gests that the clay veneer over the older silt- and sand-rich
meander belt 3 deposits represents conditions of renewed
over bank sedimentation following meander belt abandon-
ment and relocation. Thus, cumulic soils that consist of
upper clayey horizons that overlie silty and sandy horizons
record histories of meander belt avulsion.
Comparison of the Avoyelles Prairie to the
Vidalia-Ferriday area
Holocene and Wisconsinan soils developed in Mississippi
River meander belt deposits suggest that paleosol profiles of
the Avoyelles Prairie reflect two stages of pedogenic develop-
men t. The first stage was characterized by soil hydromorphy
accompanied by sedimentation in an aggradational flood-
plain setting, which produced cumulic profiles with abun-
dant mottles, nodules, and slickensides. The second stage of
pedogenesis was characterized by oxidation and leaching.
This stage of pedogenic development was associated with
regional base level lowering and erosion, accompanied by
loess deposition.
The ini tial stage of paleosol developmen t in an aggradational
flood plain setting is confirmed by the association of these
paleosols with an ancestral meander belt of the Mississippi
River and by the similar occurrence and distribution of color
mottles, iron nodules, and slickensides in both the Holocene
and Wisconsinan meander bel t soils. Furthermore, the stra ti-
graphic similarities between the Holocene and Wisconsinan
meander belt deposits suggest that they have experienced
similar depositional and pedogenic histories. For example,
the vVisconsinan Avoyelles Prairie and the middle Holocene
meander belt 3 are both veneered by several meters of clay.
Because the clay unit associated with the middle Holocene
deposits reflect renewed over bank sedimentation following
meander belt abandonment and relocation, a similar se-
quence of events can be inferred for the origin of the yellow
and gray clays that veneer the Wisconsinan meander belt
beneath the Avoyelles Prairie. Thus, the brown silts and
sands that occur in the lower half of the paleosols of both the
Wisconsinan and middle Holocene meander belts reflect
concurrent sedimen tation and pedogenesis during meander
belt occupation. In comparison, the yellow and gray clays
that grade downward into the silts and sands, reflect re-
newed sedimentation and pedogenesis following meander
belt abandonment and relocation that produced cumulic
paleosol profiles. Because the paleosols are cumulic and
weakly developed, they suggest that the amount of time
represented by meander belt abandonment, relocation, and
renewed over bank sedimentation and pedogenesis was too
brief to produce distinct, vertically stacked profiles.
Followingtheperiodofpedogenesisin an active Wisconsinan
flood plain environment, an episode of regional base level
lowering and erosion, accompanied by loess deposition,
initiated the second stage of paleosol developmen t (Fig. 9.8).
This stage of development represents a transition from
saturated and reducing to well-drained and OXidizing soil
conditions associated with the development of the Avoyelles
Prairie terrace. The weak development of the paleosols
beneath the loess suggest that the loess deposits were thick
enough and/or deposited quickly enough to arrest pedo-
genic development. Preliminary observations suggest that
the change in soil-forming conditions did however, cause
changes in matrix and mottle colors, pH, and iron nodule
size and hardness. For instance, the yellow (2.SY) hue of the
Wisconsinan clays that occur beneath the loess is absent
from clayey Holocene meander belt soils, which have a gray
(SY) hue. The yellow color of the clays may have occurred
during a period of surficial weathering following the devel-
opment of the Avoyelles Prairie terrace and prior to loess
deposition. Alternatively, the yellow color of the clay might
be attributed to the present-day oxidation and soil develop-
ment beneath Peoria Loess.
The Wisconsinan paleosols are also more acidic and well
drained in comparison to the alkaline and water-logged
Holocene meander belt soils. Acidic and well-drained condi-
tions, which developed during the second stage of paleosol
development, may have also altered the original mineralogy
and chemistry of the paleosols, but no laboratory data are
presently available to support this idea. Lastly, iron nodules
in the paleosols are larger and harder than in the Holocene
soils, suggesting that oxidizing conditions have favored the
precipitation and dehydration of iron compounds during
the second stage of paleosol development.
Although this analysis of the AvoyeUes Prairie has delin-
eated only one Wisconsinan meander belt of the Mississippi
River, core data and comparison with Holocene meander
belt deposits suggest that at least two and perhaps three
Mississippi River meander belts were present in the area
during the Wisconsinan. The presence of a second and
younger meander belt in the area can be inferred from the
yellow and gray clays, which have buried the silt- and sand-
rich deposits of the underlying meander belt. The exact
position of this younger meander belt has not been deter-
mined, but could have been located west of the area in the
112
Hb
Hmrrla
Hrl
Ppl
MV
Hb
10 1
Mansura.
Hrl
Hrl
;>-t
0 5
~
Hmm
M i s s i s s i p ~ i River
Hb
Backswamp
N
Meander elt
Alluvium
I
i
z
Red River
Hu
(Undifferentiated)
Kilometers
~ Hrm
~
Meander Belts
Red River
Ppl Prairie Complex (Lower Surface)
::>
Hri
Natural Levee
Ppu
Prairie Complex (Upper Surface)
MV
Core Location
a
11
Figure 9.9- Geologic map of the Avoye/les Prairie.
113
vicinity of Monda Gap or to the east within the present
Holocene alluvial valley (Fisk, 1940).
Evidence of a possible third and older meander belt in the
area is represented by the sands that occur beneath the
natural levee and backswamp deposits along the cut bank
side of the abandoned channel (cores MV11 & 13, Fig. 9.6).
The top of these sands are several meters below the tops of
the sands inside the abandoned channel, and could be
associated with an older meander belt.
Geologic mapping
The Avoyelles Prairie (Fig. 9.9) represents an ideally pre-
served set of Wisconsinan MisSissippi River meander belt
deposits of the Prairie Complex that have a regional extent
and reflect multiple cross-cutting channel belts. Compa-
rable fluvial lithofacies and stratigraphic position, burial by
Peoria Loess, and elevation and slope relations allow for
correlation to the Mt. Pleasant Bluff Alloformation (Autin et
al., 1988; Mossa and Autin, 1989), and the Prairie Complex,
Lower Surface of the Florida Parishes of southeastern loui-
siana (Autin and McCulloh, 1991, 1992). The Avoyelles
Prairie also correlates to the Opelousas to Lafayette meander
belt (Fisk and McFarlan, 1955) of the Prairie Complex.
Wisconsinan Mississippi River meander belt deposits also
have been uplifted by the Five Islands salt dome chain in
south-central Louisiana (Autin, 1984; Autin et al., 1986;
Autin and McCulloh, 1993). The Wisconsinan deltas iden-
tified on the continental shelf of the Gulf of Mexico (Suter
et al., 1987) are also possibly downdip equivalents. A Little
River Prairie Complex, Lower Surface correlative to the
Avoyelles Prairie is preserved at nearby Big Island. Portions
of the Prairie Complex at Kolin, Holloway, and Buckeye are
part of a topographically higher, LRRV part of the Prairie
Complex that possibly correlates to the Upper Prairie (Smith
and Russ, 1974; Russ, 1975) and Prairie Complex, Upper
Surface of the Florida Parishes of southeastern Louisiana
(Autin and McCulloh, 1991, 1992).
No definitive Wisconsinan Mississippi River meander belts
have been identified upvalleyofthe Avoyelles Prairie. There
is no data to substantiate or refute the possibility that part of
the Wisconsinan valley trains (Saucier and Snead, 1989)
could be a braid belt equivalent to the Avoyelles Prairie and
its correlative meander belt deposits. The Avoyelles Prairie's
likely equivalent in the LRRV is the Aloha Alloformation
(Stop 3, this guidebook). The Aloha Alloformation is in a the
same relative stratigraphic position, has similar degree of
lithofacies and paleosol preservation, and appears to be
graded to the Avoyelles Prairie.
114
The Rival Diversion
We have seen at Monda Gap that the Red River departed its
alluvial valley and cut through a Pleistocene highland to find a
swifter route to the Mississippi even though it could (and
previously did) go around. Of course, the river could not have
dim bed up over the terrace to begin its cutting . Rather, a minor,
nameless stream cut it's own small valley in that area until the
Red was able, during floods, to discharge water through the
small gap. A succesion of floods made the gully wider and
deeper until, during a major flood event, the tiny stream
captured the main channel of the Red River.
The small Prairie inliers at Evergreen and Goudeau are detached
portions of the Avoyelles Prairie thatsuggestthatthis event may
have occured previously in the continuing process of adjust-
ment between the alluvial fan at the mouth of the Red River
valley and the valley plain of the lower Mississippi River.
Until the Corps of Engineers built levees along the Red, the same
process was being repeated across the middle of Avoyelles
Prairie. Just a few hundred yards south of FOP stop # 9, Coulee
des Gruesflows eastward to empty into Old River. Living people
can still recall seeing a boiling red torrent pouring through
Coulee des Grues during high floods on the Red River. Without
modern flood control, the Red might have someday flowed
through a gap south of Marksville. Perhaps it may anyway!
(Newton, 1987).
-John Snead
HOLaWAY PRAIRIE
115
FOP Stop References
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of America Special Paper 62, p. 279-302.
Fournier, F., 1960, Debit solide des cours d'eau. Essai
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Gagliano, S. M., Weinstein, R. A., Rader, B., Small, B.A., and
McCloskey, K. G., 1979, Cultural resources survey of the
Teche-Vermilion conveyance channel, St. Landry Parish,
Louisiana: Coastal Environments, Inc., Baton Rouge, 78 p.
Gustavson, T. V., F i n l ~ y , R. J., and Baumgardner, Jr., R W.,
1981, Retreat of the caprock escarpment and denudation of
the Rolling Plains in the Texas panhandle: Bulletin of the
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22.
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A., 1985, Recent developments in erosion and sediment
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Working Group of the ICCE on IHP-II Project A.1.3.1, Paris,
France, 125 p.
Harrelson, D. W., 1990, Deposition of a Prairie Terrace
sequence, Red River Parish, Louisiana: Geological Society of
America Abstracts with Programs, v. 22, no. 4, p. 17.
Harrelson, D. W., and Smith, 1. M., 1988, Thermolumines-
cence age dates from a Red River terrace sequence, Red River
Parish, Louisiana: Geological Society of America Abstracts
with Programs, v. 20, no. 4, p. 268.
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45-138.
Kesel, R. H., 1987, Quaternary depositional surfaces of west-
ern Louisiana: Louisiana Geological Survey, Open-File Series
No. 87-02, 16 p.
116
Klinger, T. C., Cande, R. F., Kandare, R. P., and Cochran, R.
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the Gulf Coastal Plain: U.S. Geological Survey Professional
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lower Red River Valley, Louisiana [Ph.D. dissertation]: Penn-
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Saucier, R. T., 1974, Quaternary geology of the Lower Missis-
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chronotoposequence of soils developed in loess in central
Louisiana: Soil Science Society of America Journal, v. 51, p.
1005-10.
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Engineer Waterways Experiment Station Technical Report
S-74-5.
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of Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana: United States Department of
Agriculture, 162 p.
of Grant Parish, Louisiana: United States Department of
Agriculture, 140 p.
of Rapides Parish, Louisiana: United States Department of
117
Agriculture, 86 p.
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Whittington, 1970,
118
The accompanying road log is designed to provide trip participants with route information. The log is also
supplemented with scientific and general information about the areas between trip stops. Each day's log begins
in the Alexandria area near the trip headquaters and ends at the final field stop of the day. We will try to mark
backwoods intersections with a FOP arrow sign, look for them!
DAY 1
TIME MILE FEATURE
8:00 0.0 Assemble in Pizza Hut parking lot across MacArthur Drive from the FOP motels. The highway is
under construction in this area. Be careful, adhere to all detour information, and stay with the
caravan. Leave the parking lot and head north, following US 71 and US 165.
1.7
2.5
3.7
5.0
9.7
11.0
17.5
18.6
22.5
23.0
28.2
9:00 29.4
11 :00 30.5
31.5
32.0
37.1
42.0
48.8
50.0
54.0
Cross Red River bridge. Notice exposure of Miocene strata in the channel banks if the water is
low. This is a remnant of the historic rapids, from which Rapides Parish obtained its name.
Pass Ft. Buhlow Lake.
Junction of US 71 and US 165. Continue to the right on US 165N.
Junction of US 165 and US 167. Turn left onto US 167N.
Enter Grant Parish. From this point to Bentley, we will traverse the typical landscape of Fisk's
Bentley Terrace.
Bentley. Continue north on US 167.
site of Bentley Core - RR 11 on left off Brister Loop road. Continue on US 167N.
Town of Dry Prong.
Cross LA 123. Continue north on US 167.
Turn right on Forest Service Road 122 (gravel road). Cross RR tracks and veer right.
STOP 1 at Williana Pit, site of Williana core- RR 22. This site is National Forest property.
Return to US 167 and turn right (north) to Wi"iana.
Town of Willian a, turn left before caution light at abandoned store.
Bear left at Liberty Chapel Road. Stay on main road. Look for FOP arrows!
Turn right (west) onto LA 122 at Faircloth.
Bridges crossing latt Creek.
Junction with LA 471. Veer right and stay with LA 122.
Village of New Verda. Stay on LA 122 to Montgomery.
Village of Hargis.
119
55.5
56.5
57.1
58.3
62.1
63.2
66.5
67.4
67.7
73.2
12:00 73.4
Upland Complex contact with Prairie Complex.
Cross Nantachie Bayou.
Ascend Intermediate Complex, Montgomery surface.
Junction with US 71 at Montgomery. Turn right (north) on US 71 . Montgomery core site-RR 12
is on left side of road across RR after making turn.
Enter Winn Parish. This is the typical Montgomery Terrace landscape of Fisks' type area.
Classic, unleveled pimple mounds can be seen in the pasture on the right side of the road.
St. Maurice, junction with LA 477. stay on US 71 N to Clarence.
Descend onto Holocene flood plain.
Cross Saline Bayou.
Clarence, junction with US 84. Stay on US 71 N.
LUNCH STOP AT GRAYSON'S BBQ. Lunch on your own here, there is a dining room inside or
you can tailgate outside. There is also a convenience store close by.
1 :00 73.4 After lunch, head south on US 71 back to St. Maurice.
79.9 Turn right on LA 477 to St. Maurice RR cut. Look for FOP arrows on gravel roads.
1 :15 80.6 STOP 2 at St. Maurice exposure. This site ison the private right-of-way of the railroad.
3:00 81.3 Return to US 71 and turn right (south).
84.7 Pimple mounds in pasture.
86.0 Grant Parish line.
89.0 Town of Montgomery.
96.5 Pass Wadell.
97.3 Cross Nantachie Bayou spillway.
99.0 Turn right on gravel road and cross RR. Head to Aloha Cemetary.
3:30 99.5 STOP 3 at Aloha Prairie. This site is private property.
5:00 100.0 Return to US 71, turn right (south).
104.0 The Rock at Junction of LA 158 and US 71. Behind Rock Garden Exxon is a classic exposure of the
Oligocene Catahoula Sandstone. You can return directly to the Alexandria motels by continuing
south on US 71. Or you can go directly to the social at Harold Miles Park by following LA 158 to
Colfax, joining with LA 8, and crossing the Red River to Boyce. From Boyce, follow LA 1 south
towards Alexandria to the park which is on your right about six miles south of Boyce. Either route
is less than 30 miles.
END DAY 1 LOG
120
DAY 2
TIME MILE FEATURE
under construction in this area. Be careful, adhere to all detour information, and stay with the
0.8 Head north on LA 1.
3.9 Junction with 1-49 and Air Base Road. Stay on LA 1.
4.8 Harold Miles Park on left. Stay on LA 1.
8.4 Stop light at Rapides. Stay on LA 1.
12.5 Cross over 1-49.
13.6 Town of Boyce. Continue on LA 1 north.
14.9 Pass junction with LA 121.
16.8 Turn right to Old Highway 1 at Texaco station. Proceed to stop sign and turn right.
17.7 Gate to Zimmerman Hill.
8:30 18.0 STOP 4 down the road beyond gate. This site is private property.
10:00 18.3 return up Old Highway 1 and turn left to LA 1
18.6 Junction with LA 1, turn left (south) onto LA 1 .
20.5 Turn right on LA 121 and follow Bayou Jean de Jean.
25.8 Junction with LA 1200 west at Hot Wells. Stay with LA 121.
27.5 Junction with LA 1200 east to Boyce. Stay with LA 121. Antebellum home at junction.
30.2 Junction with LA 1202 at McNutt. Take LA 1202 towards England Air Force Base.
32.2 Cross Bayou Rapides at Lamonthe Bridge. LA 496 joins route.
35.7 Junction of LA 1202 and LA 496 at Weil. Stay with LA 496.
37.6 Back gate to England Air Force Base. Enter base and go to STOP 5.
10:30 38.0 STOP 5 England Air Force Base. This site is now municiapal property.
12:00 39.7 return to La. 496 and head east towards Alexandria.
40.8 Pass Kent House Antebellum Home.
121
12:05 41.0 Junction with US 165 (MacArthur Drive). LUNCH BREAK. Fast Food is available south on
MacArthur Drive from this point. Grab a quick bite or pick up a bag lunch then follow US 71 N
towards the Red River bridge. Stop 6 is ten minutes away and has picnic tables.
1:00
2:00
42.4
43.6
44.6
45.4
46.7
48.8
54.6
57.7
62.5
69.0
Construction area. Veer north on US 71 to Red River Bridge.
Top of bridge. Cross Red River.
Turn left on to Ft. Buhlow Airport Road. Be careful, crossing traffic!
Turn right and cross RR. Enter Fort Buhlow Recreation Area. Picnic facilities are here.
STOP 6. Red River Landing.This site is public property.
Return to US 71. turn right and follow US 71 S towards Alexandria.
Traffic Circle. Stay on US 71 S (MacArthur Drive) through the city.
Cross 1-49. Stay on US 71 S.
Pass LSU at Alexandria campus.
Town of Lecompte (Lea's Diner is known for it's fine pies (one of two Louisiana restaurants to get
the highest rating from The Underground Gourmet), you can stop here on your return to
Alexandria in a couple of hours if you wish and grab a slice of pie and coffee).
72.0 Junction with US 167S at Meeker. Continue on US 71 S.
73.8 Turn right onto Lloyd's Bridge Road (sic). Pass under RR trestle.
2:45 74.5 STOP 7. Loyd's Hall. This site is private property, tourists are welcome.
4:30 75.00 You can return to Alexandria via US 71 (the route the caravan took) or follow the old road along
Bayou Bouef to see flood plain topography and historic plantation agricultural areas. The direct
route is less than 25 miles to the motels. Don't forget the lemon pie at Lea's!
END DAY 2 LOG
122
DAY 3
TIME MILE FEATURE
under construction in this area. Leave the parking lot and head north, onto the construction
traffic cirde following US 71 and US 165. Watch for a quick right turn.
0.5
1.9
2.1
2.9
4.1
9.3
15.7
17.8
19.5
23.0
24.4
25.5
9:00 26.0
10:00 26.6
27.4
30.0
35.0
35.5
36.0
37.0
10:30 37.1
12:00 37.5
Turn right (south) on LA 1 S (Bolton Avenue). Follow Bolton Ave.into midtown Alexandria.
Veer left towards Pineville on LA 28 and US 165.
Turn left (south) on LA 28 and LA 1 (Overton St).
Cross Red River, enter Pineville.
Exit LA 107 (to Marksville). Turn right (south) on LA 107 and cross RR.
Junction with LA 3128. This is the highest point on the Day 3 road log at 160 ft elevation.
Continue on LA 107 and cross the Intermediate Complex landscape to Kolin.
Junction with LA 454 at Ruby. Stay with LA 107. Landscape is the Holloway Prairie.
Enter Avoyelles Parish.
Town of Center Point.
Junction with LA 115. Follow LA 115 towards Marksville.
Turn left on LA 1196 towards US Army Corps of Engineers Lock and Dam.
Turn right and cross levee. Enter Ben Routh Recreation Area. This site is a public park.
STOP 8- Monda Gap.
Return to LA 115. Turn left (south) to Marksville.
Cross Red River bridge.
Pass Monda Community center Road. Stay on LA 115.
Domestic buffalo in pasture on right.
Veer to left of Chevron Station on to S. Washington st.
Junction with LA 1. Turn left (south).
Turn left into the Tunica-Biloxi Indian ReseNation. Property of the tribe.
STOP 9 - Avoyelles Prairie. Park at The Marksville Commemorative Area museum.
This is the end of the 1993 FOP field trip. LA 1 North will return you to Alexandria and 1-49. LA 1
South will take you to Baton Rouge and 1-10 via New Roads and US 190E. If the weather is nice
try taking the St. Francisville Ferry at New Roads across the Mississippi River and south via US 71
to Baton Rouge.
