Chert gravel and drainage development in Chase County and paleodrainage patterns of the Old Osage River in Eastern Kansas.

Abstract

This study involved two major themes: 1. the study of drainage development and upland chert gravels in Chase County; 2. the addition of Olpe SoiVchert gravel sites in Chase, Neosho, and Wilson Counties to the existing KS-CHERT database. Maps created to study drainage development and upland chert gravels in Chase County include the following: areal extent of chert gravels in Chase County; elevation of chert gravels in Chase County; orientation of stream valley lineaments compared to subsurface fractures in Chase County; digital elevation model of Cottonwood Limestone in Chase County. An updated KS-CHERT map indicating the distribution and elevation of chert gravel deposits in eastern Kansas was also developed for further study of the paleodrainage patterns of the Neogene Old Osage River and its tributaries. The IDRISI geographic information system was used in the production ofall maps. Analysis of maps created for the study of drainage development and chert gravels in Chase County seems to indicate a positive correlation between structural elements in the county and drainage development. Examination of the updated KS-CHERT database suggests: the main stem of the Old Osage River flowed eastward across southern Chase and Lyon Counties toward southern Coffey County, where it joined a tributary whose route paralleled the route of the modern Cottonwood and Neosho Rivers; the Old Osage River exited the state in a manner similar to the modern Neosho River; a northern stream or tributary of the Old Osage River may have joined with the main stem of the Old Osage in the vicinity of southwestern Anderson County or northwestern Allen County. The information concerning the location and coverage of Olpe Soil/upland chert gravel may aid in determining alternative sources of gravel for roads that would not disturb the habitat of the threatened Neosho madtom. The Neosho madtom is a small catfish that predominantly inhabits chert gravel bars in the Cottonwood and Neosho Rivers. Its habitat has been threatened by the dredging of gravels in these rivers.