The Mississinawa Moraine begins in Ohio east of Lima in Hardin County, then running in a shallow arc to the south of Grand Lake St. Marys and St. Marys in Mercer County towards Fort Recovery, Ohio. Just west of Fort Recovery, the moraine again arches southward towards the Mississinewa River. The moraine follows the eastern bank of the river northwestward to where it enters the Wabash River at Wabash, Indiana. Angling towards the north and a little east, the Mississinawa moraine merges with the Packerton Moraine north of the Eel River in Whitley County near Columbia City. The moraine does not end here, but continues in a northeasterly direction through the three corners area of Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio until reaching Ann Arbor, Michigan where numerous moraines intermingle.[1]
Note: There are two common spellings of the name. Mississinawa (an A) is commonly used in the older reports. Mississinewa (an E) is the modern usage and the spelling used on modern maps and projects associated with the river. Both spellings are used interchangeably in this article, based on the source material.
Location
Moraines south of Lake Michigan and southwest of Lake Erie. A composite of three maps (Leverett 1915) (Leverett 1902) (Larsen 1986) and other sources. Colors represent moraines from the same time period of the Wisconsin Glacial epoch
The morainic system south of the Wabash River is from 5 miles (8.0 km) to 6 miles (9.7 km) wide and will separate into two or more ridgelines. It has a steep rises from 20 feet (6.1 m) to 75 feet (23 m) above the surrounding plains. Its drift is largely clay till and has few boulders. The neighboring plains are of stiff clay till with a few knolls.[3]
North from the Wabash River, the moraine is from 3 miles (4.8 km) to 4 miles (6.4 km) wide north of Lagro. Northeast of Columbia City it broadens to 5 miles (8.0 km) to 15 miles (24 km) wide. The elevation rises from 800 feet (240 m) to 1,200 feet (370 m) above sea level when it reaches "Hells’ Point" in Steuben County. The surface is from 8,150 feet (2,480 m) to 300 feet (91 m) above surrounding country.[2]
Teays River
Soil borings used in the investigation Mississinewa moraine and drift located a preglacial valley in Grant and Jay Counties in Indiana. This valley ranged from 300 feet (91 m) to 350 feet (110 m)respectively in each county. Across its length; it is filed with sand and gravel from the Wisconsin glacial period.[3] This valley may relate to the Teays River.
^Glacial Map of the United States East of the Rocky Mountains, U.S. Geological Survey, Department of the Interior
^ abHandbook of Indiana Geology; Publication No. 21; W.N. Logan, Clyde A. Malott,; Indiana Department of Conservation, Department of Geology; 1922
^ abcdThe Pleistocene of Indiana and Michigan and the History of the Great Lakes, Monograph 53; Frank Leverett & Frank B. Taylor, U.S. Geological Survey; Government Printing Office, Washington; 1915, pg 167