END DAY 3 LOG
123
S CTIO III
ontri uted Articles
124
Surficial Deposits of Tertiary Age
in the Central Louisiana Area
lames E. Rogers
The Sabine uplift is one of the dominant geologic features in
northwest Louisiana. This uplift extends into northern
Sabine Parish and into northwestern Natchitoches Parish in
central Louisiana. Older deposits (Paleocene) of Tertiary age
overlie the uplift and dip gently toward the east and more
steeply toward the south-southeast. Successively younger
deposits of Tertiary age occur to the east and south-southeast
of the uplift. These deposits crop out in the hill lands
between major river valleys except in areas blanketed by
deposits of Pleistocene or Holocene age.
West of the Red River Valley in Natchitoches Parish, in
Sabine Parish, in the northern three-fourths of Vernon
Parish, and in northwestern Rapides Parish deposits of
Tertiary age are well exposed. Relatively fresh outcrops of
some units are in road cuts along Interstate 49 or other
highways and secondary roads. Farther south in southwest-
ern Rapides Parish and in the southern one-fourth of Vernon
Parish nearly all of the area is blanketed by deposits of
Pleistocene age. Much of central Louisiana (about 70% of
Grant, LaSalle, Rapides, and southern Winn Parishes) east of
the Red River Valley is blanketed by deposits of Pleistocene
age. In part of this area, erosion has exposed narrow outcrops
of deposits of Tertiary age along some streams. Other out-
crops in the northern and northeastern part of this area are
more continuous-being interrupted by deposits of Pleisto-
cene age and Holocene age along stream courses. Some of
the small outcrops east of the Red River Valley are classic,
definitive sites for the geologic units. Many of the outcrops
are nonfossiliferous and their stratigraphiC position was
determined by data from nearby test holes or wells.
The deposits of Tertiary age are composed mostly of uncon-
solidated sand, silt, clay, and shale. Some outcrops, espe-
cially of the Oligocene (?) and Miocene, are indurated
sandstone and siltstone. Several marine deposits made up
largely of clay and shale form widespread marker beds
within the sediments of Tertiary age. Some of the fossils
within the marine parts of these beds are used to date the
sediments and to provide an indication of the age of overly-
ing or underlying nonfossiliferous deposits.
Deposits of Paleocene age and Eocene age are exposed along
Interstate 49 in Natchitoches Parish. Deposits of the upper
Eocene and the Oligocene are blanketed by Holocene allu-
vium along Interstate 49. Deposits of Oligocene age prob-
ably are best exposed in the Rosefield area of northwestern
Catahoula Parish. Deposits of lower Miocene age crop out
along Interstate 49 in northwestern Rapides Parish. A more
extensive section of outcrops of Miocene age occur along
U.S. Highway 171 from a short distance north of the Sabine
Parish-Vernon Parish line to about 9 miles south of Leesville.
Generally, the more definitive exposures of Tertiary deposits
are located along secondary roads, local roads, and stream
banks.
The geologic units of Tertiary age in central Louisiana as
shown on the State Geologic map are (from north to south)
the Wilcox Group (undifferentiated) of Paleocene and Eo-
cene ages; The Claiborne Group of Eocene age; the Jackson
Group (undifferentiated) of Eocene age; the Vicksburg Group
(undifferentiated) of Oligocene age; the Catahoula Forma-
tion of Oligocene or Miocene age; and the Fleming Forma-
tion of Miocene and Pliocene ages. The Claiborne Group of
Eocene age as shown on the map is made up of the Cane
River Formation, the Sparta Formation, the Cook Mountain
Formation, and the Cockfield Formation. The other unit in
this sequence that is subdivided on the map, the Fleming
Formation, is made up of the Lena Member, the Carnahan
Bayou Member, the Dough Hills Member, the Williamson
Creek Member, the Castor Creek Member, and the Blounts
Creek Member. The Blounts Creek Member may be partly
Miocene age and partly or all Pliocene age. Some of the high
terrace deposits also may be Pliocene age. The following
sections are a brief discussion of the geologic units.
Wilcox Group
The Wilcox Group was divided by H. V. Andersen on his
Geologic Map of Natchitoches Parish (1992) into 10 forma-
tions. Most were an extension of his work in Sabine Parish.
These units are lithologically heterogeneous, and the forma-
tions appear to be time units more than mappable rock
units. Some of the features on outcrops are related to
weathering and cementation or dissolution and redeposition.
Several miles north of Natchitoches on the west side of
Interstate 49 near the edge of the Red River Valley are very
large concretions 6 ft or more in diameter. Occasionally
"hard layers" are encountered in the drilling of wells in the
Wilcox. These layers may represent concretions in some
places and siltstone or sandstone in other places.
An examination of geologic logs and electrical logs does not
indicate extensive marker beds in the Wilcox. Thus, the
formations would be difficult to trace in the subsurface. The
Wilcox in the area has been identified as a deltaic sequence
125
which accounts for the occurrence of marine beds (clay) and
nonmarine beds of sand, clay, and lignite. Under deltaic
conditions some of the marine deposition was simultaneous
with nonmarine deposition. The active delta accounts for
much of the heterogeneity of the deposits and the lack of
definitive marker beds over large areas. For example, in
DeSoto Parish (north of Sabine Parish) lignite is mined from
a bed below a massive sand bed, the Dolet Hills. This lignite
bed and the overlying sand are traceable over a relatively
small area.
The description for Wilcox (undifferentiated) on the State
geologic map is as follows:
({Gray to brown lignitic sands and silty to sandy
lignitic clays, many seams of lignite, some lime-
stone and glauconite. Incl udes small Carrizo Sand
(Claiborne Group?) outcrops."
lvfany workers consider the Carrizo to be the basal unit of the
Claiborne Group. Exposures of the Wilcox occur in road cuts
along Interstate 49 from the valley edge northwest of
Natchitoches to about one-quarter mile north of the inter-
change with Louisiana Highway 6.
Claiborne Group
The Claiborne Group of Eocene age is made up of the Carrizo
Sand, the Cane River Formation, the Sparta Formation, the
Cook Mountain Formation and the Cockfield Formation.
Carrizo Sand
The Carrizo Sand is a massive bedded quartz sand. In some
areas minor amounts of interbedded silt and clay occur. In
addition, thin beds oflignite may occur in some areas. Sandy
intervals along Louisiana Highway 6 from about 2 miles east
Of the intersection of Interstate 49 to about 2 miles west of
the interstate are Carrizo. The sand generally is medium to
very fine and ranges in thickness from 30 ft to 150 ft or more.
The sand generally is less silty than those in the Wilcox.
Cane River Formation
The formation is predominantly gray to brown clay and
shale with a few thin beds of silt and lignite. Marl occurs in
parts of the interval. Glauconite occurs in the clays and
shales and parts of the interval are fossiliferous. This unit is
a distinct marker bed in the subsurface. Outcrops that occur
along Interstate 49 from the intersection with Louisiana
Highway 6 for about 2 miles to the south-southeast are Cane
River. Extensive outcrops of the Cane River occur in north-
eastern Natchitoches Parish-in part overlain by small out-
crops of Intermediate and High Terraces.
Sparta Formation
The Sparta is an alternating sequence of sand beds, silt beds,
clay beds, and a few lignite beds. The sand generally is fine
to medium and well sorted. In some places near the base of
the Sparta and near the top thin, very fine glauconitic sand
beds occur. The lower beds represent the transitional zone
from the Cane River and probably should be considered part
of the Cane River Formation. The upper glauconitic sand
beds probably should be considered part of the Cook Moun-
tain Formation. Generally the Sparta is made up of more
than 50% sand-in some places massive and in other places
thin bedded. The Sparta crops out along Interstate 49 from
2 miles southeast of the intersection of Louisiana Highway
6 to about4.2 miles southeast of the intersection. The Sparta
also crops out in northeastern Natchitoches Parish in the
Readheimer area northward to Bienville Parish. In Winn
Parish the Sparta crops out to the east of Saline Bayou (east
of the Holocene and Pleistocene deposits). The width of the
outcrop is about 3 to 5 miles.
Cook Mountain Formation
The Cook Mountain is made up of glauconitic clay and shale
with beds of fine and very fine green sand. On the outcrop
the glauconite weathers to brown ironstone. In places the
Cook Mountain is mostly clay (150-200 ft) whereas in other
places the large number of silt and sand beds makes the unit
difficult to identify on electrical logs. The Cook Mountain
crops out along Interstate 49 about 1.2 miles north of the
first exit south of Louisiana Highway 6 (local road) and the
outcrop extends about a half- mile southeastward along the
interstate. The local road is built on the Cook Mountain
from about one mile east of the interstate to the edge of the
Red River Valley. In Winn Parish a classic outcrop of part of
the Cook Mountain is by the railroad bridge across Saline
Bayou atSt. Maurice. In the winter and spring, high water on
the Red River generally covers the outcrop.
Cockfield Formation
The Cockfield is an alternating sequence of sand beds, silt
beds, shale beds, and some lignite beds. The sand generally
is fine to medium. Some sand intervals are massive; some are
thin bedded. The Cockfield crops out along Interstate 49
from a half mile north-northwest of the first exit south of
Louisiana Highway 6 to about 1.2 miles south-southeast of
this exit. About one-half of the Cockfield to the south-
southeast is covered by deposits of Pleistocene and Holocene
ages.
Jackson Group (undifferentiated)
The Jackson Group of Eocene age is made up of light gray to
brown clay, some ironstone layers; and minor amounts of
very thin sand. The unit is fossiliferous in part. Formations
in the Jackson are defined by fossils more than lithology
except for the basal Moody's Branch Formation (marl). One
of the classic localities for basal Jackson is the bluff on the
Red River near Montgomery. Until re-channeling, the river
impinged on the bluff and kept it clean. Pictures from early
in the century looked very similar to those taken 60 or 70
years later. Now some silting has occurred and during the
winter and spring high water covers most of the outcrop. At
one time, the con tact with the Cockfield was exposed. Along
Interstate 49 the Jackson is concealed by Red River alluvium.
Vicksburg Group (undifferentiated)
The Vicksburg Group of Oligocene age is mostly clay in
central Louisiana. In western Louisiana there is a basal sand
which pinches out down dip and eastward along the out-
crop. The clays are gray or brown, calcareous, and fossilifer-
ous. The Vicksburg does not crop out along Interstate 49-
126
the beds are blanketed by the Red River alluvium. Between
Rosefield in northern Catahoula Parish and Ouachita River
Valley there are fossil beds, calcareous concretions contain-
ing fossils, and gypsiferous inclusions. Erosion on both the
Jackson and Vicksburg have reduced most of the outcrop to
lowlands and distinctive outcrops often are hard to find.
Catahoula Formation
The Catahoula is considered by some to be Oligocene age; by
others, to be Miocene age. The formation is made up pre-
dominately of sand with lesser amounts of silt and clay.
Some of the sand is very coarse and has been referred to by
some drillers as "rice grain sand". At many places along the
outcrop the sand is cemented into sandstone and the silt,
into siltstone. A short distance downdip or laterally the
sandstone may grade into loose sand. Petrified wood, in-
cluding palm wood, occurs in the formation. The narrowing
of the Red River Valley in northwestern Rapides-western
Grant Parishes is a result of the resistance of the indurated
beds of the Catahoula. The Catahoula is exposed along
Interstate 49 south of the intersection with Louisiana State
Highway 499 (Chopin exit). The hilly land rising to the
south ofthe flat alluvium is Catahoula. Some of the Catahoula
occurs to the north beneath the alluvium. Test holes at Lock
and Dam 3 penetrated Catahoula beneath the Red River
alluvium.
Indurated beds of the Catahoula are exposed along U. S.
Highway 71 northeast of Colfax, in the hill lands west of
Interstate 49 southofCloutierviile, and in northem Catahoula
ParishnorthwestofHarrisonburg.AbouthalfoftheCatahoula
outcrop in the hill lands of Catahoula and LaSalle Parishes
is blanketed by high terrace deposits. Between the Red River
Valley and the Little River about 80% of the outcrop is
blanketed by High Terraces.
Fleming Formation
The Fleming Formation is of Miocene age in the lower part
and of Pliocene age in the uppermost part. The formation is
divided into six members. Each member has been traced
either in the outcrop or in the subsurface from near the
Sabine River to near the Mississippi River-a distance of
more than 100 miles. The members have been traced 20 to
30 miles downdip (some even farther). The Lena, Dough
Hills, and Castor Creek members are predominantly clay
with occasional thin sand beds interspersed through the
intervals. In many areas the surficial clay weathers to a black
soil underlain by khaki-colored day. Calcareous concretions
are common. At some places thicker sand beds make the
intervals difficult to distinguish in the subsurface from the
overlying and underlying members. Parts of the Castor
Creek contain fossils that paleontologists have dated as
Miocene age. For the most part the other members have few
fossils-most of which are not a diagnostic indicator of age.
The Carnahan Bayou, Williamson Creek, and Blounts Creek
11embers are an alternating sequence of sand beds and clay
beds. The clay may be blue, gray, or green. The sand beds
may be thick (100 ft or more) or thin to few
tens of feet). Sand may be fine to very fIne, fme to medlUm,
or medium to coarse or very coarse. In parts of the area black
gravel (granule to pebble) occurs. The black gravel appears to
be deposited along old stream courses active during the
Miocene.
The Lena crops out south of the Catahoula along Interstate
49 north of Lena. A small outcrop occurs along U. S.
Highway 71, northwest of Bagdad in Grant Parish. Two
outcrops occur on the west side of Catahoula Lake at Big
Point and Indian Bluff. High terraces blanket most of the
Lena in Grant Parish but test holes show that the unit is
continuous through the area.
The Carnahan Bayou Member crops out in the Sunk Hill area
north of Flatwoods. Flatwoods is about 8 miles west of
Interstate 49 on Louisiana State Highway 8. Sunk Hill is
about 2 miles north of Flatwoods on a local road (car trail).
Large amounts of petrified wood, including palm wood,
have been found in the area. Many road cuts in northern
Vernon, southern Natchitoches, and southeastern Sabine
Parishes show parts of the Carnahan Bayou. Most of the
Carnahan Bayou is blanketed by high terrace deposits in
Grant Parish. Some small outcrops occur along the Little
River and tributaries in south Grant Parish.
The Dough Hills occurs in the Dough Hills area of Rapides
Parish. However, this area generally is inaccessible. The
Dough Hills crops out at Esler Field about 12 miles northeast
of Alexandria. Part of the area about one mile southeast of
Kingsville that was mapped as high terrace was shown to be
Dough Hills by test holes at Pinecrest State School. The
topography in this area is rounded and no cuts were ob-
served, but Dough Hills was penetrated from the soil zone to
SO ft. Calcareous material found in the south river bank at
the O.K. Allen bridge in Alexandria may be Dough Hills.
Much of the Dough Hills in Ra pides Parish is covered by the
High Terraces and the Prairie Terraces.
Outcrops of the Williamson Creek are small in Rapides
Parish. Outcrops ofindurated sandstone and siltstone in the
Pineville area are Williamson Creek. The rapids near the O.K.
Allen Bridge on the Red River (currently drowned by the
navigation pool) are the reason for the name Rapides Parish.
Identification of the unit in this area usually is based on
tracing the unit using test holes. East of the outcrops in the
Pineville area the Williamson Creek is blanketed by Pleisto-
cene deposits and by Holocene deposits to the Mississippi
River.
The Castor Creek Is well exposed in Vernon Parish. To the
east in Rapides Parish more than 95% of the unit is blanketed
by deposits of Pleistocene age and Holocene age. The fossils
in the unit have been found only in the subsurface. Al-
though the unit does not crop out east of the west wall of the
Red River Valley test drilling has shown that the unit occurs
in central Rapides Parish, in Avoyelles Parish, and in
Concordia Parish.
The Blounts Creek Member is well exposed in Vernon Parish.
The unit crops out at Blounts Creek in Rapides Parish and
near the Red River Valley wall in southeastern Rapides
Parish. The unit is blanketed by Pleistocene and Holocene
deposits to the east in Rapides Parish and in Avoyelles Parish.
127
The Fate of Fisk's Pleistocene Units in Texas
Saul Aronow
Pleistocene Mapping Units in the Gulf
Coast of Texas Prior to Fisk
The two major sources of mapping units and stratigraphic
terminology for the Pleistocene of the Gulf Coast of Texas in
the 1930's and 1940's were
(1) the text (Plummer, 1932) and accompanying
highly generalized small-scale map (1:2,000,000)
of "3232,11 as it was familiarly known, and
(2) the U. S. Geological Survey map of Texas
(Darton and others, 1937).
Plummer (1932, p. 780-795) sets up a Pleistocene System
restricted to one group, the Houston Group which is divided
into two formations, an older lissie sand [sic] and a younger
Beaumont clay [sic]. Underlying the lissie is the Citronelle
Group of the Pliocene System. The Citronelle consists of an
older Goliad sand formation [sic] and a younger Unnamed
Pliocene? sand [sic] (Plummer, 1932, p. 749-763).
The larger-scaled (1:500,000) geologic map of Darton and
others (1937) uses the Beaumont clay and the Lissie forma-
tion for its Gulf Coast Pleistocene units. The Pliocene (?)
Willis sand unconformably underlies the Lissie. In the time
interval between "3232
11
and the USGS map, Doering (1935,
p. 660-668) had introduced and defined the Willis which he
assigned to the late Pliocene or early Pleistocene. The USGS
map, in terms of mapping units, essentially follows Doering's
1935 usage.
Fisk's Pleistocene Units in Texas
Fisk's concept of four interglacial eustatic high sea-level
regressive units for Louisiana,
Prairie
Montgomery
Bentley
vVilliana,
was firmly established by two regional-scale papers (Fisk,
1939, 1944) after undergoing a gestation in several local
parish reports (e. g., Fisk, 1938).
Fisk's terminology was possibly first used in Texas in a
formal published paper by Price (1947, Figure 1) who equates
the Montgomery with an "older
ll
Beaumont; the Prairie,
with a "youngerll Beaumont (cf. Doering, 1956, p. 1830).
Later it was carried into Texas by his collaborators and/or
students. The first of these was H. A. Bernard (1950) who
remapped the area between the Sabine and Neches Rivers in
southeast Texas Among the many contributions of this
unpublished but much referred to Ph.D. dissertation was the
first description of the early Holocene (?) to late Pleistocene
Deweyville terraces along the Sabine and Neches Rivers.
What may be the first formal published map depicting the
Deweyville was in Kane's (1959, Figure 1) paper on Sabine
Lake which shows the terraces flanking "late Recent
ll
flood-
plain deposits of the Sabine and Neches rivers just north of
the lake. Kane uses a Prairie "terrace deposits" (= Beaumont
in Texas) unit for both the Louisiana and Texas parts of his
map. Kane's map is also shown in a guidebook (Gulf Coast
Association of Geological Societies, 1959, Plate 6).
More or less contemporaneous with Bernard's investigation
of the extreme southeast corner of Texas was a masters thesis
by Cox (1950) covering about 21 counties in the drainage
basins of the lower Brazos and Colorado rivers in Texas. The
area along the Brazos extended from about Waco to the Gulf
of Mexicoj along the Colorado from about Columbus to the
Gulf. The thesis contains some highly generalized maps of
the outcrop of the four coast-paralleling Fiskian units as well
as some of their stream-paralleling inland extensions.
Following the work of Bernard and Cox, neither Fisk (1959)
in his paper on Padre Island and Laguna Madre nor LeBlanc
and Bernard (1954) and LeBlanc and Hodgson (1959) in
their coastal studies-which penetrate into a Texan Pleisto-
cene substrate or impinge on a landward Texan Pleistocene
upland-use any of the Fiskian units.
References are made to "late Pleistocene deposits" and "a
buried eroded Pleistocene surface" (Fisk, 1954), "an inland
late Pleistocene plainll (LeBlanc and Bernard, 1954, p. 186),
and "late Pleistocene undifferentiated
ll
(LeBlanc and Hodgson
(1959, Figure 12).
Thefirstpublishedattempt-otherthanFisk(1939,p.187)-
to correlate the Texas Pleistocene with Fisk's four units
probably was made in a field trip gUidebook for southeast
Texas (Bernard, LeBlanc and Major, 1962, Figures 2 and 3):
128
Prairie = Beaumont
Montgomery = Unnamed 2nd terrace
Bentley = Lissie
Williana = Willis.
The Willis is thus interpreted to be Pleistocene.
Bernard and LeBlanc (1965, Figures 9a and 9b) in whatis still
the most useful introduction and guide to the subaerial
western Gulf Coast Pleistocene revise the 1962 correlations
to
Prairie = Prairie, or Beaumont
Montgomery = Montgomery, or Upper Lissie
Bentley = Bentley, or Lower Lissie
Williana = Williana, or Willis.
This is similar to the an early Louisiana-Texas correlation by
Fisk (1939, p. 187).
