Honors Theses
Advisor
Christopher Sheehan, Ph.D.
Department
Earth and Environmental Geosciences
Publication Date
4-22-2026
Document Type
Honors Thesis
Abstract
Hocking Hills State Park contains one of the highest densities of waterfalls in the midwestern United States, yet their origin remains unresolved. Waterfalls, or knickpoints (abrupt changes in channel slope where water is in the state of freefall), are sensitive indicators of landscape disturbance and base-level change. This study evaluates whether these features are formed through steady differential erosion or in response to a transient base-level fall associated with glacial drainage reorganization. High-resolution LiDAR analysis identified 707 knickpoints within the Salt Creek watershed, substantially more than previously documented, and revealed asymmetric distribution, with dense clustering in the northern sub-watershed and complete absence in the southern sub-watershed, despite comparable bedrock geology. Field measurements of 25 waterfalls show no constant relationship between knickpoint height and stratigraphic position, challenging a purely lithologic control. Topographic analysis further indicates southward flow of the northern watershed through a narrow, deeply incised canyon, consistent with drainage reversal. Together, these observations support a hypothesis that a late Pleistocene glacially dammed lake overtopped a drainage divide, triggering a catastrophic spillover flood and rapid incision. A one-dimensional stream power erosion model demonstrates that transient base-level fall can generate upstream-migrating knickpoints consistent with the observed spatial clustering. Cosmogenic 10Be and radiocarbon samples have been collected to constrain erosion rates and timing, and laboratory analyses are ongoing. While chronological constraints are pending, current geomorphic and spatial evidence favors formation through rapid drainage reorganization rather than steady-state erosion alone, suggesting that short-duration, high-magnitude glacial events played a primary role in shaping the modern Hocking Hills landscape.
Permission Statement
This item is protected by copyright law (Title 17, U.S. Code) and may only be used for noncommercial, educational, and scholarly purposes.
Keywords
Undergraduate research
eCommons Citation
Stewart, Magdelyn R., "Testing The Influence of Lithology and Ice Sheet Dynamics on Waterfall Formation in Hocking Hills State Park, Ohio, USA" (2026). Honors Theses. 523.
https://ecommons.udayton.edu/uhp_theses/523
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