Figure 2 - available via license: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
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Modified map from the USGS National Map website showing the French Broad River location in relation to surrounding rivers. The Saluda, Broad, and Catawba Rivers all are in the Santee River drainage basin while the Toxaway River flows to the Savannah Rive
Source publication
Topographic map evidence in the western North Carolina French Broad River drainage basin (upstream from Asheville) was used to determine if a new geology and glacial history paradigm (new paradigm) can explain previously unexplained (and anomalous) drainage system evidence. The new paradigm claims: 1) the Eastern Continental Divide was uplifted as...
Context in source publication
Context 1
... formed the French Broad River meanders in a northeast direction before turning in a north direction to reach Asheville. From Asheville the river continues in a north and northwest direction through a deep valley which cuts across the Great Smoky Mountains and enters Tennessee where the river turns in a southwest and eventually west direction to join the southwest-oriented Holston River so as to form the southwest-oriented Tennessee River (see Figure 2). The Tennessee River eventually turns in a north direction to reach the west-oriented Ohio River which in turn flows to the south-oriented Mississippi River. ...
Similar publications
A new and fundamentally different geology and glacial history paradigm (new paradigm) is used to interpret previously ignored and unexplained drainage system and erosional landform evidence shown on the 1893 United States Geological Survey (USGS) Cranberry, North Carolina 1:125,000 scale topographic map which has a 100-foot (about 30 meters) contou...
Citations
Published geology literature addresses only a small fraction of the Blacksburg, Virginia region topographic map drainage divide evidence. This situation probably arises because the accepted geology and glacial history paradigm (accepted paradigm) does not explain most topographic map drainage divide evidence (anywhere). A new and fundamentally different geology and glacial history paradigm (new paradigm) which appears to explain most topographic map drainage divide evidence sees the Eastern Continental Divide in the Blacksburg area as being located along the rim of a continental ice sheet created and occupied deep “hole” with the rim being uplifted as immense and prolonged southwest-oriented meltwater floods flowed across the region. From the new paradigm perspective northwest-oriented New River valley headward erosion into the rising deep “hole” rim (from the deep “hole”) upon reaching the Blacksburg region beheaded and reversed southwest-oriented floodwaters (probably aided by deep “hole” rim uplift) to create today’s northeast- and northwest-oriented New River. Headward erosion of the southeast-oriented Roanoke River valley and subsequently the southeast-oriented James River valley (both from the Atlantic Ocean) then created the Roanoke River-New River and James River-New River drainage divides (both are Eastern Continental Divide segments) and the James River-Roanoke River drainage divide by beheading and reversing southwest-oriented floodwaters which had been flowing in diverging and converging channels (which had been eroded headward in northeast directions along less resistant bedrock units from the New River valley). This scenario explains most through valleys (valleys crossed by drainage divides), barbed tributaries, river direction changes, and water gaps seen on Blacksburg area detailed topographic maps and does not see significant changes taking place since the southwest-oriented floods ended. The accepted and new paradigms are incommensurable which according to Thomas Kuhn means one paradigm should not be used to judge the other.
A new and fundamentally different geology and glacial history paradigm (new paradigm) is used to interpret previously ignored and unexplained drainage system and erosional landform evidence shown on the 1893 United States Geological Survey (USGS) Cranberry, North Carolina 1:125,000 scale topographic map which has a 100-foot (about 30 meters) contour interval. In most regions geomorphologists have never been able to use the accepted geology and glacial history paradigm (accepted paradigm) to explain topographic map drainage system and erosional landform evidence. Probably for that reason, drainage system and erosional landform evidence shown on the 1893 Cranberry topographic map and its adjacent topographic maps has been ignored for 130 years. This study demonstrates how a new geology and glacial history paradigm (new paradigm) which was developed by using Great Plains and Rocky Mountain topographic map evidence explains the 1893 Cranberry map drainage system and erosional landform evidence (and similar evidence from a small area on an adjacent 120-year-old map). The new paradigm sees the Cranberry map area as being located along the southeastern rim of a continental ice sheet created and occupied deep “hole” with regional erosion occurring and present-day drainage systems developing when the headward erosion of southeast-oriented valleys from the Atlantic Ocean and of northwest-oriented valleys from the developing deep “hole” into the rising deep “hole” rim captured massive and prolonged meltwater floods which had been flowing across the region. The new paradigm permits explanations for most drainage divides, named and unnamed gaps, barbed tributaries, through valleys extending across drainage divides, isolated erosional remnants, diverging and converging valleys, and unusual river and stream direction changes which the 1893 Cranberry topographic map shows.