The high point in the" official" recognition in Texas of Fisk's
four-fold Pleistocene scheme was in some early sheets of
Texas' Bureau of Economic Geology's Geologic Atlas of
Texas.
In the first editions of the Beaumont and Houston Sheets
(Barnes, 1968a, 1968b) the Quaternary section consisted of
Recent
Alluvium
Recent or Late (?) Pleistocene
Deweyville Formation
Pleistocene
Beaumont Formation
Montgomery Formation
Bentley Formation
Willis Formation,
a mixture of Louisiana and Texas stratigraphic units, similar
to the correlation of Bernard and LeBlanc (1965).
On later sheets of the Geologic Atlas the Montgomery and
Bentley were phased out and finally abandoned in favor of
the Lissie. Thus the Austin, Seguin and Beeville-Bay City
sheets (Barnes, 1974a, 1974b, 1975a) have a "Lissie Forma-
tion undivided" but note that within the areas of the
respective sheets "the Montgomery and Bentley Formations
(upper and lower units of the Lissie) are essentially indistin-
guishable and for that reason are not separately mapped .. "
The subsequent Corpus Christl (Barnes, 1975b) and
Brownsville - McAllen sheets (Barnes, 1976a) use a "Lissie
Formation undivided;" the Laredo Sheet (Barnes, 1976b), a
"Lissie Formation."
Among the several revised second editions of the sheets the
Seguin (Barnes, 1979) and Beeville - Bay City (Barnes, 1987)
do appear with a "Lissie Formation undivided;" the Houston
(Barnes, 1982) and Beaumont (Barnes, 1992) sheets, with
just a "Lissie Formation."
About the only remnant of the possible "plurality" of the
Lissie-the smile on the face of the disappearing Cheshire
cat-is in the Explanations of the latest versions of Beau-
mont and Houston Sheets where lithologic and pedologic
differences are noted between "upper" and "lower" parts of
the Lissie.
This brings us back full circle to the 1937USGS Geologic Map
of Texas (Darton and others, 1937) and to Doering's 1935
paper. The major difference is the unequivocal placing of the
Willis in the Pleistocene on the Geologic Atlas Sheets.
Rival Classifications
Doering (1956, 1958)-who established the Willis-pub-
lished for an area extending from the Rio Gr ande in Texas to
the Vicinity of the Apalachicola River in Florida a widely
cited alternative scheme to Fisk's. The coast-paralleling
mapping units are derived from localities in southwestern
Louisiana. Doering (1956, p. 1837) mapped five Pleistocene
units vs. Fisk's four.
With reference to Doering's 1935 units and the later USGS
map his new Pleistocene classification is
Holloway Prairie = Recent post-Beaumont
Eunice = "upper Beaumont"
Oberlin = "lower" Beaumont
Lissie = Lissie
Citronelle = Willis.
In his 1956 and 1960 papers the Citronelle and the Willis in
Texas are considered pre-Nebraskan or pre-glacial Pleisto-
cene; in the 1958 paper a late Pliocene age or early Pleisto-
cene age for the Citronelle are equally plausible.
With reference to Fisk's coast-paralleling terraces in south-
ern Louisiana Doering's units are thusly correlated (Doering,
1958, Table III):
Holloway Prairie = [no unit]
Eunice = Prairie
Oberlin = Montgomery
Lissie = Bentley
Citronelle = Williana
Doering (1956, p. 1832 and Figures 3 and 4) strongly sug-
gests that the coast paralleling terraces of southern Louisi-
ana are miscorrelated with the Red River area terraces from
which the standard four-fold Fisk section was derived. Doering
(1958, Table III) would correlate his southern Louisiana
units with Fisk's Red River area units as follows:
Holloway Prairie = Prairie
Eunice = Montgomery
Oberlin = Bentley
Lissie = Williana
Doering believes that the Citronelle is absent from the Red
River area.
As noted previously Price was an early user of Doering's units
and applied them to Texas. He remained somewhat unde-
cided and eqUivocal about them. He notes in his classic
south Texas paper that
729
((In this paper [Price, 1958], the writer returns to
Doering's names used in the writer's article: 'Qua_
ternary deltaic plains and strand terraces' in the
Corpus Christi Geological Society's FIeld Trip
book for 1956, pp. 1-3. In the [guide] book for
1958, Fisk's terms were used ... The writer made
this last change in his usage after Doering again
discussed the Louisiana correlations in his paper
of 1958."
Van Siclen (1972, 1985, 1991) has developed an assemblage
of Pleistocene mapping units for the Houston area of Texas
which, though not explicitly deSignated, might be consid-
ered allostratigraphic units. They are largely fluvial and
del taic d eposi ts and related landforms of a PI eistocen e pal eo-
Brazos River and are mainly confined to the outcrop areas of
the Beaumont, Lissie and Willis formations as shown on the
Houston and Beaumont Sheets (Barnes, 1982, 1992). He
discusses in his 1991 paper eight ((coastal terraces" with
names derived from the early USGS-Doering classification,
from Doering's (1956, 1958) papers, and from local geo-
graphiC localities. None of the Fisk's units survive; the
Bentley of an earlier version (Van Siclen, 1985) was dropped.
Though I do not necessarily agree with Van Siclen's specific
choice of mapping units, I think this kind of Pleistocene unit
/ldeconstruction" is needed for further progress in decipher-
ing the Pleistocene history of the Gulf coast. In some sense
the lumping the of Montgomery and Bentley into the Lissie
was perhaps an unavoidable backward step but needed to set
up a viable lithostratigraphic unit. Snead and McCulloh
(1984) avoid any lithostratigraphic /ltraps" by calling their
Pleistocene mapping units ((terraces," most of which have
several levels.
The multiplicity of interglacials, well beyond the four as-
sumed by Fisk, is suggested by Beard and others (1982) and
by Richmond and Fullerton (1986a, 1986b). Some of these
generated high sea-level stand regressive deposits but factors
(see Mossa, 1991; Saucier, 1991, p. 552-554) other than
simple eustatic controls and later coastal downwarping
make for a more complex picture with more than four or five
depositional units.
A recent map shOWing part or all of the Texas Gulf Coast
Saucier and Snead (1989) show three Pleistocene /l com-
plexes" in Texas (and Louisiana), from oldest to youngest: an
Upland, an Intermediate, and a Prairie. The Prairie complex
is ((equivalent to the Beaumont formation [sic] in Texas;
three levels are recognized but not mapped." The Interme-
diate complex includes the Lissie; the Upland complex,
identified as Plio-Pleistocene in age, includes the Willis.
These units are discussed in detail in an accompanying text
by Saucier (1991, p. 558-59) who comments that
((The essence ofthe Prairie Complex stratigraphic
problem is that more than one Significant
allostratigraphic unit is represented. Using the
terrace criteria of Fisk (1939) and Russell (1940), it
has been acceptable to assign a single designation
to a variety of depositional sequences. However,
continuation of this practice will only cause fur-
ther confusion. Perhaps it is advisable to assign
new designations .... A more practical approach
maybe to define subunits of the Prairie Complex
as alloformations, defined on the basis of their
boundary relations, especially discontinuities ....
Future studies should be directed toward separat-
ing the Prairie Complex into Wisconsin and pre-
Wisconsin com ponen ts."
Another recent map by Winker (1991b) depicts the Gulf
Coast west of the Mississippi floodplain into northern Mexico
in morphostratigraphic units (MSUs,seetext, Winker,1991a),
a unit not recognized in the latest North American Strati-
graphic Code. The MSUs are
Holocene deposits and post-Beaumont terraces
Beaumont surface
IngleSide beach plain
((intermediate" surface
Lissie
pre-Lissie surface(s).
These are carried across the Sabine River into Louisiana, and
also southward into Mexico. Winker (p. 585) believes
1I ... that only two units are sufficiently continuous
and uniform to justify regional nomenclature;
these are the Beaumont and Lissie for reasons of
priority ... Other surfaces are classified here by their
relation to these two regional MSUs (Le., post-
Beaumont, intermediate and pre-liSSie). As a note
of caution, ages and temporal correlation of these
surfaces have not been established, and the MSUs
should not be assumed to be time-stratigraphic ... "
This is an ironic note on which to end this discussion: the
Beaumont of Texas, first named in 1903, invading Louisiana
and having priority over Fisk's Prairie which, to some, is the
sole surviving unit.. ..
References
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130
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132
Soil Stratigraphic Units of the Lower Red River Valley
B. A. Touchet
Soil scientists utilize the term soil stratigraphic unit to define
a particular soil series in a particular parent material. If a soil
series occurs on a stable landscape} that particular soil
stratigraphie unit may actually be a time stratigraphic unit.
The Lower Red River Valley is paralleled by soil stratigraphic
units which can be traced below the loess stratigraphic units
along the Lower Mississippi Valley proper and coast parallel
units to the south and west.
Along the Red River Valley wall and the Mississippi-Arkansas
River Valley wall (Bastrop Ridge) there is a soil stratigraphic
unit that superposes both the Ruston soil stratigraphic unit
and the Beauregard-Malbis soil stratigraphic unit. This unit
is known as the Forbing soil stratigraphic unit. This is a very
extensive soil stratigraphic unit that occurs in a terrace
position along the Red River} Arkansas River} Brazos River}
and the Colorado River in Texas. It also occurs below the
loess on the Bastrop Ridge} the Holloway Prairie in Rapides
Parish} and the Bayou Chicot Ridge in Evangeline Parish. The Red River Valley is incised in Tertiary continental and
marine deposits. Superposed on these deposits are loamy
Plio-Pleistocene fluvial deposits of the Upland Complex.
These deposits appear truncated by the Red River Valley. The
soil stratigraphie unit recognized in the Plio-Pleistocene
deposits is the Ruston soil stratigraphic unit. This unit
correlates to Fisk's Williana and Bentley Terraces. The
Beauregard-Malbis soil stratigraphic unit occurs on less
sloping topography and correlates to Fisk's Montgomery
Terrace.
Other soil series that occur in the Forbing soil stratigraphic
unit includes the Acadia and Wrightsville series of the
flatwoods areas and the Gore (Hortman), McKamie, Morse
and Muskogee on the sloping landscapes along the valleys.
Comparable soils with different names occur along the
Brazos and Colorado Rivers in the ustic moisture regime of
Texas.
SUMMARY CHART
SOIL STRATIGRAPHIC UNIT LANDFORM\STRATIGRAPHIC RELATIONSHIP
PLEISTOCENE UNITS
Ruston Fisk's Williana and Bentley Terraces
Beauregard-Malbis Fisk's Montgomery Terrace
Forbing Between Fisk's Montgomery and Prairie Terrace
Pre-Prairie Loess Superposes the Forbing, but dips under the Pine Island unit
Pine Island Superposes the Pre-Prairie Loess, but dips under the Crowley unit
Crowley Superposes the Pine Island unit
Memphis Superposes all of the above units, but dips under the Kaplan unit
Kaplan Superposes Crowley and Memphis units, but dips under the Gueydan unit
Bienville-Guyton seemingly the oldest unit in the Red River flood plain, dips under the Gallion unit
HOLOCENE UNITS
Gueydan The Chenier Plain Marsh
Rilla-Sterlington Arkansas River unit that dips under the Dundee unit
Dundee Mississippi unit that dips under the Gallion unit
Gallion Red River unit that dips under the Norwood unit
Norwood Holocene Red River unit that interfingers with Commerce unit
Commerce Holocene Mississippi River unit that interfingers with Norwood unit
133
The Forbing soil stratigraphic unit is very important because
it is very easy to trace, and therefore other units can be
correlated as either older or younger than this unit. For
example, this unit superposes the soil units in Fisk's Williana,
Bentley, and Montgomery Terraces which in turn superposes
the Tertiary deposits and their soils. Conversely, the Forbing
unit is buried by the Pre-Prairie-Post Montgomery loess on
the Bastrop Ridge, Holloway Prairie and the Bayou Chicot
ridge. Both the Forbing soil stratigraphic unit and the Pre-
Prairie-Post Montgomery loess soil stratigraphic unit dips
under the Pine Island soil stratigraphic unit in Jefferson
Davis Parish. There is also an exposure of the Pine Island unit
in the Bayou Chicot area. There is no Pre-Prairie age loess on
the Pine Island soil stratigraphic unit. The Pine Island unit
is reddish brown like the Forbing unit, but the Pre-Prairie
loess separates these two units in Evangeline, Acadia, and
Jefferson Davis Parishes. This unit is superposed by the
Crowley soil stratigraphic unit of the coast prairie (Fisk's
Prairie Terrace of southwest Louisiana).
Both the Pine Island and the Crowley units are superposed
by the Memphis soil stratigraphic unit developed in Peoria
Loess on the Macon Ridge, Marksville Ridge, and the Grand
Coteau Ridge. The Memphis unit dips under the Kaplan soil
stratigraphic unit as does the Crowley unit when it is not
superposed by Peoria Loess. The Kaplan soil stratigraphic
unit, in turn, dips under the Gueydan soil stratigraphic unit
which is the Chenier Plain Marsh soil. The Kaplan unit may
be related to the development of the Chenier Plain, since it
infills local drains of the southern edge of the firm Prairie
s9ils and superposes the Crowley unit. The Gueydan unit is
still forming, but becomes progressively older inland away
from the coast.
The soil stratigraphic units of the Red River Valley includes
the Bienville-Guyton Soil Stratigraphic unit in the Oil City
area of Caddo Parish. This seems to be the only exposure of
the "Deweyville" in the Red River Valley of Louisiana. The
Gallion Soil Stratigraphic Unit occurs on older Holocene
meander scars in the Red River Valley. The more recent
natural levees of the Red River are easily recognized by the
Norwood soil stratigraphic unit. The Rilla-Sterlinton soil
stratigraphic unit is an Arkansas River unit dominating the
area between the Bastrop Ridge and the Macon Ridge and
along the Ouachita River. The Dundee soil stratigraphic unit
occurs on older meander scars of the Mississippi River. The
younger natural levees of the Mississippi River are recog-
nized by the Commerce soil stratigraphic unit.
134
Waddel Bluff Terrace Stratigraphy
in the Lower Red River Valley
John J. Alford and Joseph C. Holmes
A key to understanding the terrace stratigraphy in the lower
Red River Valley lies in the correct dating of organic sedi-
men ts that are exposed at the low water base of Waddel
Bluff. Located in Sec. 8, T7N, R4W, Fisk (1938) described
Waddel Bluff as the "best" exposure of the Montgomery
member in the type area. Although the upper portion of the
section is characterized by oxidized sand, silts, and clays,
som e 10m below the surface lies a rich, 6m thick fossiliferous
horizon.
In the words of Fisk (1938):
"The base of the section is composed of bluish-
gray clays and contains many upright stumps and
knees of cypress trees. The sediments surrounding
the stumps contain leaf impressions, coprolites of
large animals, fresh water ostracodes, a few pele-
cypods, and many gastropod shells of small size."
Intrigued by this description, and eager to collect datable
material, the authors took advantage of the unusually low
water of the summer of 1979, and investigated the site. The
exposure was as Fisk (1938) described it and excellent samples
of datable material were collected.
Three samples were analyzed at the L.S.U. radiocarbon lab.
(Table 1). The firsttaken from a well preserved sturn p located
about 13m below the surface yielded a date of 30,700 4,900
B.P. Wood fragments 11.5m below the surface produced a
date of 21,800 2100 B.P. A meter and a half higher in the
profile, well preserved wood taken from a stump in growth
position yielded a date of 26,200 1700 B.P.
These dates were surprisingly young considering that Fisk
(1938) and later Russ (1975) believed these deposits to be
pre-Wisconsinan in age. Because of this and the fact that the
dates, had large margins of error it was decided to have a
comerciallab redate the best two samples. These determina-
tions confirmed the earlier findings. Wood from the lower
stump gave an age of 30,370 400 B.P. while the upper
stump was dated at 22,860 235 B.P. Evidentally the
fossiliferous blue-gray clays underlying Waddel Bluff are late
Altonian to earliest Woodfordian in age.
Further support for this conclusion resulted from channel
stabilization work done by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Over the winter and spring of 1979-80 they cut the face of
Waddel Bluff back a substantial distance. Low water in May
of 1980 revealed that the fossiliferous clay layer was still
present some 60m back from the original face (Fig. 1). Wood
samples taken from an elevation about a meter below that of
the upper stump produced a date of 28,975 425 B.P. (Fig.
1). This date and its position well back from the original face
indicates that the Wad del Bluff sediments are a rather
substantial fill and not merely a smear of younger sediment
against an older surface.
TABLE 1 - Red River Radiocarbon Dates
Site Lab No. Date Material Dated Source
Waddel LSU I 30,700 4,900
Waddel LSU II 21,800 2,100
Waddel LSU III 26,200 1,700
Waddel Beta 1220 22,860 235
Waddel Beta 1221 30,370 400
Waddel Beta 1856 28,975 425
odra Beta 1858 2,890 90
odra Beta 1859 1,430 + 80
stump 0.3m above low water
wood fragments 1.8 m above low water
stump 3 m above low water
stump 0.3 m above low water
wood 1.2 m above low water
approximately 50 m back from face
shell 7.5 m above low water
135
unpublished report, Institute for
Environmental Studies, LSU
Alford et 01./ 1985
Alford et 01., 1985
Alford et aI., 1985
This paper
This paper
In an effort to determine the extent of this fill we travelled
9.6km upstream to where the river next impinged on a
terrace that had been mapped as either Montgomery by Fisk
(1938) or upper Prairie by Russ (1975). Located in the S.W.
1/4 of irreg. Sec. 86, T7N, R5W this site (informally named
the Odra site after the nearby hamlet) presented a clean bluff
face that rose some 12m above low water level. Careful
examination of the 200m long section revealed no sign of
the blue-gray fossiliferous zone. The exposed sediments are
indistinguishable from the oxidized upper portion of the
Waddel Bluff section.
Datable material was collected from a shell bed situated
about 6m below the surface. Some 150m away at about the
same level well preserved wood taken from a stump in
growth position. The shell produced a date of 2890 -90 B.P.
while the wood was dated at 1430 - 80 B.P. Evidentally the
surface at Odra is qUite young.
Discussion
The array of dates associated wi th Waddel Bluff and the Odra
Section raise several interesting points. First, it is clear that
the "best" Montgomery (or upper Prairie) exposure in the
type area is not Sangamonian but is late-Altonian to
vVoodfordian in age. Secondly, the vegetation representing
this time period is dominated by cypress indicating a climate
not too dissimilar to what prevails today.
The dates from Odra are surprisingly young. They indicate
that a cycle of aggradation and down-cutting took place in
this portion of the Red River Valley in the fairly recent past.
Certainly, the contrast in the ages of the sediments at Odra
and Waddel Bluff show the difficulty in attempting to
correlate and map surfaces based primarily on elevation and
appearance. Finally, at this time it is uncertain as to how the
low Prairie and the Deweyville surfaces relate to the fills at
Odra and Waddel Bluff.
References
Alford, J. J., Kolb, C. R., and Holmes, J. C., 1985, Terrace
stratigraphy along the lower Red River, Louisiana: South-
eastern Geology, V. 26, pp. 47-51.
Louisiana Departaent of Conservation, Geologic Survey
Bull. no. 10, 246 pp.
lower Red River Valley, Louisiana, Ph.D. Dissertation:
The Pennsylvania State University, University Park.
WADDEL BLUFF
GENERALIZEO
--------....... -------------------------_ !
.............. -..
........
......
GENERALlzeo NEW
PROFILE OF EAST BANK
(Material Removed By Corps)
.......
.....
........
......
.......
.......
......
......
.......
.......
.......
.....

__ ________________________________
Figure 1 - Waddel Bluff Cross Section.(from Alford et 01./ 1985).
136
Allostratigraphy and Geoarchaeology Within
the Mississippi Alluvial Valley
Paul V. Heinrich
The alluvial plain of the MisSissippi River is a composite
geomorphiC surface composed of smaller,
morphostratigraphic units - geomorphic surfaces that lie
within an incised valley (Saucier 1974; Autin et al. 1991),
Five types of geomorphic surfaces, namely, meander belts,
backswamps, braid plains, fluvial terraces, and lacustrine
terraces, exist within the Mississippi Alluvial Valley and its
tributaries. First, a meander belt is a surface that consists of
the geomorphic surface and constructional landforms cre-
ated by the lateral migration of a river while occupying a
single course. Second, the backswamp, also called a "flood
basin", is the portion of an alluvial plain associated with
meander belts consisting of swamp, lakes, or combination of
both. Third, the braid plain is an alluvial plain exhibiting the
intricately interconnected channels of braided streams or
rivers which created it. Within the Mississippi Alluvial
Valley, they exist only as fluvial terraces. Fourth, a fluvial
terrace is a relict fluvial plain bounded by erosional escarp-
ments and parallels an adjacent, modern stream or river.
