Teays River - Course and Fate

Course and Fate

The Teays River was a north- and northwest-flowing river existing prior to the Pleistocene Ice Ages — before 2.5 million years ago. The Teays flowed through southwest West Virginia, between Kentucky and Ohio, and northwest across Ohio (see illustration). The Teays then flowed under what is present-day Lafayette, Indiana and just north of Champaign, Illinois, and likely was coincident with the lower present-day Illinois River.

The Teays River was dissected and largely wiped away by advancing glaciers and their meltwater. These glaciers were the massive continental ice sheets that began to cover large parts of Ohio and other states downstream (west) of Ohio between 2.5 and 3 million years ago. Their presence caused lakes (Glacial Lake Tight, Glacial Lake Monongahela, etc.) to form along the Teays and associated rivers. Overflow of these lakes into nearby, lower valleys caused large floods and new rivers to form. These new rivers — formed about 2 million years ago — included the present-day Ohio and Scioto Rivers, which are associated with the most direct evidence of the Teays.