Topographic Map Analysis of the North Platte River-South Platte River Drainage Divide Area, Western Larimer County, Colorado, USA Eric Clausen

Abstract

The United States Supreme Court settled legal disputes concerning four different Larimer County (Colorado) locations where water is moved by gravity across the high elevation North Platte-South Platte River drainage divide, which begins as a triple drainage divide with the Colorado River at Thunder Mountain (on the east-west continental divide and near Colorado River headwaters) and proceeds in roughly a north and northeast direction across deep mountain passes and other low points (divide crossings) first as the Michigan River (in the North Platte watershed)-Cache la Poudre River (in the South Platte watershed) drainage divide and then as the Laramie River (in the North Platte watershed)-Cache la Poudre River drainage divide. The mountain passes and nearby valley and drainage route orientations and other unusual erosional features can be explained if enormous and prolonged volumes of south-oriented water moved along today’s north-oriented North Platte and Laramie River alignments into what must have been a rising mountain region to reach south-oriented Colorado River headwaters. Mountain uplift in time forced a flow reversal in the Laramie River valley while flow continued in a south direction along the North Platte River alignment only to be forced to flow around the Medicine Bow Mountains south end and then to flow northward in the Laramie River valley and later to be captured by headward erosion of the east-oriented Cache la Poudre River-Joe Wright Creek valley (aided by a steeper gradient and less resistant bedrock). Continued uplift next reversed flow on the North Platte River alignment to create drainage routes seen today. While explaining Larimer County North Platte-South Platte drainage divide area topographic map drainage system and erosional landform evidence this interpretation requires a completely different Cenozoic history than the geologic history geologists usually describe.

How a New Geology and Glacial Paradigm Explains Colorado South Platte-Arkansas River Drainage Divide Topographic Map Evidence, USA

“…The new paradigm explains Missouri River drainage basin topographic map evidence by describing how almost all valleys were eroded headward across and Another new paradigm demonstration paper [17] describes how topographic map evidence shows how mountain uplift blocked south-oriented floodwaters that were moving from the now north-oriented North Platte River headwaters area into the Colorado River valley and forced the floodwaters to make a U-turn so as to flow in a north direction into the Laramie Basin and then across the rising Laramie Range as described in an earlier new paradigm demonstration paper [18] to reach what was at that time an actively eroding southeast-oriented North Platte River valley. Still another new paradigm demonstration paper [19] describes how headward erosion of that southeast-oriented North Platte River valley (along the northern Laramie Mountains northeast margin) beheaded and reversed south-oriented floodwaters flowing into the Laramie Basin and next beheaded and reversed flood flow moving south from the Casper, Wyoming area into north central Colorado to create the north-, east-, and southeast-oriented North Platte River route seen in Figure 1.…”

William Morris Davis: Father of Geomorphology or Father of Geology’s Unrecognized Paradigm Problem

“…William Morris Davis (1850Davis ( -1934 is frequently recognized for the numerous contributions he made to the study of landforms and has been credited as being the father of geomorphology [1], although an often-overlooked Davis contribution probably led to what Clausen [2] describes as geology's unrecognized paradigm problem. The unrecognized geology paradigm problem developed (according to Clausen) because geomorphologists and other geologists cannot use the accepted geology and glacial history paradigm to satisfactorily explain most topographic map drainage system and erosional landform evidence and as a result, researchers usually ignore almost all of the drainage system and erosional landform evidence which the well-mapped United States Geological Survey (USGS) topographic maps show.…”

How a New Paradigm Explains Topographic Map Drainage System and Erosional Landform Evidence in the Fremont County Royal Gorge Area, Colorado, USA

“…reach the north-oriented South Platte River headwaters drainage basin Clausen (2021b). describes how evidence on detailed topographic maps shows how large south-oriented floods flowing in what is now the north-oriented North Platte River headwaters drainage basin were forced by mountain range uplift to make a U-turn and to flow in a north direction along the present-day Laramie River alignment into the Laramie Basin and then to flow through what is now a Laramie Range diverging and converging canyon complex (described inClausen, 2018) to reach the southeast-oriented North Platte River.…”