They occur along the wall of the incised valley and as outliers
within it. They are the erosional remnants of other geomor-
phic surfaces, e.g., braid plains, meander belts, or
backswamps. Finally, a lacustrine terrace is an erosional
remnant of a plain that once formed the bottom of a
slackwater lake within the valleys of rivers and streams
tributary to the MiSSissippi River (Shaw 1915; Saucier 1974,
1987; Autin et al. 1991).
Allostratigraphy
According to the North American Commission on Strati-
graphic Nomenclature (1983),an allostratigraphic unit is a
mappable body of sedimentary rock or unconsolidated
sediments that is defined and identified on the basis of
bounding discontinuities. In case of an incised valley, ero-
sional unconformities and the previously described geomor-
phic surfaces are bounding discontinuities that can be used
to define and map allostratigraphic units (Fig. 1). Two
distinct types of fluvial allostratigraphic units, depending
whether the geomorphic surface is either fluvial terrace or
meander belt, can be recognized.
First, the type of fluvial alloformation associated with a
fluvial terrace has three different bounding disconformities
(Fig. 1). First, the basal disconformity of this alloformation
is a fluvial erosion surface, typically an undulating surface,
cut by either the entrenchment, lateral migration, or both of
a river channel. This unconformity is related to the deposi-
tion of the overlying fluvial sediments. Second, the scarp
that defines a fluvial terrace is the exposed edge of an
younger erosional surface which truncates the sediments
which comprise a fluvial terrace. As a result, a scarp, as
reflected by differences in surface morphology, soil develop-
ment, and thickness of overbank deposits, separates geo-
morphic surfaces and fluvial deposits of differing ages.
Finally, the upper boundary consists of a geomorphic sur-
face, previously defined as a "fluvial terrace" (Autin 1992).
After its formation, the fluvial terrace can be altered by post-
deposi tional processes. Fluvial terraces are frequen tly buried
by younger sediments after their formation. These sedi-
ments may consist of either overbank deposits, eolian sands,
loess, or colluvium. Where buried intact, a fluvial terrace
might be detectable by either laterally persistent paleosols or
truncated weathering horizons and abrupt changes in sedi-
mentary facies. With prolonged subaerial exposure, erosion
of a fluvial terrace will eventually obliterate and obscure
constructional landforms and pedogenesis will form pro-
gressively thicker paleosols.
Stratigraphic, radiocarbon, and archaeologic data from the
Richard Beene Site (41BX831) illustrates the association
between fluvial terraces and allostratigraphic units (Fig. 2)
(Mandel and Caran 1992). The modern floodplain and the
Walsh, Leona, and Miller Terraces are associated with fluvial
unconformities that clearly define allostratigraphic units of
alloformation rank. Because of the presence of apparent
erosional topography associated with it, differing fluvial
regimes on either side of it, and significantly older radiocar-
bon dates beneath it, the truncated Somerset paleosol is
interpreted to be the surface of another alloformation.
Because of the lack of significant temporal hiatuses, changes
in fluvial regime, and erosional unconformities, associated
with the other paleosols, they are considered to lie within
the same alloformation of which the Applewhite Terrace
forms its surface (fig. 2). Within this valley, vertically accreted
overbank sediments containing numerous paleosols bury
the Qc alloformation instead of the hypothetical backswamp
deposits illustrated in Fig. 1 (Fig. 2).
Finally, the meander belt is the surface of an allostratigraphic
unit consisting of a basal bounding discontinuity, an upper
bounding discontinuity, and a body of fluvial sediments
that lies between the bounding discontinuities (Fig. 3).
Typically, the upper bounding' discontinuity consists of
either an exposed or buried meander belt. In case of a
137
meandering system, the fluvial sediments lying between the
unconformities consist of a lower part composed of point
bar sands and gravels, overlain by finer-grained and verti-
cally accreted natural levee and overbank sediments. The
basal bounding discontinuity is an erosional unconformity
formed by scour at the channel bottom and, at the edges, by
cutbank erosion. Outside of the meander belt natural levee
deposits extend into and interfinger with the adjacent
backswamp sediments (Fig. 3) (Fisk 1947; vValker and Cant
1984; Autin 1992).
Unfortunately, the allostratigraphy of the sediments under-
lying the backswamps that lie between the meander belts of
the Mississippi River and its tributaries incised into braided
fluvial terraces is uncertain. For example, the backswamps
associated with meander bel ts within the Western Lowlands
appear to fill narrow alluvial valleys cut into braided fluvial
terraces (fig. 4). The lack of detailed boring logs for drillholes
penetrating these presumed en trenched valleys prevents the
resolution of the, if any, allostratigraphic units underlying
these backswamp deposits and the nature of the basal
contact of the backswamp deposits. Similarly, the actual
base of the allostratigraphic units underlying the braided
fluvial terraces cannot be determined because of the lack of
contrast between their sediments and the underlying valley
fill and the lack of undisturbed cores through them (Fig. 4).
Origin of Fluvial Allostratigraphic Units
The origin of fluvial complexes and alloformations has been
explained by two general models. First, the classic model of
Fisk (1944) concludes that a terrace is the result of fluvial
aggradation followed by a period of fluvial entrenchment.
His model implies that a floodplain is constructed by the
aggradation of a fining-upward sequence in response to a
rising base-level, typically a relative rise in sea level. A terrace
is created when a floodplain is abandoned by the fluvial
system as a resul t of entrenchment in response to a dropping
base-level, typically a relative drop in sea level. According to
this model, each fluvial terrace and its associated
allostratigraphic unit represents the fluvial response to a
single rise and fall in base level, which is commonly assumed
to be sea level (Autin 1992).
However, Autin (1989, 1992) and BlUm (1992) demonstrate
that geomorphic processes more complex than simple
changes in base levels create fluvial terraces and
alloformations. Autin (1989) found that a temporal cluster-
ing of cutoffs initiates a period of meander belt instability
within the Amite River Valley of Louisiana. This response
results from changes in one or more geomorphic influences,
e.g. climate, base-level, etc., which cause an imbalance
between river hydrology and sediment delivery. Because of
the increased rates of channel cutoffs, the channel pattern
locally straightens which favors channels avulsion over
lateral accretion. Avulsion creates a new channel which
truncates the older alluvium and produces the initial lateral
boundaries of a new alloformation. A new stable meander
belt is established with a channel pattern and slope in
equilibrium with the new conditions of river hydrology and
sedimen t delivery after a few decades to cen turies of instabil-
ity (Autin 1992). Significantly, Autin (1989, 1992) and Blum
(1992) demonstrate that to simply interpret all fluvial ter-
races and their alloformations solely as the result of rises and
falls of sea level is a grossly simplistic explanation that can
be wrong as often as it is right (Heinrich 1992).
lacustrine Terraces
A lacustrine terrace is an erosional remnant of a plain that
once formed the bottom of a slackwater lake. These lakes
were created by the blockage of the mouths of tributary
valleys by the aggradation of Mississippi River valley trains.
These terraces are highest at the mouth of the tributary and
drop in elevation to a flat surface upstream within the
tributary valley. Rarely, they exhibit either beach-ridge or
river mouth bar like landforms (Shaw 1915; Heinrich 1982;
Saucier 1987).
Each lacustrine terrace is the surface of a well-defined
allostratigraphic unit. The base of this allostratigraphic unit
consists of an erosional unconformity which represents an
incised valley cut during interglacial - interstadial times
when the tributary valley was unblocked by a glacial valley
train. Lying between this lower unconformity and the
lacustrine terrace surface is a sequence of nonglacial fluvial
sediments overlain by glacial slackwater lake and loessial
sediments. The lacustrine terrace forms the upper bounding
disconformity of this allostratigraphic unit (Heinrich 1982).
Geoarchaeology
The application of allostratigraphy to Late Pleistocene and
Holocene sediments and geomorphic surfaces within the
Mississippi Alluvial Valley can be used to understand its
archaeology. Allostratigraphy can be used to define, corre-
late and map, genetic depOSitional sequences of sediments
within what otherwise appears to be heterogeneous fluvial
deposits. Unlike simple terrace mapping, allostratigraphic
units formally tie geomorphic surfaces to the three dimen-
sional packages of sedimentary deposits associated with
them. A properly defined allostratigraphic unit consists of a
set of landforms and depOSitional sequence that formed
during a discrete period of time, by specific set of sedimen-
tary processes, and in response to a specific set of environ-
mental conditions. As a result, by combining sedimento-
logical and archaeological data for individual alloformations,
generalized, regional predictions can be made for the occur-
rence, visibility, preservation, and cultural affiliation of
archaeological deposits upon landforms and within sedi-
ments that form an alloformation. In addition, educated
guess can be made about the age and, thus, the cultural
affiliation of the archaeolOgical deposits which would have
been destroyed by the formation of a fluvial allostratigraphic
unit.
For example, because the braided fluvial and lacustrine
terraces predate the human occupation of the Mississippi
Alluvial Valley, they represent stable features of the land-
scape that were available for the accumulation of archaeo-
lOgical deposits since Paleo-Indian times (Morse and Morse
1983; Saucier 1987; Autin et al. 1991). As a result, archaeo-
logical deposits will have a high visibility on these geomor-
phic surfaces because in situ archaeological materials of all
ages and cultural affiliation will occur only upon these
surfaces, except where either younger colluvial and alluvial
138
.........
E
........."
c
0
'.p
C"i:S
>
OJ
ill
.........
~
~ 20
(I)
~
~ 1 5
o
'.p
~ 1 0
(I)
ill
g: 5
'.p
C"i:S
~ 0
170
160
150
140
130
Meander Belt
20
15
10
"
........... Erosional
5
Boundaries
~ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ~ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ~ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ~ - L O
o
LEGEND
1
Distance (Kilometers) 2
,.',., ...."-' = Facies boundary
= Bounding disconformity
T7T = Paleosol or soil (depth of
strips indicates development)
AI = Undifferentiated alluvium
Ba = Backswamp facies
c = Channel fill facies
Ob = Overbank facies
Pb = Point bar facies
3
Figure 1. Hypothetical fluvial alloformations within an incised valley.
Heinrich (1992).
Modified from
Bedrock
0
Relative Distance (km)
LEGEND
= Bounding disconformity ......, ..., .....l'= Minor channel m "
r Soil or paleosol associated W = Medina River
III i III r = 'h j R II'
Wit terrace surface = ecent co uVlum Somerset
- - - - - - = Intra-alloformational paleosol Sp = Paleosol
Qa, Qb, Qc, Qd, Qe, and Qf = Unnamed alloformation from oldest to youngest
170
160
150
140
130
Figure 2, Allostratigraphic interpretation of an actual incised valley, the valley of the
Medina River at the Richard Beene Site (41 BX831), Bexar County, Texas. Modified from
Mandel and Caran (1992),
139
-
E
'-"
c
0
'.p
(\S
>
(])
UJ
(])
>
'.p
(\S
OJ
0:::
30
30
20 20
10
0
0
-10 -10
-20 -20
-30
-40 -40
-50
-50
30 20 10
0
LEGEND
Distance (km)
Colluvium
Facies Water in
Ba = Backswamp active channel -- Erosional boundary
L b L t b
II H"'" Erosional boundary
10
-20
0pb === tillilliJ Natura evee (inferred)
Usg = Undifferentiated sands and --Facies boundary
Figure 3. Cross-section across a hypothetical alloformtion associated with a me,
belt. Constructed using data from Saucier (1969) and other studies.
Bs
Undifferentiated
Tertairy Strata
o 5. (k)1 0
Distance m
LEG EN D Facies boundary
Igmmgl Braide.d Colluvium --Erosional boundary
:::::::::: deposits Inferred erosional
jmtJmmq levee channel' ..................... boundary
.........: ......: ... deposits deposits Bs = Backswamp deposits
1===1 Backswamp Water in Pb = point bar deposits
t=::::I deposits active channel Usg =Undifferentiated sands and gravels
10
o
-10
-20
Figure 4. Hypothetical assemblage of fluvial allostratigraphic units associated witt
braided stream terraces. Constructed using data from Smith and Saucier (1971).
140
deposits have buried them. Similarly, some early Paleo-
Indian archaeological deposits might be shallowly buried by
the possible continuing accumulation of Peoria Loess into
middle Paleo-Indian times along the easternmost edge of
Macon Ridge Hillman (1985). Because, these archaeolOgical
materials occur only as surficial deposits, they will be mixed
and degraded by pedogenic, biologic, and agricultural pro-
cesses with time. Thus, typical archaeological deposits oc-
curring on the braided fluvial and lacustrine terraces could
be expected to have a poor preservation potential and
integrity, except where protected by unusual circumstances.
In case of meander belts, evaluations can be made of the
occurrence, visibility, preservation, and cultural affiliation
of the archaeological deposits for individual meander belts.
For example, the stage of development of a specific meander
belt will affect the preservation and visibility of archaeologi-
cal deposits within it. During the avulsion and early mean-
der belt stages of meander belt development, vertical aggra-
dation of natural levees predominates over lateral migration
(Farrell 1989). During these stages, any archaeological de-
posits which form upon these levees will be quickly buried
and preserved within the aggrading natural levees. Within a
poorly developed meander belt, site preservation will be
high, although site visibility might be low.
In addition, if not abandoned early in its evolutjon, a
meander belt will eventually enter the fully developed
meander belt stage which is characterized by the rapid
lateral migration of its channel (Farrell 1989). During the
fully developed meander belt stage, the rapid back-and-
forth migration of an active channel across the meander belt
will continually destroy archaeological deposits on the natural
levees of its cutbanks and bury archaeological deposits on its
point bars. As a result, both preservation potential and
visibility of archaeological deposits within a fully developed
meander belt will be low until after the time of its abandon-
ment (Munson 1974; Heinrich 1991). Thus, within the area
occupied by a fully developed meander belt, archaeological
deposits older than it will have been destroyed; archaeologi-
cal deposits contemporaneous with will have been either
buried or destroyed; and archaeological deposits postdating
it will occur as surface or shallowly buried deposits with a few
exceptions resulting from unique circumstances. The tim-
ing of meander belt activity will distinctly influence the age
of the archaeological deposits destroyed or occurring as
buried and surface deposits.
Summary
The alluvial plain of the MissiSSippi Alluvial Valley and the
sediments that underlie it can be subdivided into disconti-
nuity-bounded stratigraphic units using the principle of
allostratigraphy. Typically, each of these allostratigraphic
units will consist of a body of sediments formed by specific
set of deposi tional processes during a discrete period of time.
As a result, each allostratigraphiC unit should possess ar-
chaeological deposits characterized by a specific range of
age, cultural affiliation, and occurrence as buried, surface or
both types of deposits.
References
Autin, W.J., 1989, Geomorphic and Stratigraphic Evolution
of the Middle Amite River Valley, Southeastern Louisi-
ana: [unpublished Ph.D. dissertation]: Louisiana State
University, 177p ..
Autin, W. J., 1992, Use of Alloformations for Definition of
Holocene Meander Belts in the Middle Amite River,
Southern Louisiana. Geological SOciety of America Bul-
letin, vol. 104, p. 233-241.
Autin, W. J., Burns, S. F., Miller, B. J., Saucier, R. T., and
Snead, J. I., 1991, Quaternary Geology of the Lower
MissiSSippi River Valley, in Morrison, R.B., ed., Quater-
nary Nonglacial Geology, Conterminous U. S., The
Geology of North America, vol. K-2, Geological Society
of America, Boulder, p. 547-582.
Blum, M. D., 1992, Modern Depositional Environments and
Recent Alluvial History of the Lower Colorado River,
Gulf Coastal Plain of Texas: {unpublished Ph.D. disser-
tation]: University of Texas at Austin, 286 p.
Farrell, K. M., 1989, Stratigraphy and Sedimentology of
Holocene Overbank Deposits of the Mississippi River,
False River Region, Louisiana: [unpublished Ph.D. dis-
sertation, Louisiana State University.
Fisk, H. N, 1944, Geological Investigation of the Alluvial
Valley of the Lower Mississippi River: Mississippi River
Commission, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Vicksburg,
MissiSSippi.
Fisk, H. N, 1947, Fine-Grained Alluvial Deposits and their
Effects on Mississippi River Activity: Mississippi River
Commission, U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, Vicksburg,
1vfississi ppi.
Heinrich, P. V., 1982, Geomorphology and Sedimentology
of Pleistocene Lake Saline, Southern Illinois: [unpub-
lished M.S. thesis]: University of Illinois, 145 p.
Heinrich, P. V., 1991, A sedimentological explanation for
the distribution of archaeological sites in a meander belt
as stated by the "relict channel rule": Transactions ofthe
Gulf Coast Association of Geological Societies vol. 41, p.
320.
Heinrich, P. V., 1992, The geoarchaeology, geomorphology,
and Quaternary geology of Galveston Bay and adjacent
Texas Coastal Plain, in, Pearson, Charles, ed., Historic
Preservation Plan for Galveston District, Galveston Bay,
Texas: Report submitted by Coastal Environments, Inc.
to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Galveston District,
Galveston, Texas.
Mandel, R. D., and Caran, S. C., 1992, Guidebook 10th
Annual Meeting South-Central Friends of the Pleisto-
cene - Late Cenozoic alluvial stratigraphy and prehiS-
tory of the inner Gulf Coastal Plain, south-central
Texas: Lubbock Lake Landmark Quaternary Research
747
Center Series, no. 4.
Morse, D. F., and Morse, P. A., 1983, Archaeology of the
Central Mississippi Valley: Academic Press, New York.
Munson, P.]., 1974, Terraces, meander loops, and archaeol-
ogy in the American Bottoms, Illinois: Transactions of
the Illinois State Academy of Science vol. 67, p.384-392.
Saucier, R. T., 1969, Geological Investigations of the Missis-
sippi River Area, Artonish to Donaldsonville, Louisiana:
U.S. Army Engineers Waterways Experimental Station
Technical Report, S-69-4 Vicksburg, Mississippi.
Saucier, RT., 1974, Quaternary Geology of the Lower Missis-
sippi Valley: Arkansas Archaeological Survey Research
Series No.6, Fayetteville.
Saucier, R T., 1987, Geomorphic interpretations of Late
Quaternary terraces in western Tennessee and their
regional tectonic implications: U.S. GeolOgical Survey
Professional Paper, no. 1336-A.
Shaw, E. W., 1915, Newly discovered beds oflakes in south-
ern and western Illinois and adjacent states: Illinois
State Geological Survey Circular, no. 20, p. 139-157.
Smith, F. L., and Saucier, R. T., 1971, Geological investiga-
tions of the Western Lowlands areas, Lower Mississippi
Valley: U.S. Army Engineers Waterways Experimental
Station Technical Report, S-74-5 Vicksburg, Mississippi.
vValker, R. G., and Cant, D. ]., 1984, Sandy fluvial systems,
in Walker, G. R, ed., Facies Models, Geoscience Canada
Reprint Series No.1, Geological Association of Canada,
Toronto, Ontario, p. 71-90.
142
Extractions of Engineering Geology
on the Lower Red River
Paul E. Albertson
The purpose of this article is to highlight examples of the
engineering geology of the Red River Waterway (RRWW).
These are based experiences, such as the site investigations
of Lock and Dam # 4, and 5, and geoarchaeological studies,
along the RRWW since 1984. For the readers unfamiliar with
the practice of engineering geology, its purpose is the appli-
cation of the science of geology to engineering problems.
Overview
The RRWW is a river engineering project designed to assure
9 foot of navigation from its confluence with the Atchafalaya
near Simmsport to Shreveport, Louisiana. The engineering
works consist of 5 locks and dams, and miles of revetments.
Figure 1 shows the location of the locks and dams.
Each lock and dam site reqUired an intensive geotechnical
study. The resulting geotechnical portfolios contain closely
spaced boring logs of the Quaternary and Tertiary aged
sediments. Future opportunities remain in this gray"
ture for Quaternary researchers.
, Ii
I
Exl'lAHA T ION
1111111111111
BOUNORY Ot ~ o A I VER
AllUViAl
lW- lOCK ANI) CALI
'Jl"
I
10
I
10 20 30 ~ o WILES
I
Table 1 represents some simple relationships between the
geologic setting of the locks and dams (LD#) and the result-
ing engineering response. By coincidence and because the
present course of the Red flows on the valley'S east side or
against the left valley wall, the left bank locks (LD#2 & 4) are
located on Pleistocene sediments. The LD# with odd num-
bers are located in Holocene alluvium. The Holocene sites
required less excavation than the Pleistocene sites but re-
quired coffer dams for construction flood control and more
extensive dewatering solutions. Therefore, engineering ge-
ology is the balancing of geologic site conditions and engi-
neering practices.
Lock and Dam #5
The following is derived from the Design Investigation. LD
# 5 is located on the right descending bank in Holocene
pOint bar and natural levee deposits (Smith and Russ, 1974).
