Cedar Creek Canyon (Indiana)
Encyclopedia
Cedar Creek Canyon, also called simply Cedar Canyon, is a topographical
feature located in Allen County, Indiana
. It is a very straight, narrow gorge
about 50 to 100 ft (15.2 to 30.5 ) deep that contains part of the lower segment of Cedar Creek
, the largest tributary
of the St. Joseph River
. The canyon originated at the end of the last ice age
as a tunnel valley
, a channel under the Erie Lobe of the Wisconsin Glacier
that discharged meltwalter under considerable pressure into the ancestral Eel River, a tributary of the Wabash River
. Cutting through the north limb of the Wabash Moraine, a debris deposit left by the retreating ice, the discharge left a large outwash fan
that blocked the Eel, diverting its upper portion into the canyon in a classic example of stream piracy that formed today's Cedar Creek. This was part of a general drainage reversal that occurred in northeastern Indiana as the Maumee River
opened and captured drainage that was previously part of the watershed
of the Wabash. While the lower Eel remained a tributary of the Wabash, 175000 acres (708.2 km²) that it formerly drained became part of the Maumee watershed.
The flow reversal in lower Cedar Creek was probably accelerated by the downcutting
of the St. Joseph River, which increased the velocity of its tributaries, causing them to erode toward their headwaters (headward erosion
). One of these tributaries east of the tunnel valley probably became the downstream portion of Cedar Creek, later capturing flow from the valley itself and then, finally, the entire upstream segment of the ancestral Eel.
Today's Cedar Creek Canyon is a picturesque, forested area just north of Fort Wayne
that includes both upland
and floodplain
environments. The portion of Cedar Creek that flows through it, from river mile
13.7 to the creek's confluence
with the St. Joseph, is officially designated as an "Outstanding State Resource Water" and is one of four streams in Indiana's Natural, Scenic and Recreational Rivers system. The Vandolah Nature Preserve, owned by ACRES Land Trust, Inc., includes parts of the canyon.
Topography
Topography is the study of Earth's surface shape and features or those ofplanets, moons, and asteroids...
feature located in Allen County, Indiana
Allen County, Indiana
As of the census of 2000, there were 331,849 people, 128,745 households, and 86,259 families residing in the county. The population density was 505 people per square mile . There were 138,905 housing units at an average density of 211 per square mile...
. It is a very straight, narrow gorge
Canyon
A canyon or gorge is a deep ravine between cliffs often carved from the landscape by a river. Rivers have a natural tendency to reach a baseline elevation, which is the same elevation as the body of water it will eventually drain into. This forms a canyon. Most canyons were formed by a process of...
about 50 to 100 ft (15.2 to 30.5 ) deep that contains part of the lower segment of Cedar Creek
Cedar Creek (Indiana)
Called Mes-kwah-wa-se-pe or "old redwood creek" by Native Americans, Cedar Creek is the largest tributary of the St. Joseph River, draining in northeastern Indiana. It is long, rising in northwestern DeKalb County and joining the St...
, the largest tributary
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
of the St. Joseph River
St. Joseph River (Maumee River)
The St. Joseph River is an tributary of the Maumee River in northwestern Ohio, and northeastern Indiana in the United States, with headwater tributaries rising in southern Michigan. It drains a primarily rural farming region in the watershed of Lake Erie. It shares its name with the St...
. The canyon originated at the end of the last ice age
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
as a tunnel valley
Tunnel valley
A tunnel valley is a large, long, U-shaped valley originally cut under the glacial ice near the margin of continental ice sheets such as that now covering Antarctica and formerly covering portions of all continents during past glacial ages....
, a channel under the Erie Lobe of the Wisconsin Glacier
Wisconsin glaciation
The last glacial period was the most recent glacial period within the current ice age occurring during the last years of the Pleistocene, from approximately 110,000 to 10,000 years ago....
that discharged meltwalter under considerable pressure into the ancestral Eel River, a tributary of the Wabash River
Wabash River
The Wabash River is a river in the Midwestern United States that flows southwest from northwest Ohio near Fort Recovery across northern Indiana to southern Illinois, where it forms the Illinois-Indiana border before draining into the Ohio River, of which it is the largest northern tributary...
. Cutting through the north limb of the Wabash Moraine, a debris deposit left by the retreating ice, the discharge left a large outwash fan
Outwash fan
An outwash fan is a fan-shaped body of sediments deposited by braided streams from a melting glacier. Sediment locked within the ice of the glacier, gets transported by the streams of meltwater, and deposits on the outwash plain, at the terminus of the glacier...
that blocked the Eel, diverting its upper portion into the canyon in a classic example of stream piracy that formed today's Cedar Creek. This was part of a general drainage reversal that occurred in northeastern Indiana as the Maumee River
Maumee River
The Maumee River is a river in northwestern Ohio and northeastern Indiana in the United States. It is formed at Fort Wayne, Indiana by the confluence of the St. Joseph and St. Marys rivers, and meanders northeastwardly for through an agricultural region of glacial moraines before flowing into the...
opened and captured drainage that was previously part of the watershed
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
of the Wabash. While the lower Eel remained a tributary of the Wabash, 175000 acres (708.2 km²) that it formerly drained became part of the Maumee watershed.
The flow reversal in lower Cedar Creek was probably accelerated by the downcutting
Downcutting
Downcutting, also called erosional downcutting or downward erosion or vertical erosion is a geological process that deepens the channel of a stream or valley by removing material from the stream's bed or the valley's floor. How fast downcutting occurs depends on the stream's base level, which is...
of the St. Joseph River, which increased the velocity of its tributaries, causing them to erode toward their headwaters (headward erosion
Headward erosion
Headward erosion is a fluvial process of erosion that lengthens a stream, a valley or a gully at its head and also enlarges its drainage basin. The stream erodes away at the rock and soil at its headwaters in the opposite direction that it flows. Once a stream has begun to cut back, the erosion is...
). One of these tributaries east of the tunnel valley probably became the downstream portion of Cedar Creek, later capturing flow from the valley itself and then, finally, the entire upstream segment of the ancestral Eel.
Today's Cedar Creek Canyon is a picturesque, forested area just north of Fort Wayne
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne is a city in the US state of Indiana and the county seat of Allen County. The population was 253,691 at the 2010 Census making it the 74th largest city in the United States and the second largest in Indiana...
that includes both upland
Upland and lowland (freshwater ecology)
In studies of the ecology of freshwater rivers, habitats are classified as upland and lowland.-Definitions:Upland habitats are cold, clear, rocky, fast flowing rivers in mountainous areas; lowland habitats are warm, slow flowing rivers found in relatively flat lowland areas, with water that is...
and floodplain
Floodplain
A floodplain, or flood plain, is a flat or nearly flat land adjacent a stream or river that stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls and experiences flooding during periods of high discharge...
environments. The portion of Cedar Creek that flows through it, from river mile
River mile
In the United States, a River mile is a measure of distance in miles along a river from its mouth. River mile numbers begin at zero and increase further upstream. The corresponding metric unit using kilometers is the River kilometer...
13.7 to the creek's confluence
Confluence (geography)
In geography, a confluence is the meeting of two or more bodies of water. It usually refers to the point where two streams flow together, merging into a single stream...
with the St. Joseph, is officially designated as an "Outstanding State Resource Water" and is one of four streams in Indiana's Natural, Scenic and Recreational Rivers system. The Vandolah Nature Preserve, owned by ACRES Land Trust, Inc., includes parts of the canyon.