Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
Fig. 3
Denison dam, TX (
http://pics4.city-data.com/cpicv/vfiles25242.jpg
)
Navigational conditions were improved, but the river's characteristic flashy
nature continued and river migration continued. In AD 1938, Denison Dam and
Lake Texoma were authorized for construction of flood control structures and
hydroelectric power facilities by the Flood Control Act, which was approved on
June 28, AD 1938 (Fig.
3
). By AD 1944, Denison Dam was completed and was put
into operation for flood control. At the time, it was America's largest rolled, earth-
filled dam. The dam is now the 12th largest in volume in the United States. In AD
1968, the Red River Waterway navigation effort was authorized to insure navigation
of the Red River from its confluence with the Atchafalaya to Shreveport, Louisiana.
Red River Geology
The Red River generally flows southeast to its confluence with the Mississippi
River. The total length of the river is 1,360 miles and it drains a basin of
approximately 90,000 square miles. It flows through Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and
Cenozoic age sedimentary rocks and transports a large amount of red Permian-age
sediments, giving the river a reddish color that led to its name (Autin and Pearson
1993
; Fig.
4
). The Native Americans and Europeans referred to the river by dif-
ferent names such as Napleste (Native American), Rio Rojo, Vermejo, Colorado
(Spanish), and Riviere Rouge (French) depending upon the region from which they
visited, but usually referred to its characteristic red color during high flows.
The lower Red River has three geological constrictions of hard Oligocene
sandstone located near Texarkana, Texas, at Grand Ecore (near Natchitoches,
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