Subcropping beneath the alluvium are Tertiary deposits of
I
10
I I I ~ I I
10 20 )0 ~ o K l l ~ T ~
Figure 1-Location Map of the Red River Waterway
143
TABLE 1
LD # GEOLOGIC SmlNG FOUNDATION EXCAVATION COFFER DAM DEWATERING
HOLOCENE SUBSTRATUM LOWER
2 PLEISTOCENE FLEMING HIGHER
3 HOLOCENE CATAHOULA LOWER
4 PLEISTOCENE WILCOX HIGHER
5 HOLOCENE SUBSTRATUM LOWER
the Wilcox Group. An ancestral Red River drained into the
Pendelton Lagoon (Galloway, 1968) during the Paleocene.
The fluvio-deltaic processes produced a sequence of lami-
nated clay and silt, massive sand and localized marsh peat.
Postdepositional compaction has resultedinfirm claystones,
a dense sand body and lignite beds (Albertson, 1987).
Pleistocene streams incised the Tertiary and formed flood
plain deposits. These deposits were also eroded and re-
worked during the Holocene. W#5 site is located in mean-
der belt 5 of Russ (1975) estimated to be 600 years BP. The
Holocene sediments can be further divided by geomorphic
methods into those reworked in Historic Time. Detailed
NE
66 112 67
MIDWAY
I
50'
0-1-------1
o
300'
Figure 2 - Lock and Dam #5 Site
III
YES HIGHER
NO LOWER
YES HIGHER
NO LOWER
YES HIGHER
mapping (Smith, 1982) delineated a lower flood plain of
historic accretion deposits. By differentiating the site into
Holocene and Historic deposits it is possible to account for
the topographically higher (elevation 146 feet) Holocene
"microterrace" described by Abington (1973). The 13 foot
lower historic flood plain (elevation 133 feet) reflects the 15
foot degradation of the Red River following the removal of
the Raft by Shreve in 1832 and by Wood ruffin 1873, and the
removal of the Rapides in 1892. Historic maps indicate
lateral migration and reworking by point bar processes. A
litter zone (Figure 2) of clay clasts, gravel and wood was
encountered by borings at approximately elevation 80 feet.
This high energy debris deposit was used to map the mark
left as the historic thalweg crossed the site (Albertson, 1986).
sw
68 69
ELEV. (F .)
150
tOO
50
o
I ~ ~ I ALLUVIAL CLAV- SILT
I ~ . ; ~ I ALLUV IAL AQUIFER
1:-:1 CLAYSTONE
.. LIGNITE
E1 TERTIARY AQUIFER
144
USS EASTPORT
Figure 3 - Site of USS Eastport
Recently, during the construction of LD#5 a human jaw
bone was found in the historic substratum 40 feet below the
ground surface. The previous understanding that the LD#5
site was formed by migrating historic channels helped
District Archaeologist Tommy Birchett determine that the
bone was out of cultural context and part of the gravel lag
deposit of a 1930 channel. The bone was determined to be
over 50 years old but no additional analysis was preformed
other than physical examination. According the Native
American Grave and Repatriation Act of 1992 the bone was
reburied where it was found.
lock and Dam # 4
LD#4 investigation offered an opportunity to study the
Pleistocene terraces of the Red River. The terrace at LD#4 had
been mapped as Montgomery (Qtm) by Smith and Russ
(1974). Harrelson and Smith (1988) redefined the site as
Prairie based on thermoluminesence dates of 117,000,
122,000, and 131,000 years B.P. Following the delineation of
Russ (1975) the Prairie was thought to represent two epi-
sodes of terrace formation, with the upper terrace at eleva-
tion 163 as QtPl and the lower terrace at elevation 138 as
Qtpz. Later Harrelson (1990) reported radiocarbon dates of
22,350 and 36,550 B.P. obtain from the LD#4 samples. I
agree with Harrelson and Smith (1988) that, II These dates
represent the first absolute chronometric controls for the
late Pleistocene Red River terraces, and will hopefully form
the basis for an accurate reconstruction of the Pleistocene
history of the Red River Valley". The next step is to place
these dates in a stratigraphic context to truly reconstruct the
geomorphic framework of the Pleistocene Prairie in the Red
River Valley. The presence of a greenish paleosol within the
terrace sequence mapped by Richard Hunt in the 1987
Preliminary Design Memorandum remains another strati-
graphic question to be answered. Hopefully, the informa-
tion discovered at LD#4 can be synthesized by future re-
evaluation of Fisk's Pleistocene framework.
The excavation of the upstream channel crossed an aban-
doned channel known as Nicholas Bayou. The bayou is
believed to be an anabranch during the Great Raft. The Raft
was a series of log jams found on the Red River during
historic times. Excavation through the channel exposed an
organic rich deposit. Thus, the organic deposit is interpreted
a rare remnant of the Red River Raft's deposition.
Pool 3 and the USS Eastport
Presently, the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, Vicksburg
District (CELMK) is involved in attempts to recover the
remains of the USS Eastport, a civil war ironclad gunboat, as
part of the cultural resource investigation associated with
the Red River Waterway. One of the purposes of this study
is to eval uate the feasibility of engineering methods to safely
allow archaeologists to study and recover historic artifacts
from the USS Eastport (Albertson and Birchett, 1990). The
project area is located along the Red River near the town of
Montgomery, Louisiana. Locating the gunboat began by
reviewing historic documents concerning the USS Eastport,
and conducting an aerial magnetic survey. A distinctive
high gamma reading was recorded in the area. Next, a
ground magnetic survey was conducted and later plotted to
pinpoint and map the anomalies. CELMKdrilled soil borings
to explore the anomalies and determine the exact location
and depth of burial of the USS Eastport. Boring data charac-
terizing the soil and ground water conditions, were used for
the engineering analysiS of the excavation. The artifacts
recovered from the boring consisted of wood and coal
fragments. All the boring data were examined in cross-
section and contour maps. Using these procedures we as-
145
sembled the following artist conception (Figure 3) of the
remains of the Eastport resting on top of Tertiary surface and
overlain by approximately 50 ft of historic sediments.
The USS Eastport site is located in a former channel of the
Red River. Examination of historic channels in the Mont-
gomeryreach shows the Red River locked against the eastern
valley wall. The Tertiary sediments provided resistant bank
and bed control preventing the river from incising deeper.
Therefore, this bend of the river was shallower and formed
a geologically controlled obstacle. This obstacle supports
historic accounts of grounding by the USS Eastport. By 1892
the historic channel had filled with approximately 20 to 30
ft of sand. Subsequent overbank deposition covered the USS
Eastport with 15 to 25 ft of silt, clay and silty sands. Based on
the previous information, excavation plans and specs are
being developed to conduct an archaeological testing of the
wreck this coming summer (1993).
Acknowledgements
As the last word for this article of my experiences on the Red
River. I wish to thank Garland Watts (former Chief Geologist
CELMK) for assigning me to the Red River Waterway (RRWW).
I am grateful to George 1. Hunt]r ( Present Chief Geologist
CELMK) for entrusting me as project geologist of RRWW
Lock and Dam # 5 and coordinator of the Red River Ground
Water Study. I am thankful for the many hours discussing
the Red River as a laboratory of fluvial engineering geomor-
phology with Dr. Lawson M. Smith (WES).
References
Abington, O.D., 1973, Changing meander morphology and
hydraulics, Red River Arkansas and Louisiana [Ph.d.
dissertation]: Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Louisiana State
University.
Albertson, P.E., 1987, Engineering, economic, and environ-
mental assessment of the Lower Wilcox Lignite: Gulf
v. 37, p. 303-312.
Albertson,P.E., 1987, Engineering geomorphic evaluation
of Red River Waterway Lock and Dam #5 [abs]: Asso-
ciation of Engineering Geologists Lower Mississippi
Valley Section Abstracts, p.4. .
Albertson, P.E. and Birchett, T.C., 1990, Applied
geotechniques to the archeological exploration for the
U.S.S. Eastport on the Lower Red River, Louisiana [abs]:
Geological Society of America Abstracts, v. 23.
Galloway, W.E., 1968, Depositional Systems of the Lower
Wilcox Group, North-Central Gulf Coast Basin: Gulf
v.28.
Harrelson, D.W., 1990, Deposition of a Prairie Terrace Se-
quence, Red River Parish, Louisiana: Southeastern
Geological Society of America, v. 22, p. 17.
Harrelson,D.W.andSmith,L.M.,1988,Thermoluminesence
age dates from a Red River Terrace Sequence, Red River
Parish, Louisiana: Southeastern Geological Society of
America, v. 20, no. 4, p. 268.
Russ, D.P. 1975, Quaternary geomorphology of the Lower
Red River Valley, Louisiana [Ph.D. dissertation]: Uni-
versity Park, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania State Univer-
sity.
Smith, F.L. and Russ, D.P., 1974, Geological investigation of
the Lower Red River-Atchafalaya Basin Area, Louisiana:
Geotechnical Laboratory, Waterways Experiment Sta-
tion, Vicksburg, Mississippi.
Smith, L.M., 1982, Geomorphic investigation of the Bayou
Bodcau and Tributaries Project Area, Louisiana:
146
Geotechnical Laboratory, Waterways Experiment Sta-
tion, Vicksburg, MisSissippi.
Characteristics of Cores fro:m the
Upland and Intermediate COlllplex
in the Florida Parishes
Whitney J. Autin, Joann Mossa, and B. J. Miller*
Investigations in the Florida Parishes of southeastern Loui-
siana have provided revealing insight into the soil strati-
graphic properties of the coast-parallel Pleistocene geologic
units. Cores have been collected and analyzed from two
sites, the first at Jackson, LA representing a stable landscape
of the Upland Complex (fables 1 and 2), and the second at
Montpelier, LA representing an buried erosion surface of the
Intermediate Complex (fables 3 and 4).
Particle Size Data Summary
Jackson site, Upland Complex
The sand content is high in the Ap horizon, due to eluviation
and plowing. Sand content of 2 to 4.4 per cent in the Bt and
Btx is normal for Peoria Loess. The Sicily lsI and Loess ranges
from 6.8 to 14.3 per cent sand, which is high for a loess. The
Jackson Geosol varies from 23.4 to 57.6 per cent sand, and
the trend shows a slight increase with depth. The mixing
zones nicely mark the boundaries between units. The silt
content of Peoria Loess ranges from 65 to 80 per cent and is
typical of a loess. The Sicily Island Loess silt content ranges
from 50 to 60 per cent which is less than Peoria Loess. The
Jackson Geosol ranges in silt content from 10 to 40 per cent,
and its silt content is highest at the top of the unit. This
could be an effect of translocation from the Sicily Island
Loess into the underlying unit. Clay content illustrates a
good argillic horizon pattern for Peoria Loess. The argillic
pattern is less pronounces for Sicily Island Loess and the
Jackson Geosol. The highest overall clay content is in the
Jackson Geosol. This is possibly related to intense weather-
ing during the development of the Jackson Geosol.
The very coarse sand component is mostly associated with
the Sicily Island Loess and mixed horizons above and below
the unit. The coarse sand content is most common to the
Sicil y Island andJ ackson Geosol. The medium sand and fine
sand fractions are dominant in the Jackson geosol, occur to
a lesser extent in the Sicily Island Loess, and are rarest in the
Peoria Loess. The very fine sand content is the largest sand
component of the Peoria Loess, increases in the Sicily Island
Loess, and is most common in the Jackson Geosol.
The coarse and medium silt are the dominant silt fractions,
and coarse silt is generally more abundant. Percentages are
highest for the Peoria Loess and lowest for the Jackson
Geosol. The fine silt is highest in the Peoria Loess, decreases
in the Sicily Island Loess, and is almost insignificant in the
Jackson Geosol. Silt trends are less consistent in Sicily Island
Loess than in the Peoria Loess.
Montpelier Site, Intermediate Complex
The sand content is high in the Ap, then progressively
increases through the Mixed Loess Bt, which is derived from
Sicily Island and possibly Peoria Loess. The basal Bt horizon
of the Mixed Loess is high like the underlying colluvium.
Sand content of the Montpelier Colluvium is too high for
loess, approaching 25 per cent. Sand values of 33 to 50 per
cent in the Jackson Geosol are typical. The silt content of
Mixed Loess is 57 to 66 per cent, and the Montpelier
Colluvium is 39 to 46 per cent, which is low for a loess. Silt
content of the Jackson Geosol is variable and ranges from 9
to 29 per cent. Clay trends show nice argillic bulges in the
Bt2 and Bt3 of the Mixed Loess and the 2Btb2 of the
Montpelier Colluvium. A more variable clay content occurs
in the Jackson Geosol.
There is more very coarse sand in the Mixed Loess and
Montpelier Colluvium than in the Jackson Geosol. The
coarse sand trends are erratic, in the Mixed Loess and
Montpelier Colluvium, but are consistent in the Jackson
Geosol. The medium and fine sand is lowest in the Mixed
Loess, has a distinctive increase in the Montpelier Collu-
vium, and is highest in theJackson Geosol. The medium and
. fine sand show a sharp increase in the basal Mixed Loess, and
is erratic in the Montpelier Colluvium. The very fine sand
follows medium and fine sand trends, but shows less sharp
variations.
Coarse and medium silt are the dominant fractions, with
coarse silt slightly more abundant. The percents are slightly
higher for Mixed Loess than for Montpelier Colluvium. The
Jackson Geosol is low in silt and varies among horizons. The
fine silt is low for both Mixed Loess and Montpelier Collu-
vium. There is almost no fine silt in the Jackson Geosol.
Comparison of
Intermediate and High Terraces cores
The Peoria Loess is slightly thicker atJ ackson than the Mixed
Loess at Montpelier (195 versus 164 cm). The unit is
probably over thickened at Montpelier relative to its dis-
tance from the source. Miller et al. (1985) predict 1 to 3 m
at Jackson and less than 1 m at Montpelier. Peoria Loess
contains more silt and less sand at Jackson than the Mixed
147
* deceased April, 27, 1987
TAOLE 1. TYPICAL PROFILE OF PLIOCENE TO EARLY I'LEISTOCENE UPLAND COMPLEX, JACKSON SITE.
Location: East Feliciana Parish, Louisiana; Lat. 3046'50" N, Long. 91'10'53" W; in Irreg. Sec. 89, T. 3 S., R. I W., Jackson, LA 7.5-minute topographic quadrangle;
is in a plowed field west of an unnamed parish gravel road, 6.3 km south of junction with LA Hwy 10; elevation is 64 m, slope is 0 to I percent.
DEPTH, em HORIZON MATRIX MOTTLE TEX STRUC CONSIST BDY COMMENTS
COLOR COLOR
0- IS Ap 10YR 4/3 SiL fr cl Top of Peoria Loess; po; rt frag
15 - 21 Btl 10YR 5/4 SiL fr cJ po
21 - 32 Dt21 7.5YR 5/6 SiCL wk fn sab fr cJ po
32 - 38 Dt22 10YR 5/6 SiCL wk fn sab fr cJ po; rt frag
38 - 52 Dt3 10YR 5/6 SiCL wk vfn sab fr cJ po
52 - 62 Btxl 10YR 5/6 SiL mod fn sab fr gr po; 10YR 2/2 5t and cone; IOYR 7/4 Si f1m
62 - 85 Dtx2 10YR 5/6 10YR 7/2 SiL mod med sab fr cJ po; 10YR 2/2 st and conc; 10YR 7/4 Si f1m
85 - 105 Dtx3 IOYR 5/6 10YR 7/2 SiL mod fn sab fr gr po; 10YR 2/2 5t; 10YR 6/3 Si f1m and tng
105 - 123 Btx4 10YR 5/6 10YR 7/2 SiL wk fn sab fr gr 10YR 2/2 5t; 10YR 6/3 Si f1m and tng
123 - 130 Dtx5 10YR 5/6 10YR 7/2 SiL wk med sab fr cl po; 10YR 2/2 stains; 10YR 6/3 Si f1m and tng
130 - 150 Dtx6 10YR 5/6 10YR 8/2 SiL mod med sab fr gr po; 10YR 2/2 st and conc; 10YR 7/2 Si f1m and tng
150 - 173 BC&2Btl 10YR 7/8 10YR 8/1 SiL wk fn sab fr gr Transition between Peoria Loess and Sicily Island Loess;
po; 10YR 2/2; st and conc; 10YR 7/2 Si flm and tng
173 - 195 BC&2Dt2 10YR 6/8 10YR 8/1 SiL wk fn sab fr gr 10YR 2/2 conc; 10YR 7/2 Si f1m and tng
195 - 210 2Dtbl 10YR 6/8 10YR 7/6 SiCL wk vfn sab vhd gr Top of Sicily Island Loess; 2.5YR 4/6 & 5/8 sl and conc
210 - 235 2Dtb2 IOYR 6/8 10YR 7/6 SiCL mod fn sab vhd ab
235 - 250 2Dtvb3 10YR 6/8 10YR 7/6 SiCL mod fn sab vhd cJ lOR 4/6 pIn
250 - 268 2Dtvb4 IOYR6/8 10YR 7/6 SiCL wk vfn sab vhd cl lOR 4/6 pIn; 2.SYR 5/6 Sl
268 - 299 2atb5 10YR 8/1 10YR 8/6 SiCL mod vfn sab vhd gr 2.5YR 5/6 Sl and conc
299 - 316 2Dtb6 10YR 8/1 10YR 8/6 SiCL wk vfn sab vhd gr 7.5YR 4/4 conc
316 - 345 2Btvb7 10YR 6/8 10YR 8/2 SiCL wk vfn sab vhd gr 2.5YR 4/6 & 5/6 st and pIn
345 - 379 2Dtb8 10YR 6/6 10YR 7/4 SiCL mod fn sab vhd gr lOR 5/8 51
379 - 401 2Dtb9 10YR 7/8 10YR 8/1 SiCL mod fn sab vhd gr lOR 5/8 sl
401 - 442 2DC&3Dtl lOR 4/6 10YR 7/6 SiCL wk fn sab vhd ab Transition between Sicily Island Loess and Jackson
Geosol; lOR 5/8 st and conc; 10YR 7/2 tng
442 - 458 2DC&3Dt2 lOR 4/6 10YR 8/6 SiCL mod fn sab vhd ab lOYR 7/2 tng
458 - 480 3Dtbl 2.5YR 4/8 10YR 7/6 CL wk fn sab vhd gr Top of Jackson Geosol developed in Citronelle Formation;
lOR 5/8 f1m; 10YR 7/2 tng and S-sized C frag
480 - 495 3Dtb2 lOR 5/8 10YR 7/6 CL mod fn sab vhd gr lOR 5/8 f1m and conc; 10YR 7/2 tng and S-sized C frag
495 - 537 3Btb3 2.5YR 5/8 10YR 7/2 CL wk fn sab hd gr lOR 5/8 f1m; 10YR 7/2 tng and S-sized C frag
537 - 566 3Dtb4 2.5YR 5/8 10YR 8/1 CL wk fn sab fr gr lOR 5/8 f1m; 10YR 7/2 tng and S-sized C frag
566 - 588 3Dtb5 2.5YR 5/8 10YR 8/1 C mod fn sab fr gr 10YR 7/6 Sl; lOR 5/8 flm; 10YR 7/2 S-sized C frag
588 - 632 3Dtb6 2.5YR 5/8 10YR 8/1 C wk med sab fr gr lOR 5/8 flm; 10YR 7/2 S-sized C frag
632 - 663 3Dtb7 2.5YR 5/8 C wk med sab fr gr JOYR 7/6 51; lOR 5/8 flm; JOYR 7/2 S-5ized C frag
663 - 710 3Dtb8 2.5YR 5/8 C wk fn sab fr gr 10YR 7/851; lOR 5/8 f1m; 10YR 7/2 S-sized C frag
710 - 757 3Dtb9 2.5YR 5/8 C wk fn sab fr gr 10YR 8/8 stains; lOR 5/8 f1m; 10YR 7/2 S-sized C frag
757 - 770 3Btbl0 2.5YR 5/8 C wk med sab fr gr 10YR 8/4 5t; lOR 5/8 f1m; 10YR 7/2 S-sized C frag
770 - 790 3DCbl lOR 5/8 SCL wk med sab fr gr 10YR 8/6 st; lOR 5/8 f1m; 10YR 8/3 S-sized C frag
790 - 821 3DCb2 lOR 5/8 SCL fr gr lOR 5/8 flm; 10YR 8/3 S-sized C frag
821 - 843 3BCb3 10YR 5/8 SC fr lOR 5/8 f1m; 10YR 8/3 S-sized C frag
148
TABLE 2. PAHTICLE SIZE DATA FROM THE JACKSON SITE.
UNIT HORIZON DEPTH SAND SILT CLAY YCS CS MS FS YFS CSI MSI FSI
PEORIA Ap
I 8 10.5 79.8 9.6 0.8 0.7 3.6 2.8 2.7 51.0 25.3 3.6
LOESS
Btl 18 4.4 74.2 21.4 0.0 0.1 0.8 0.8 2.7 38.3 31.6 4.3
Bt21 27 1.9 67.6 30.6 0.0 0.0 0.2 0.4 1.1 35.2 28.3 4.1
I
Bt22 35 2.7 64.9 32.4 0.0 0.0 0.3 0.6 1.7 32.8 27.4 4.7
Bt3 45 3.1 69.4 27.5 0.0 0.1 0.5 0.7 1.8 34.3 29.7 5.4
Btxl 57 3.4 72.1 24.5 0.0 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.6 34.8 31.8 5.5
Btx2 74 3.2 73.6 23.2 0.0 0.4 0.7 0.7 1.3 43.7 25.8 4.1
Btx3 95 3.8 74.0 22.2 0.1 0.2 0.7 0.9 1.8 37.6 32.2 4.3
Btx4 114 3.3 75.1 21.6 0.0 0.3 0.9 0.9 1.3 41.1 30.0 3.9
Btx5 127 3.9 74.8 21.3 0.0 0.3 0.9 1.0 1.7 40.4 31.0 3.3
Btx6 140 4.4 75.9 19.7 0.0 0.2 1.1 1.4 1.8 40.7 31.2 4.0
BCl&2Btl 162 10.5 68.9 20.5 2.1 1.2 2.3 2.5 2.3 46.8 19.6 2.5
BC&2Bt2 184 8.6 67.8 23.6 1.2 0.7 2.0 2.4 2.4 39.8 25.8 2.2
SICILY 2Btbl 203 7.3 61.1 31.6 0.3 0.4 1.7 2.3 2.5 37.3 21.7 2.2
ISLAND
LOESS
2Btb2 223 6.0 54.2 39.8 0.4 0.3 1.1 1.8 2.3 34.8 17.6 1.8
2Btvb3 243 7.5 59.1 33.4 0.8 0.3 1.8 2.4 2.2 39.2 17.5 2.5
2Btvb4 259 14.1 53.3 32.6 6.1 2.1 1.8 2.1 2.1 29.4 20.9 3.0
2Btb5 284 6.8 59.0 34.1 0.3 0.7 1.5 2.0 2.3 32.2 24.3 2.5
2Btb6 308 7.6 54.7 37.7 0.0 0.2 2.5 2.7 2.2 29.7 21.7 3.3
2Btvb7 331 10.9 55.5 33.6 0.4 0.6 3.1 3.3 3.5 34.6 18.0 3.0
-_._---_ ..-
2Btb8 362 11.8 52.2 36.1 0.2 0.8 3.8 3.8 3.2 34.4 15.0 2.8
2Btb9 390 14.3 49.5 36.1 0.3 0.7 4.9 4.4 4.0 25.9 20.3 3.4
2BC&3BtI 442 15.7 49.2 35.1 0.1 0.5 5.8 5.1 4.3 34.8 11.6 2.7
2B.C&3Bt2 450 19.4 40.9 39.7 0.2 1.2 7.4 6.2 4.3 21.7 16.4 2.8
JACKSON 3Btbl 469 23.4 38.8 37.7 0.0 0.6 9.7 7.6 5.6 20.7 15.4 2.8
GEOSOL
488 31.1 3Btb2 33.1 35.7 0.0 0.9 12.9 10.2 7.2 18.0 12.8 2.3
3Btb3 516 32.1 29.4 38.4 0.0 0.9 13.9 10.2 7.2 15.6 11.8 2.0
3Btb4 552 35.5 25.1 39.5 0.0 0.8 14.8 11.6 8.2 14.5 9.0 1.6
3Btb5 572 35.3 24.2 40.5 0.0 0.8 15.5 11.4 7.7 14.0 8.7 1.5
3Btb6 610 33.9 21.7 44.4 0.0 0.8 15.7 10.5 6.9 12.4 8.2 1.1
3Btb7 648 40.4 10.7 48.8 0.0 0.9 19.2 11.1 9.2 1.4 7.9 1.5
3Dtb8 687 36.0 19.0 45.0 0.0 0.7 17.7 10.0 7.6 10.6 7.3 1.0
3Dtb9 734 37.1 19.2 43.7 0.0 0.8 18.2 9.4 8.7 11.9 5.3 2.0
3Btbl0 764 43.2 16.5 40.4 0.0 0.8 22.2 12.2 8.1 11.8 2.7 1.9
3BCbl 780 57.6 9.6 32.8 0.0 0.9 37.6 13.4 5.6 5.2 2.6 1.8
3BCb2 806 52.3 10.8 37.0 0.0 1.9 35.5 10.5 4.4 6.0 3.2 1.5
3BCtb3 832 48.1 10.9 41.0 0.0 0.7 29.3 13.2 5.0 7.3 2.5 1.0
149
-v..
o
TABLE 3. TYPICAL PROFILE BENEATH MIDDLE PLEISTOCENE INTERMEDIATE COMPLEX, MONTPELIER SITE.
i
i
Location: St. Helena Parish, Louisiana; Lat. 3040'40" N, Long. 9039'05" W; in Irreg. Sec. 51, T. 4 S., R. 6 E., Montpelier, LA 7.5-minute topographic quadrangle; site
is on a convex ridge in a clear cut forested area east of La. 441, 250 m south of junction with LA Hwy 16; elevation is 41 m, slope is 0 to 1 percent.
DEPTH, em HORIZON STRUC
O- S Ap 10YR 4/4 SiL fr ab Top of Mixed Loess; gr rts
-
5 - 14 Btl 10YR 6/6 SiL wk vfn sab fm gr gr rts;' 10YR 2/2 conc
14 - 22 Bt2 IOYR 7/6 SiCL wk fn sab fm cl 2.SYR 5/8 st and conc
22 - 40 Bt3 10YR 7/8 SiCL wk med pty fr gr po; rt tr; IOYR 5/3 hor bands
-
40 - 56 Bt4 IOYR 7/8 IOYR 6/3 SiL mod med pty fr cl IOYR 2/2 st; IOYR 5/3 hor bands
56 - 100 Bt5 IOYR 7/6 IOYR 5/6 SiL wk med pty fr cl po; IOYR 2/2 cone; IOYR 8/2 Si flm; 2-4 mm chert gvl
100 - 118 Bt&2BtI 10YR 7/8 10YR 7/3 SiL mod med pty fr cl Transition between Mixed Loess and Montpelier
Colluvium; po; 10YR 8/2 Si flm
118 - 142 Bt&2Bt2 10YR 7/6 10YR 7/2 SiL mod med pty fr cl 2.5YR 5/8 st and flm
142 - 185 Bt&2Bt3 10YR 8/6 IOYR 7/2 SiL wk fn sab fm cl 2.5YR 5/8 and 5YR 5/6 st
185 - 216 2Btbl 10YR 7/2 10YR 6/6 CL mod med pty fr gr Top of Montpelier Colluvium; lOR 4/8 st
216 - 245 2Btb2 IOYR 7/2 10YR 7/6 SiCL mod tck pty fr gr 7.5YR 6/8 st
245 - 267 2Btb3 5YR 6/8 IOYR 7/6 CL mod tck pty fr gr 2.5YR 5/8 st; IOYR 7/2 tng
267 - 302 2Btb4 5YR 6/8 IOYR 7/6 CL mod tck pty fr gr 2.5YR 5/8 st; 10YR 7/2 tng
302 - 359 2Btb5 2.5YR 5/8 10YR 7/6 CL mod tck pty fr gr IOYR 7/2 tng
359 - 391 2Btb&3Btbl lOR 4/8 10YR 7/6 CL mod med pty fr ab Transition between Montpelier Colluvium and Jackson
GeosoI; lOR 4/8 and IOYR 7/6 flm; IOYR 7/2 tng
391 - 418 2Btb&3Btb2 7.5YR 8/0 10YR 7/6 C mod med pty fr ab IOYR 7/6 flm; 10YR 7/1 tng
418 - 495 3Btbl lOR 4/8 C wk vfn sab fr gr Top of Jackson GeosoI; 5YR 7/8 st; lOR 4/8 flm; 10YR
7/1 tng and S-sized C [rag
495 - 553 3Btb2 lOR 4/8 C wk vfn sab fr cl lOR 4/8 flm; 10YR 7/1 tng and S-sized C frag
553 - 576 3BCbl lOR 4/8 CL fm cl lOR 4/8 flm; 10YR 7/8 SiL tng; IOYR 7/1 S-sized C frag
576 - 636 3BCb2 lOR 5/8 SC fr gr IOYR 7/8 st; lOR 5/8 flm; 10YR 8/1 tng; IOYR 7/1
S-sized C frag
636 - 657 3BCb3 lOR 4/8 CL - fr gr IOYR 7/8 st; lOR 4/8 flm; 10YR 8/1 tng; 10YR 7/1
S-sized C frag
657 - 690 3BCb4 2.SYR 4/8 C fr gr IOYR 7/8 st; 2.5YR 4/8 flm; 10YR 8/1 tng; 10YR 7/1
S-sized C frag
690 - 730 3BCb5 2.5YR 4/8 SC fr IOYR 7/8 st; 2.SYR 4/8 flm; IOYR 8/1 tng; 10YR 7/1
S-sized C frag
TADLE 4. PARTICLE SIZE DATA FROM THE MONTPELIER SITE.
UNIT HORIZON DEPTH SAND SILT CLAY YCS CS MS FS YFS CSI MSI FSI
MIXED Ap
I
3 12.7 71.7 15.6 0.9 1.4 3.4 4.4 2.5 39.3 28.8 3.6
LOESS
Btl 10 9.0 65.8 25.1 0.6 1.2 2.2 3.1 1.9 35.8 26.9 3.1
Bt2 18 7.3 61.1 31.6 0.2 0.6 1.9 2.7 1.9 29.2 27.8 4.1
Dt3 31 9.5 61.5 28.9 0.5 0.7 2.5 3.7 2.2 31.6 25.9 4.1
Bt4 48 15.2 63.4 21.4 0.4 1.0 4.5 6.5 2.8 37.7 22.3 3.4
Bt5 78 24.3 56.8 18.9 1.0 1.0 6.9 10.6 4.8 27.7 26.0 3.2
1&2Bt6 109 22.7 56.7 20.7 0.3 0.6 6.5 10.8 4.4 33.4 20.1 3.1
1&2Bt7 130 21.0 54.8 24.2 0.3 0.5 6.2 9.7 4.4 25.6 25.6 3.6
1&2Dt8 164 20.9 52.6 26.5 0.3 0.7 6.2 9.4 4.4 30.9 18.6 3.1
MONTPELIER 2Dtbl 196 24.1 45.7 30.2 0.9 1.8 7.5 9.5 4.3 21.0 21.4 3.3
GEOSOL
2Dtb2 231 16.0 44.8 39.2 0.4 0.8 4.6 6.8 3.4 28.9 13.2 2.7
2Btb3 256 25.5 40.7 33.8 0.7 1.4 7.4 10.8 5.2 22.9 '14.7 3.1
---- .-
2Btb4 285 24.5 39.6 35.9 1.0 2.8 7.4 8.6 4.7 18.0 18.5 3.0
2Btb5 331 27.5 38.5 34.0 0.2 0.7 8.9 12.5 5.2 19.6 16.8 2.1
2&3Btb6 375 30.2 31.5 38.3 1.5 2.5 9.9 11.1 5.2 15.6 13.5 2.4
2&3Btb7 405 32.8 23.4 43.8 0.8 1.6 11.4 13.5 5.6 12.6 9.5 1.3
JACKSON 3Btbl 457 42.4 14.1 43.5 0.0 1.0 15.1 19.7 6.6 8.1 5.1 0.9
GEOSOL
3Btb2 514 44.4 10.6 45.0 0.0 1.1 15.4 20.5 7.4 6.3 3.5 0.8
3Btb3 565 40.7 19.5 39.8 0.4 1.2 14.3 18.0 6.9 10.2 7.8 1.5
3Btb4 606 48.4 10.3 41.3 0.1 1.3 18.2 21.0 7.8 6.3 3.3 0.7
3Btb5 647 33.5 28.7 37.8 0.3 1.2 11.9 14.5 5.6 14.6 12.2 1.9
3Btb6 669 44.5 11.7 43.8 0.0 1.1 17.5 19.0 6.9 6.6 3.9 1.2
3Btb7 710 50.4 8.6 41.0 0.0 1.2 23.3 20.4 5.5 4.2 2.9 1.5
151
Loess at Montpelier. The silt components are similar, but
Montpelier has slightly more variability in its coarse to
medium silt ratio. The mixing zone between Peoria Loess
and Sicily Island Loess is distinct and sharply defined. Based
on field descriptions, at Jackson it is 45 cm thick and at
Montpelier it produces a 164 cm thick unit.
The Sicily Island Loess is 263 cm thick at Jackson and the
1tfontpelier Colluvium is 233 cm thick at Montpelier. Miller
etal. (1985) predict 1 to 3 m at Jackson and less than 1 m at
Montpelier. The Montpelier Colluvium at Montpelier is
significantly over thickened relative to its expected loess
accumulation. Sicily Island Loess contains distinctly more
silt and less sand at Jackson than the Montpelier Colluvium
at Montpelier. The clay distributions are comparable in
form. The sand content is dominantly medium to very fine.
A near equal mix occurs atJackson, and fine sand dominates
at Montpelier. The sand content is more variable with depth
at Montpelier. The silt components of the two sites are
comparable, both have erratic silt ratios. The mixing zone
between Sicily Island Loess and theJ ackson. Geosol is distinc-
tive at Jackson, as is mixing between Montpelier Colluvium
and the Jackson Geosol at Montpelier. At Jackson, the 2Btb9
horizon could be included in the mixed zone. This would
increase its thickness to 79 cm.
The top oftheJackson Geosol is at 458 cm atJackson and 418
cm at Montpelier. The base of the geosol was not encoun-
tered at either site. The Jackson Geosol is slightly sandier at
Montpelier than at Jackson. At Jackson, the sandier zones
are deeper in the profile. Montpelier has distinctly less silt
than Jackson. The clay content of the both sites are compa-
rable. Sand is dominantly medium to fine. The Montpelier
site has more coarse sand and very coarse sand than the
Jackson site. Silt content is notable at the top of Jackson
Geosol at Jackson, but not at Montpelier. Sand ratios are
somewhat consistent for both Montpelier and Jackson sites.
The best loess texture is the Peoria Loess at Jackson. The
Sicily Island Loess at Jackson shows signs of reworking and
mixing. At Montpelier, both Peoria Loess and Sicily Island
Loess have been mixed into the Mixed Loess unit, and Sicily
Island Loess is mixed with the upper Jackson Geosol into the
Montpelier Colluvium. Mixed zones are sharper and more
discrete atJackson. This arises since the whole loess units are
mixed at Montpelier. TheJackson Geosol is somewhat finer
grained at Jackson, especially in the upper profile. Two
possible reasons need to be explored. 1) Weathering pro-
duced a clayey soil at both sites and more of this Original
profile has been stripped from the Intermediate Complex
than the Upland Complex. 2) Facies differences between the
Jackson and Montpelier sites produced a finer textured soil
at Jackson.
Reference
Miller, B.J., Lewis, G. C., Alford,J.J., and Day, W.]., 1985,
Loesses in Louisiana and at Vicksburg, Mississippi:
152
Friends of the Pleistocene, South-Central Cell Field Trip
Guidebook, 126 p.
Surface Geologic Mapping in Louisiana-
It's Beginnings, Rise, and Recent Decline
Richard P. McCulloh
Preface
This paper is abridged and modified from Louisiana Geologi-
cal Survey (LGS) Open-File Series No. 92-01 (McCulloh
1992). The definition of large-scale used herein
differs from that currently applied by the U.S. Geological
Survey :25,000) and reflects the once widespread practice
of field mapping on IS' topographic quadrangle bases, as
well as the mapping historically done in Louisiana parishes.
The figures and references omit mention of LGS Open-File
Series No. 91-01 byW.J. Autin and R. P. McCulloh, which
comprises 1:24,OOO-scale maps of the geology of East Baton
Rouge Parish without an accompanying report. Also omit-
ted is mention of 1:62,500-scale geologic mapping of Qua-
ternary deposits along the Red, Ouachita, and Mississippi
River bottoms in published technical reports by the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers, Vicksburg District, which are
important sources of large-scale Quaternary mapping. The
text omits mention of the National Geologic Mapping Act
signed into law in 1992. The Act should be a significant
improvement over the few million dollars already available
to the states annually through the COGEOMAP program,
but it is too early to tell what impact the act will have onthe
problem outlined herein.
Abstract
In recent years a consensus has emerged among geoscien-
tists that geologic mapping in the United States is declining.
The U.S. Geological Survey and National Research Council
have corroborated this trend and have begun documenting
it. Concern stems from increasing needs for geologic maps
concurrent with the production decline. The needs partly
reflect the demand for derivative maps, based on geology,
for environmental work. Louisiana has depended on univer-
sity professors and students for all of its parish- and larger-
scale geologic mapping, and has never directly supported
geologic mapping except for reconnaissance efforts in the
19th century and small stipends provided to graduate stu-
dents in the mid-20th century. As a result, the decline in
geologic mapping in Louisiana corresponds to a drop-off in
mapping done at universities. Only 30 percent of Louisiana
parishes were ever mapped in detail, and most of these were
done before the 1950s. Geologic mapping, therefore, has
been a nonviable research pursuit in Louisiana for decades
because the state has failed to find new ways to support it as
academic mapping declined. Because fewer investigators are
doing field mapping today, a new strategy should first
emphasize compilations at smaller scales, which can lead to
subsequent interest in larger-scale investigations-the re-
verse of the traditional strategy.
The National Decline of
Surface Geologic Mapping
Almost all specialized geologic studies except for those in the
deep subsurface depend on maps of surface geology for
critical basic information. Though mapping may be per-
ceived as routine, good geologic maps are the result of
"research of a high order" (Harrison 1963: 225). In recent
decades, however, geologic mapping in the U.S. has de-
clined, yet geologic mapping needs increased (Committee
on Geologic Mapping 1988; Committee Advisory to the U.S.
Geological Survey 1987; U.S. Geological Survey 1987; Figs.
1-2). Mankin (1988) suggested that the need for geolOgiC
maps is increasing as a result of the growth of the environ-
mental consulting industry. In the past, the published and
unpublished surface geologic maps made by professors and
graduate students (usually as thesis or dissertation research)
have served as valuable source materials for the compilation
of published maps, but academic mapping has declined as
well (U.S. Geological Survey 1987).
Declining popularity as a research topic among both re-
searchers and funding agencies could stem from the long
400,000
300,000
!E
200,000
:3
g 100,000
1940's 1950's 1960's 1970's 1980's
1980's projected based
on 1981 -1985
Figure 1. Frequency distribution, by decades, of number
of square miles geologically mapped (at scales
of 1 inch = 1 mile or larger) in the u.s. (USGS
1987).
153
110 ...-------------.....
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
.
1\
1\
, \
, \
I \
, \
Last Year of
the Kentucky
Project
J
, : \ /'-
, I \ ', .... _"
20 \ ... 1
,.. Number of GO
10
o
Maps Exdusive
of Kentucky
1972 74 76 78 80 82 84
Year Of Publication
Figure 2. Frequency distribution of number of
quadrangles geologically mapped in the U.S.
(USGS 1987). "Kentucky project" refers to the
most highly successful state-federal cooperative
geologic mapping program to date (Smath
1988; Cressman and Noger 1981; Hagan
1961).
time investment required relative to more specialized stud-
ies that permit more rapid publication of research results
(Committee Advisory to the U.S. Geological Survey 1987).
Additionally, the surface geologic maps and accompanying
reports done by university students and professors have
traditionally, if published, been issued as county or parish
geological bulletins by the appropriate state geological sur-
veys, as in Louisiana. But now the state surveys may be less
able to support mapping efforts because their focus is be-
coming more environmental (U.S. Geological Survey 1987).
One way to pursue geologic mapping in a climate of de-
emphasis and meager funding is to change mapping strate-
gies by reversing the traditional sequence of moving from
larger-scale field mapping to smaller-scale compilations.
Geologic maps fulfill the two primary functions of 1) sum-
marizing the existing knowledge of the geology of an area,
and 2) stimulating new detailed investigations of the geol-
ogy of smaller areas. The first of these functions has had the
greater influence on the production of small-scale geologic
maps in the past. However, smaller-scale compilations can
function more to reveal the subareas that need the most
work than as apparently fldefinitive" summaries of the
geology. States can pursue this strategy with minimal fund-
ing. The Texas Bureau of Economic Geology has generated
much interest and demonstrated high demand for its series
of 1:2S0,OOO-scale geologic compilations during the last 30
years. Other state surveys can undertake similar intermedi-
ate-scale compilations provided production monies are avail-
able.
Geologic Mapping in louisiana
Early geologic mapping in Louisiana was the product of
reconnaissance surveys commissioned by the state legisla-
ture and conducted almost exclUSively by geology professors
at Louisiana State University (LSU). The first of a total of six
geological surveys was begun in 1869 and the modern LGS
was created in 1934. In each survey the level of involvement
by LSU was high (Howe and Moresi 1933; Pope 1988). With
the establishmen t of the modern LGS, the focus shifted from
statewide geological reconnaissance to coverage of the state
by a series of detailed investigations of the geology of
individual parishes.
Although mapping was once pursued actively if only briefly,
much of the state remains unmapped, and problems special
to coastal-plain areas may have held up surface mapping to
some degree in Louisiana. Fluvial and coastal Quaternary
deposits cover approximately three-fourths ofthe state, and
are unlikely host strata for the resources that attracted
traditional surface-geologic investigation elsewhere. In such
areas surface-to-subsurface correlation can be critical to the
progress of mapping. Even in well drilled areas, however,
such correlation may not be straightforward because oil and
gas wells are commonly cased to depths of thousands of feet
(Fig. 3). Possibly because of such problems, the National
Research Council study (Committee on Geologic Mapping
1988) identified the Gulf Coastal Plain as the geological
province in the conterminous United States with the highest
current need for geologic maps. Mapping controversies in
the province are becoming increasingly relevant to many
environmental issues.
Louisiana has relied exclusively on mapping by professors
and students, and the state has never appropriated sizeable
funds to its state geological survey for the direct support of
large-scale geologic mapping. The history presented by
N
SCHEMATIC DEPTH DISTRIBUTION OF
SUBSURFACE INFORMATION FROM
GULF COAST WELL LOGS
OIL
AND
GAS
WELLS
Figure 3. The problem presented by deeply cased oil
and gas wells to the correlation of subsurface
stratigraphic units to the surface.
154
s
Published Map and
1
1
:
0
1
Published Map,
Report (LGS)
Report Unpublished
(LGS)
1
1
:'81
Published Report, No
Map and Report
Surface Geologic Map
In Press (LGS)
(LGS)
1 1 ~ 4 1
Unpublished Map,With
Or Without Report
(LGS and Non-LGS)
Figure 4. Investigations of surface geology of Louisiana parishes ("map" indicates a 1 :62,500- or larger-scale
surface geologic map).
Howe and Moresi (1933) indicates that direct legislative
support of geologic mapping in Louisiana before the 1930s
was limited to support for small-scale reconnaissance map-
ping of the entire state by LSU professors during the earliest
geological surveys in the 1870s and 1880s. After establish-
mentofthemodern LGSin 1934, the only direct support was
the prOVision of small monthly stipends to doctoral students
engaged in geologicmappingofparishesfor specificgeologi-
cal bulletins between the 1930s and the 1970s. In later years
this support apparently was not an effective incentive for
professors and their students to undertake mapping investi-
gations because until this year LGS published no parish-
geology bulletins since 1960.
Geologic mapping normally entails the production of a
geologic map and a report describing and interpreting the
geology and minerals potential. Figures 4 and 5 show the
areal and frequency distributions, respectively, of parish
geological investigations, while the cumulative-frequency
curve in figure 6 includes only published parish geological
bulletins that include both a large-scale (1 :62,500 or larger)
surface geologic map and a report. Figure 6 shows that
surface geologic mapping in Louisiana has declined drasti-
cally. All of the published reports that include large-scale
surface geologic maps of the parishes (Fig. 4, shaded; Fig. 5,
shaded) have been issued as geological bulletins by LGS. If
we count only these LGS bulletins with both detailed maps
and accompanying reports (Fig. 6), barely 30 percent of
Louisiana parishes ever had their surface geology mapped,
most before 1960 and a majority before 1950.
The decline of surface geologic mapping in Louisiana is a
direct result of the deCline of surface-mapping projects
among university professors and their masters and doctoral
geology students. In Louisiana all published parish geologi-
cal bulletins (as defined in Fig. 6) to date have been authored
solely by graduate students and faculty of the LSU Geology
Department. The same person authored the latest (in press;
"1991?" in Fig. 4) parish geological bulletin and Louisiana's
last published (1960) parish geological bulletin. All unpub-
lished parish geological investigations were authored by
faculty and students ofLSU and other Louisiana universities.
155
en
w
J:
C/)
iE

0..
I.!...
10-
PlbIished Mcp and Report (lGS)
Mcp and Report In Press (lGS)
D
PLblished Report
UnpLblished (LGS)
PLblished Mcp, No Surface
Geologic Mcp (LGS)
k::}H Non-LGS)
o 5
0::
W
m
:E
::::>
z
0-
1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000
LGS Y
FOUNDED EAR
1934
Figure 5. Frequency distribution of parish-geological
investigations in Louisiana.
Because Louisiana has no tradition of state-supported geo-
logic mapping outside of LSU, the conclusion is that the
decline in academic mapping projects in Louisiana, pre-
dominantly those done under the aegis of LSU, directly
caused the decline in surface geologic mapping in the state.
The Louisiana example of waning production of surface
geologic maps concurrent with declining academic map-
ping accords with the same trend in the rest of the U.S. but
may be more pronounced. However, the history of exclusive
reliance on academic mapping in Louisiana is atypical of
that in other states (Newell 1989). The cause and effect
relationship between the decline in academic mapping
projects and in surface geologic mapping in general, here
documented for Louisiana and postulated for the U.S. in
part, indicates the need for a re-evaluation of the priorities
given to surface geologic mapping in university geology
departments and among traditional publishers of academic
mapping results. The foregoing also makes it clear that, for
the decline in geologic map production to be reversed,
surface geologic mapping must be recognized as legitimate
basic research in geology.
Acknowledgements
Figures in this paper were made from slide copy drafted by
Robert Paulsell and David McCraw.
References
Committee Advisory to the u.s. Geological Survey, National
Research Council 1987. Geologic mapping in the U.S.
Geological Survey. Washington, D.C.: National Acad-
emy Press. 22 pp.
Committee on Geologic Mapping, National Research Coun-
ci11988. Geologic mapping: future needs. Washington,
D.C.: National Academy Press. 84 pp.
30
WW
>(!) 20
-<!:
t-t-
<!:z
..J
w
=>0
ffi 10
o a..
__ -------------l1li

1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000
YEAR
Figure 6. Cumulative percentage (of a total of 64
parishes in Louisiana) of parishes for which
geological bulletins, including both a report
and 1 :62,500- or larger-scale surface
geological map(s), have been published by
LGS.
Cressman, E. R. and M. C. Noger 1981. Geologic mapping of
Kentucky-a history and evaluation of the Kentucky
Geological Survey-U .S. Geological Survey mapping pro-
gram, 1960-1978. U.S. Geological Survey Circular 801.
22pp.
Hagan, W. W. 1961. Progress report of Kentucky areal
geologic mapping program. pp. 11-20 in P. McGrain
and T. J. Crawford, eds., Proceedings of the Technical
Session Kentucky Oil and Gas Association Twenty-Fifth
Annual Meeting. Kentucky Geological Survey, series 10,
Special Publication 4.
Harrison, J. M. 1963. Nature and Significance of geological
maps in C. C. Albritton, ed., The Fabric of Geology.
Stanford, California: Freeman, Cooper & Company.
225-32.
Howe, H. V. and C. K. Moresi 1933. The contribution of
Louisiana State University to the development of loui-
siana geology. Louisiana Conservation Review 3(2):23-
33.
Mankin, C. J. 1988. Geologic mapping: will needs be met?
Geotimes 33(11):6-7.
McCulloh, R. P. 1992. Surface geologic mapping in louisi-
ana: history, present status, and future prospects. Open-
file series no. 92-01. Baton Rouge: Louisiana Geological
Survey (in press).
Newell, W. L. 1989. Personal communication. Reston, Vir-
ginia: U.S. Geological Survey.
Pope, D. E. 1988. History ofthe Louisiana Geological Survey
in A. A. Socolow, ed., The State Geological Surveys: A
History. American Association of State Geologists. 177-
98.
156
Smath, M. 1. 1988. Kentucky survey's history & challenges.
Geotimes 33(10):23-5.
U.S. Geological Survey 1987. National geologic mapping
program: goals, objectives, and long-range plans. U.S.
Geological Survey Circular 1020. 29 pp.
157
Distinctive Patterns in the Areal Distribution
of Stream. Alluvium in North Louisiana
Richard P. McCulloh
Abstract
Newly available 7.5' topographic quadrangles for most of
north Louisiana illustrate the prevalence of an irregular areal
distribution of Holocene stream alluvium characterized by
pronounced bottlenecks of alluvial bottom lands in many
places. These constrictions of alluvial bottoms are com-
monly abrupt and affect tributaries and trunk streams of all
scales. Recompilation of alluvial mapping on 150+ 7.5'
quadrangles at the 1:250,000 scale has indicated that allu-
vial bottlenecks show variable abundance with no consis-
tent relation to flanking Tertiary or Pleistocene units. How-
ever, such bottlenecks appear relatively conspicuous where
the gradational sequence between the Eocene Cook Moun-
tain and Cockfield formations crops out over large areas, and
where alluvium is flanked by the lower of two principal
levels of Prairie terraces. The alluvial bottoms maintain their
widths or widen downstream more nearly as expected if this
next-higher Prairie surface in some areas is also considered
bottomland. These associations indicate that Holocene
streams have entrenched the pre-existing late-Pleistocene
bottomland and the older units of the upland, but have not
completely reworked them through lateral planation. The
narrowing and widening of Holocene alluvial bottoms may
reflect differential substrate competence of more clayey and
sandy facies, respectively, in sub cropping older units. Allu-
vial mapping also reveals a potentially structural influence
on alluvial stream courses in many places. This is reflected by
straight reaches and pervasive rectangular (NW- and NE-
trending) drainage patterns superposed on even some
younger Pleistocene surfaces. The rectangular patterns and,
in places, zig-zag courses suggest control by NW- and NE-
striking sets of systematic joints and/or faults.
Introduction
Two cooperative agreements of the Louisiana Geological
Survey (LGS) with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) under
the USGS COGEOMAP program provided an opportunity to
develop mapping and recognition criteria for
stream alluvium in upland areas of north LOUISIana. The
data used were primarily newly available 7.5' topographic
maps in the study areas, the Shreveport and Alexandria
1:250,000 quadrangles (Fig. 1). The contour interval of the
maps is principally 10 feet, with supplementary 5-foot
intervals in places. These photogrammetrically derived to-
pographic maps provide detaile? coverage of the study
over which previously only 15 coverage was largely avaII-
able. The level of detail of alluvial mapping permissible with
the new topographic maps in north Louisiana is unprec-
edented, and indicates the commonness of proportionately
tight bottlenecks in alluvial courses, and of rectangular
networks of relatively long and straight alluvial courses
suggestive of joint and/or fault control of stream courses.
Patterns of Alluvial Distribution
in North louisiana
The mapping of Quaternary units in north Louisiana re-
vealed pronounced bottlenecks in many of the Holocene
alluvial bottoms (Fig. 1), and showed that such constrictions
vary in abundance with no consistent relation to flanking
older units. Noteworthy examples specifically occur along
Bayou Dorcheat, Black Lake Bayou, Saline Bayou, Dugdemona
River, Castor Creek, Bayou D' Arbonne, and Bayou de Loutre
and their tributaries. The mapping also showed that the
Prairie (Beaumont-equivalent) terraces comprise multiple
surfaces, and indicated that two of these constitute the
principal, subregion ally extensive levels as recognized by
Smith and Russ (1974). Despite the lack of a frequency
relationship between alluvial bottlenecks and flanking units,
the most conspicuous constrictions of alluvial tracts are
those flanked by deposits underlying the lower and younger
of these two Prairie surfaces-hereafter referred to as the
Prairie lower complex-and those in areas where the grada-
tional sequence between the Eocene Mountain (mud-
stone) and Cockfield (sandstone) formations crops out over
large areas.
The close association of the more conspicuous alluvial
constrictions with reaches flanked by the Prairie lower
complex and the Cook Mountain-Cockfield transition sug-
gests the pOSSibility of substrate control of this type of
distribution. Muddy and sandy lithofacies in these older
(but still poorly consolidated) deposits may control the areas
of narrowing and widening, respectively, in the overlying
alluvium. For example, the development may have aspects
in common with the fluvial annexation of gravel-mined
areas near the channel of the Amite River (in the Florida
parishes of Louisiana) during flood stages (Mossa 1985).
Sandy facies of the Holocene alluvial fill of the Amite River
erode differentially relative to the finer-grained facies (Autin
1989), and mining preferentially exposes coarse-grained
material to potential reworking and erosion within the
Holocene flood plain. In north Louisiana, streams with
Holocene alluvial bottlenecks apparently responded to a
158
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ = ~ - ; ~ 2 MILES
2 KILOMETERS
)
Figure 7. Geology of Truxno 7.5' quadrangle, showing characteristic pattern of stream alluvium in north
Louisiana. Eocene Cockfield Formation (Ecf) is based on mapping by l.E. Rogers (1987), lower surface of
the Prairie terraces (Qpl) mapped by D.l. McCraw, alfuvium (Qal) mapped by the author.
759
50 MILES
50 KILOMETERS
Figure 2. Alluvial-course segments in north Louisiana characterized by relative straightness (discernible at
1 :500,000 scale) suggestive of structural control, and orientation frequency of segments. The outcrop of
the Claiborne Group, redrawn and adapted here from Snead and McCulloh (1984), underlies most of
these stream segments.
lowering of base level that led to incision of the alluvium
into the pre-existing bottomland that now forms the Prairie
lower complex. During downcutting and concurrent lateral
planation, the coarser-grained lithofacies in this and older
units may have been differentially reworked. The possibili ty
of differential, substrate-dependent development of alluvial
constrictions and widenings was not investigated for this
preliminary description because of unavailability of detailed
data on lithofacies distribution within areas underlain by
the Prairie lower complex and the Cook Mountain-Cockfield
transition interval. In such areas, testing for texture-depen-
dent substrate control of alluvial constrictions and widenings
will require subsurface data from wells deep enough to
penetrate the Holocene alluvial fill. Regardless of possible
con troIs on narrowing and widening of Holocene all uvium,
the drastically different widths along alluvial tracts may
represent a transient condition of incomplete reworking
and filling accompanying early entrenchment. This is indi-
cated by the mere 10,000 years since the beginning of the
Holocene (Geological Society of America 1983).
The new 7.5' topographic maps of much of north Louisiana
indicate another, potentially structural, influence on stream
courses. TheCOGEOMAP-supportedinvestigationsentailed
1 :250,OOO-scale recompilation of mapping done on the new
quadrangles. The maps show a pervasive rectilinear grain,
superposed on units ranging in age from Tertiary to even
some younger Pleistocene surfaces, and indicate that many
larger-order streams in north Louisiana have conspicuous
straight reaches, straight alluvial bottoms, and rectangular
drainage patterns. The most noticeable examples lie within
the broad area of outcrop of the Wilcox and Claiborne
Groups, and suggest influence by two sets (NW- and NE-
striking) of systematic joints or faults. Some of the alluvium
in Fig. 1 delineates straight bottoms with northeastward and
northwestward trends, entrenched into the underlying Ter-
tiary and Pleistocene units. In places the straight segments
in a single course alternate orientations to form a zig-zag
pattern; the most striking example of this pattern was
observed on the Prairie lower surface west of Lake Bistineau
in southern Bossier Parish. The orientation frequencyofthe
larger-scale examples of straight stream courses (those dis-
cernible at 1:500,000) show two predominant trends, one
northwestward and the other northeastward (Fig. 2). These
trends are not obviously identical to the predominant
northwestward and northeastward strikes of surface and
subsurface faults, but the range of trends contains those
strikes. However, streams in northeastern Louisiana do in-
clude straight segments with northwest trends showing a
close correspondence to the northwest strikes of mapped
subsurface faults in the same area. Structural control by
joints or faults or both is the most plausible explanation of
160
these stream patterns. Streams draining the Wilcox Group
outcrop of Sabine Parish appear to be unaffected by NW -and
NE-striking surface faults mapped by Andersen (1960). This
could reflect more of an influence on drainage by lithologic
variability that is greater in the surface Wilcox than in the
Claiborne, or by the higher dip on the southeastern flank of
the Sabine uplift. Because any structures that may control
alluvial bottomlands are obscured by them, and because the
structures could have small vertical displacements near the
surface, remote-sensing techniq ues may offer the most prac-
ticable means of checking for the presence of such struc-
tures.
Fisk (1944) discerned a prevalence of northwestward and
northeastward trends shown by stream courses in Louisiana,
but depicted exclusive control by a roughly orthogonal
system of major faults. Saucier (1974) regarded structural
controls as having had minimal (if any) influence on the
distribution of Quaternary deposits north of the Mississippi
deltaic plain, possibly as a cautionary response to Fisk's
intrepid fault interpretations. Russ (1975) found limited
evidence for fault control, but suggestive indications of
regional fracture control, ofthe position and straightness of
segments of the Red River valley and some tributaries in
north Louisiana. Birdseye et al. (1988) made asimilar case for
joint control of drainage patterns in both late-Pleistocene
and Holocene sediments in southeastern Louisiana.
Zimmerman (1992) adduced multiple lines of evidence in
support of major NE- and NW-trending transcurrent fault
zones propagated from deepseated basement rocks into
younger strata subcropping beneath surficial alluvial depos-
its. He attributed the course alignments and direction changes
of the Mississippi River and other streams in southeastern
Arkansas-western Mississippi and eastern north Louisiana
to these fault zones. The aerial radiometric map of Duval et
al. (1989) shows NW- and NE-trending linear areas of mod-
erate aeroradioactivity (1.5-2.5 ppm eU) in north Louisiana
(Gundersen 1993). Documented occurrences of high indoor
radon along fault and shear zones (Gundersen et al. 1993)
suggest that these intersecting linear belts of moderate
radioactivity could be associated with underlying joints
and/or faults.
Acknowledgements
This paper is abridged from a manuscript submitted to the
Louisiana State University Basin Research Institute Bulletin.
The work was supported by the U.S. Geological Survey,
COGEOMAP program, under cooperative agreement num-
bers 14-08-0001-A0646 and 14-08-0001-A0878. W.]. Autin,
D. J. McCraw, and ]. 1. Snead were co-compilers of the
preliminary worksheets of the geology of Shreveport and
Alexandria 1:250,OOO-scale quadrangles under these coop-
erative agreements. Paul Heinrich, Gerald Kuecher, William
E. :Marsalis, and Ron Zimmerman reviewed the manuscript.
References
Andersen, H. V. 1960. Geology of Sabine Parish. Geological
bulletin no. 34. Baton Rouge: Department of Conserva-
tion, Louisiana Geological Survey. 164 pp.
Autin, W.]. 1989. Geomorphic and stratigraphic evolution
of the middle Amite River valley, southeastern Louisi-
ana. Ph.D. dissertation. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State
UniverSity. 177 pp. plus appendices.
Birdseye, R. U., G. L. Christians, and ]. L. Olson 1988.
Drainage lineaments in late Quaternary sediments As-
cension and East Baton Rouge parishes, Louisiana. Ab-
stract. Transactions of the Gulf Coast Association of
Geological Societies 38:577.
Duval, ]. S., W. ]. Jones, F. R. Riggle, and]. A. Pitkin 1989.
Equivalent uranium map of conterminous United States.
Open-file report 89-478. Reston, Virginia: U.S. Geologi-
cal Survey. 12 pp.
Fisk, H. N. 1944. Geological investigation of the alluvial
valley of the lower Mississippi River. Vicksburg, Missis-
sippi: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. 78 pp.
Geological Society of America 1983. Geologic time scale.
Map and chart series MC-50. Boulder, Colorado: Geo-
logical Society of America. One sheet.
Gundersen, L. C. S. 1993. Preliminary geologic radon poten-
tial assessment of Louisiana. In Schumann, R. R. (ed.),
Geologic radon potential of EPA Region 6. Open-File
Report 93-_. U.S. Geological Survey. 11 pp. (in press).
Gundersen, L. C. S., R. R. Schumann, and S.]. Wirth 1993.
The USGS/EPA radon potential booklets: an introduc-
tion. In Schumann, R. R. (ed.), Geologic radon potential
of EPA Regions 1-10. Open-File Report 93-_. U.S. Geo-
logical Survey. 36 pp. (in press).
Mossa,]. 1985. Management of floodplain sand and gravel
mining. Pp. 321-328 in Association of State Floodplain
Managers, Flood hazard management in government
and the private sector: Proceedings of the ninth annual
conference. Special publication no. 12. Boulder: Univer-
sity of Colorado Natural Hazards Research and Applica-
tions Information Center.
Rogers,]. E. 1981. Base of Cockfield with alluvium and Cook
Mountain in the eastern part of the Shreveport quad-
rangle, Louisiana. Unpublished map. Scale 1:250,000.
Russ, D. P. 1975. The Quaternary geomorphology of the
lower Red River Valley, Louisiana. Ph.D. dissertation.
University Park: Pennsylvania State University. 208 pp.
plus plates.
Saucier, R. T. 1974. Quaternary geology of the Lower Missis-
sippi Valley. Research series no. 6. Fayetteville: Arkansas
Archeological Survey. 26 pp.
Smith, F. L., and D. P. Russ 1974. Geological investigation of
the Lower Red River-Atchafalaya Basin area. Technical
report S-74-5. Vicksburg, Mississippi: U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers Waterways Experiment Station.
Snead,]. I., and R. P. McCulloh (compilers) 1984. Geologic
map of Louisiana. Baton Rouge: Louisiana Department
of Natural Resources, Louisiana Geological Survey. Scale
161
1:500,000.
Zimmerman, R. K. 1992. Fractured Smackover Limestone in
northeast Louisiana; implications for hydrocarbon ex-
ploitation. Transactions of the Gulf Coast Association
of Geological Societies 42:401-12.
162
1993 FOP Contributors
Paul Albertson
Corps of Engineers - Waterways Experiment
Station
Geotechnical Lab
Box 631
Vicksburg, MS 39180-0631
Joe Alford
319 Deer Point Drive
Gulf Breeze, FL 32561
Saul Aronow
Consulting Geologist
5590 Frost
Beaumont, TX 77706
Andres Asian
Department of Geological Sciences
University of Colorado
Boulder, CO 80309-0250
Whitney J. Autin
Louisiana Geological Survey
Box G, University Station
Baton Rouge, LA 70893
William J. Day
Department of Agronomy (Formerly)
Louisiana State University
Paul V. Heinrich
Dept. of Geology & Geophysics
Donald G. Hunter
Coastal Environments, Inc.
1260 Main St.
Joe Holmes
Department of Environmental Quality
Box 82263
David J. McCraw
Center for Coastal, Energy, and Envronmental
Resources
Richard P. McCulloh
Bobby J. Miller (Deceased)
Department of Agronomy
Joann Mossa
Department of Geography
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL 32611
Charles E. Pearson
, 260 Main St.
Jim Rogers
Consultant Geologist
4008 Innis Drive
Alexandria, LA 71303
John Snead
Arville Touchet
Bayou Cajun Environmental Services
Rt. 1, Box 1474
Abbeville, LA 70510
Mark Walthall
163
'::
ROAD lOG
The accompanying road log Is designed to provide trip participants with route Information. The log Is also
supplemented with scientific and general Information about the areas between trip stops. Each day's log begins
In the Alexandria area near the trip headquaters and ends at the final field stop of the day. We will try to mark
backwoods Intersections with a FOP arrow sign, look for theml
DAY 1
TIME MILE FEATURE
under construction In this area. Be careful, adhere to all detour Information, and stay with the
1.7
2.5
3.7
5.0
9.7
11.0
17.5
18.6
22.5
23.0
28.2
9:00 29.4
11:00 30.5
31.5
32.0
37.1
42.0
48.8
50.0
54.0
Cross Red River bridge. Notice exposure of Miocene strata in the channel banks if the water Is
low. This Is a remnant of the historic rapids, from which Rapides Parish obtained its name.
Pass Ft. Buhlow Lake.
junction of US 71 and US 165. Continue to the right on US 165N.
Junction of US 165 and US 167. Turn left onto US 167N.
Enter Grant Parish. From this point to Bentley, we will traverse the typical landscape of Fisk's
Bentley Terrace.
Bentley. Continue north on US 167.
site of Bentley Core - RR 11 on left off Brister Loop road. Continue on US 167N.
Town of Dry Prong.
Cross LA 123. Continue north on US 167.
Turn right on Forest Service Road 122 (gravel road). Cross RR tracks and veer right.
STOP 1 at Wlillana Pit, site of Williana core- RR 22. This site Is National Forest property.
Return to US 167 and turn right (north) to Wililana.
Town of Willian a, turn left ~ caution light at abandoned store.
Bear left at liberty Chapel Road. Stay on main road. Look for FOP arrowsl
Turn right (west) onto LA 122 at Faircloth.
Bridges crossing latt Creek.
junction with LA 471. Veer right and stay with LA 122.
Village of New Verda. Stay on LA 122 to Montgomery.
Village of HargiS.
~ -.
'::
55.5
56.5
57.1
58.3
62.1
63.2
66.5
67.4
67.7
73.2
12:00 73.4
Upland Complex contact with Prairie Complex.
Cross Nantachle Bayou.
Ascend Intermediate Complex, Montgomery surface.
Junction with US 71 at Montgomery. Turn right (north) on US 71. Montgomery core site-RR 12
Is on left side of road across RR after making turn.
Enter Winn Parish. This Is the typical Montgomery Terrace landscape of Flsks' type area.
Classic, unleveled pimple mounds can be seen in the pasture on the right side of the road.
St. Maurice, Junction with LA 477. stay on US 71 N to Clarence.
Descend onto Holocene flood plain.
Cross Saline Bayou.
Clarence, Junction with US 84. Stay on US 71 N.
LUNCH STOP AT GRAYSON'S BBQ. Lunch on your own here, there Is a dining room Inside or
you can tailgate outside. There Is also a convenience store close by.
1 :00 73.4 After lunch, head south on US 71 back to St. Maurice.
79.9 Turn right on LA 477 to St. Maurice RR cut. Look for FOP arrows on gravel roads.
1:15 80.6 STOP 2 at St. Maurice exposure. This site ison the private right-of-way of the railroad.
3:00 81.3 Return to US 71 and turn right (south).
84.7 Pimple mounds in pasture.
86.0 Grant Parish line.
89.0 Town of Montgomery.
96.5 Pass Wadell.
97.3 Cross Nantachle Bayou spillway.
99.0 Turn right on gravel road and cross RR. Head to Aloha Cemetary.
3:30 99.5 STOP 3 at Aloha Prairie. This site is private property.
5:00 100.0 Return to US 71, turn right (south).
104.0 The Rock at Junction of LA 158 and US 71. Behind Rock Garden Exxon is ~ classic exposure of the
Oligocene Catahoula Sandstone. You can return directly to the Alexandria motels by continuing
south on US 71. Or you can go directly to the social at Harold Miles Park by following LA 158 to
Colfax, Joining with LA 8, and crossing the Red River to Boyce. From Boyce, follow LA 1 south
towards Alexandria to the park which is on your right about six miles south of Boyce. Either route
is less than 30 miles.
END DAY 1 LOG
DAY 2
TIME MILE FEATURE
under construction In this area. Be careful, adhere to all detour Information, and stay with the
0.8 Head north on LA 1.
3.9 Junction with 1-49 and Air Base Road. Stay on LA 1.
4.8 Harold Miles Park on left. Stay on LA 1.
8.4 Stop light at Rapldes. Stay on LA 1.
12.5 Cross over 1-49.
13.6 Town of Boyce. Continue on LA 1 north.
,;-:
14.9 Pass junction with LA 121.
16.8 Turn right to Old Highway 1 at Texaco station. Proceed to stop sign and turn right.
17.7 Gate to Zimmerman Hili.
8:30 18.0 STOP 4 down the road beyond gate. This site is private property.
10:00 18.3 return up Old Highway 1 and turn left to LA 1
18.6 Junction with LA 1, turn left (south) onto LA 1.
20.5 Turn right on LA 121 and follow Bayou Jean de Jean.
25.8 Junction with LA 1200 west at Hot Wells. Stay with LA 121.
27.5 Junction with LA 1200 east to Boyce. Stay with LA 121. Antebellum home at Junction.
30.2 Junction with LA 1202 at McNutt. Take LA 1202 towards England Air Force Base.
32.2 Cross Bayou Rapldes at Lamonthe Bridge. LA 496 joins route.
35.7 Junction of LA 1202 and LA 496 at Well. Stay with LA 496.
37.6 Back gate to England Air Force Base. Enter base and go to STOP 5.
10:30 38.0
STOP 5 England Air Force Base. This site Is now municiapal property.
12:00 39.7 return to La. 496 and head east towards Alexandria.
40.8 Pass Kent House Antebellum Home.
, ; - ~
12:05 41.0 Junction with US 165 (MacArthur Drive). LUNCH BREAK. Fast Food Is available south on
MacArthur Drive from this point. Grab a quick bite or pick up a bag lunch then follow US 71 N
towards the Red River bridge. Stop 6 Is ten minutes away and has picnic tables.
1:00
2:00
42.4
43.6
44.6
45.4
46.7
48.8
54.6
57.7
62.5
69.0
Construction area. Veer north on US 71 to Red River Bridge.
Top of bridge. Cross Red River.
Turn left on to Ft. Buhlow Airport Road. Be careful, crossing trafficl
Turn right and cross RR. Enter Fort Buhlow Recreation Area. Picnic facilities are here.
STOP 6. Red River Landlng.Thls site Is public property.
Return to US 71. turn right and follow US 71 S towards Alexandria.
Traffic Circle. Stay on US 71 S (MacArthur Drive) through the city'.'
Cross 1-49. Stay on US 71 S.
Pass LSU at Alexandria campus.
Town of Lecompte (Lea's Diner Is known for It's fine pies (one of two Louisiana restaurants to get
the highest rateing from The Underground Gourmet), you can stop here on your return to
Alexandria In a couple of hours if you wish and grab a slice of pie and coffee).
72.0 Junction with US 167S at Meeker. Continue on US 71 S.
73.8 Turn right onto Lloyd's Bridge Road (sic). Pass under RR trestle.
2:45 74.5 STOP 7. Loyd's Hall. This site Is private property, tourists are welcome.
4:30 75.00 You can return to Alexandria via US 71 (the route the caravan took) or follow the old road along
Bayou Bouef to see flood plain topography and historic plantation agricultural areas. The direct
route Is less than 25 miles to the motels. Don't forget the lemon pie at Lea's!
END DAY 2 LOG
I ~ ' :
DAY 3
TIME MILE FEATURE
8:00 0.0 . Assemble in Pizza Hut parking lot across MacArthur Drive from the FOP motels. The highway is
0.5
1.9
2.1
2.9
4.1
9.3
15.7
17.8
19.5
23.0
24.4
25.5
9:00 26.0
10:00 26.6
27.4
30.0
35.0
35.5
36.0
37.0
10:30 37.1
12:00 37.5
under construction In this area. Leave the parking lot and head north, onto the construction
traffic circie following US 71 and US 165. Watch for a quick right turn.
Turn right (south) on LA 1 S (Bolton Avenue). Follow Bolton Ave.into midtown Alexandria.
Veer left towards Pineville on LA 28 and US 165.
Turn left (south) on LA 28 and LA 1 (Overton St).
Cross Red River, enter Pineville.
Exit LA 107 (to Marksville). Turn right (south) on LA 107 and cross RR.
Junction with LA 3128. This is the highest point on the Day 3 road iog at 160 It elevation.
Continue on LA 107 and cross the Intermediate Complex landscape to Kolin.
junction with LA 454 at Ruby. Stay with LA 107. Landscape Is the Holloway Prairie.
Enter Avoyelles Parish.
Town of Center Point.
junction with LA 115. Follow LA 115 towards Marksville.
Turn left on LA 1196 towards us Army Corps of Engineers Lock and Dam.
Turn right and cross levee. Enter Ben Routh Recreation Area. This site is a public park.
STOP 8- Monda Gap.
Return to LA 115. Turn left (south) to Marksville.
Cross Red River bridge.
Pass Monda Community center Road. Stay on LA 115.
Domestic buffalo in pasture on right.
Veer to left of Chevron Station on to S. Washington St.
junction with LA 1. Turn left (south).
Turn left Into the Tunica-Biloxi Indian Reservation. Property of the tribe.
STOP 9 - Avoyelles Prairie. Park at The Marksville Commemorative Area/museum.
This is the end of the 1993 FOP field trip. LA 1 North will return you to Alexandria and 1-49. LAl
South will take you to Baton Rouge and 1-10 via New Roads and US 190E. If the weather is nice
try taking the St. Francisville Ferry at New Roads across the Mississippi River and south via US 71
to Baton Rouge.
END DAY 3 LOG
Nancy Affeltranger
Central Louisiana Archeological Chapter
8425 Fairway Dr
Pineville, LA 71360
Saul Aronow
Consulting Geologist
5590 Frost
Beaumont, TX 77706
Whitney J. Autin
Mark Bordelon
Ringgold Soil Survey
Box 528
Ringgold, LA 71068
Charli Braviderer
1020 Oxford St
Alexandria, LA 71301-5135
Lee Burras
Department of Renewable Resources
University of Southwestern Louisiana
Lafayette, LA 70504
John Catches
Department of Geology
Turlington Hall
Michael C. Cooley
USDA - SCS
3636 Government Street
Ellis H. Denning
129 Kathy Dr
Pineville, LA 71360
Ida A. Dodge
245 Milkyway Dr
Pineville, LA 71360
Paul Albertson
USCOE- WES
Geotechnical Lab
Box 631
Vicksburg, MS 39180-0631
Kenneth Ashworth
Environmental Analysis Branch
USCOE- NOD
Box 60267
New Orleans, LA 70160
Andrew Barron
Bill Boyd
Soil Survey
901 Ray St.
Rayville, LA 71269
Ken Brown
Texas Archeological Research Lab
Baleones Research Center #5
10100 Burnett Road
Austin, TX 78712-1100
David Carlson
Anthropology Department
Texas A&M University
College Station, TX 77843-4352
John Caughlin
2426 Meadow Brook Drive
Valdosta, GA 31602
John Craven
Memphis State University
JM Smith Building
Memphis, TN 38152
D. Bruce Dickson
Department of Anthropology
College Station, TX 77843
Jimmy Edwards
USDA - SCS
Thurman Allen
SCS
1605 Arizona St.
Monroe, LA 71202
Andres AsIan
Boulder, CO 80309-0250

(
Indiana Geological Survey
.. I/fte
Liz Brady
3141 Turlington Hall
Scott Burns
Portland State University
Portland, OR 97207-0751
Brian J. Carter
Agronomy Department
160 Ag Hall
Oklahoma State University
Stillwater, OK 74078
Dominick (Nick) J. Cirincione
Texas Archeological Society
P.O. Box 363
Hurst, TX 76053
Jerry J. Daigle
USDA - SCS
Jeremy S. Dillon
CURA Environmental
10207 N. MacArthur Blvd #319
Irving, TX 75063
Karen Edelvang
Institute of Geography
University of Copenhagen
c\o University of Florida
Gainesville, FL 32611 - 2083

V (i, ( C I
, __ _________
C. Reid Ferring
Box 13078
University of North Texas
Denton, TX 76203
Jeffrey Girard
Department of Social Sciences
Northwestern State University
Natchitoches, LA 71497
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Geology Department OH-118
University of Arkansas
Fayetteville, AR 72701
Thomas C. Gustavson
Bureau of Economic Geology
University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX 78713
Helen Hickman
Centenary College
743 Stephenson St.
Shreveport, LA 71104
Wayne Hudnall
Juana L. C. Ibanez
Austin, TX 78712-1098
Harold Jeansonne
Central Louisiana Archeology Club
1819 Simmons st.
Daniel Johnson
USDA-SCS
Denham Springs, LA
Misehclle Julien
7627 Rambler #151
Dallas, TX 75231
, . Judith Gennett
Geology Department
Charles Ray Givens
Department of Earth Science
Nicholls State University
Thibodaux, LA 70310
Fran P. Guchereau
1913 Military Hwy.
Pineville, LA 71360
Stephen A. Hall
Austin, TX 78712-1098
Joe Holmes
Department of Environmental Quality
Box 82263
Paul Hudson
Missy Jackson
Bureau of Economic Geology
Austin, TX 78713
Lillie Jeansonne
Central Louisiana Archeology Club
1819 Simmons St.
David L. Jones
USDA - SCS
100 W Capitol St, Suite 1321
Jackson, MS 39269
Christopher J. Jurgens
Texas Water Development Board
Box 13231
Austin, TX 78711-3231
Emma Day-Gennett
Geology Department
Paul Gonzales
Department of Civil Engineering
Charles M. Guillory
USDA - SCS
Paul V. Heinrich
Dept. of Geology & Geophysics
Linda L. Horn
1112 Turlington
Donald G. Hunter
1260 Main St.
David Jeane
Louisiana Archeological Society
305 Hickory
Springhill, LA 71075-2633
Martha E. Jenkins
UT Austin
3517 North Hills Dr #C105
Austin, TX 78731
Dennis Jones
CCEER Special Programs
Salvatore Kaburungu
Christine Kellam
303 Cedarbrook Court
Austin, TX 78753-2107
Richard H. Kesel
Dept. of Geography & Anthropology
Darwin Knochenmus
4584 Cooper Lane
Jackson, LA 70748
Alma Larsen
Memphis, TN 38152
Brad Lee
Agronomy Department
162 Ag Hall
Stillwater, OK 74078-0507
Jocelyn Louissaint
Richard P. McCulloh
Toni F. McLaughlin
Hawkwind Farms
16591 Old Scenic Hwy
Zachary, LA 70791
Joann Mossa
Lee Nordt
Department of Soil and Crop Sciences
Texas A & M University
College Station, TX 77843-2474
Kate Kelly
130 N. McLean, Apt. 2
Memphis, TN 38104
W. Wayne Kilpatrick
USDA-SCS
216B Broadway St
Minden, LA 71055
Fred K. Kring
Lisa Laurents
Paul H. Lehman
Austin, TX 78712-1098
Jeff Lower
J. B. McHam
Louisiana Tech University
Ruston, LA
Chris Meindl
John J. Musser
1863 Tudor Drive
Larry Oshins
Anne C. Kerr
UT-TARL
8524 Burnet Road #621
Austin, TX 78757-7058
James Knight
605 Patterson # 3
Memphis, TN, 38111
Jenny Konwinski
Codi Lazar
Michal E. Lilly
USDA - SCS
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Jackson, MS 39269
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CCEER Special Programs
Sean C. McLaughlin
Rust Environment and Infrastructure
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Suite 201
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Memphis, TN 38134
Rick Naus
Gainesville, FL 3261i
William B. Patterson
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Charles E. Pearson
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Donna Porter
Agronomy Department
Kansas State University
Throckmorton Hall
Manhattan, KS 66506
Richard S. Rhodes II
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA 52242
Francisca Saavedra
Gai/lesville, FL 32611
Joe Saunders
Department of Geoscience
Northeastern Louisiana University
Monroe, LA 71209
Sue K. Smith
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Darwin Spearing
Mountain Press
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Cypress, TX 77429
Donald Charles Stem mans
USDA - SCS
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Tunica, MS 38676
Camille Throckmorton
Dru Trahan
Ecotech, Inc.
5420 Corporate Blvd.
Suite 201
Tim Phillips
Kisatchie National Forest
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Breaux Bridge, LA 70518
Jennifer Rahn
Jim Rogers
Consultant Geologist
4008 Innis Drive
Neil Salisbury
Geography Department
University of .oklahoma
Norman, .oK 73019
A. Frank Servello
Enviro - Archaeo
234 Rue Beauregard
Lafayette, LA 70508
John Snead
Thomas W. Stafford
INSTAAR
Boulder, ca 80309-0450
Michael E. Stout
Environmental Analysis Branch
New .orleans District, CaE
Box 60267 ATTN: CELMN-PD-RN
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Richard S. Toomey III
Illinois State Museum
1920 South 10 1/2 St
Springfield, IL 62703
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Geology Department
University of Iowa
lo\va City, IA 52242
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Lori Reed
Tarrant County Junior College
828 Jane Lane
Weatherford, TX 76086
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Agronomy Department
PTSC-115
Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701
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Geography Department
University of .oklahoma
Norman, .oK 73019
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4707 A Caswell Ave
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University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS 66045
Mary Evelyn Starr
Garrow and Assoc.
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Ralph D. Vinson
Strecker Museum - Baylor Univ.
Rt. 3, Box 680-M
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Nancy Washer
School of Music
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Don Wyckoff
Oklahoma Archeological Survey
130 South Sherry
Norman, OK 73069
Matt Zorn
Gaipesville, FL 32611
Larry Ward
SCS
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700 West Capitol Ave.
Little Rock, AR 72201-3225
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Geology Department OH-118
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Nicholls State University
Department of Earth Science
Box 2189
Thibodaux, LA 70310
Phillip Ward III
Agronomy Department
162 Ag Hall
Stillwater, OK 74078-0507
Beth Wilder
Janet M. Young
Campus Box 521047
Memphis, TN 38134

Geomorphology and Geoarchaeology of The Red River Valley, Louisiana 400DPI

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Geomorphology and Geoarchaeology of The Red River Valley, Louisiana 400DPI

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Quaternary Geology and Geoarchaeology

of the Lower Red River Valley

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