User:Squeamish Ossifrage/sandbox/indiancreek

Tributaries
From mouth to source, Indian Creek is joined by four named tributaries, as well as approximately fifteen smaller, unnamed streams.

History
In the early 1970s, concerns about water quality and the potential for flooding on the Blue River resulted in a plan to create several multipurpose reservoirs. The Flood Control Act of 1970 authorized the construction of reservoirs on Indian Creek, Tomahawk Creek, and two other tributaries of the Blue. Earth-filled embankment dams were to have been built, with completion of Indian Lake and Tomahawk Lake anticipated by 1984. The reservoir proposal met with initially mixed public reaction. Opponents expressed concerns about the loss of local tax bases, future siltation of the reservoirs, and the perception that the project would primarily benefit downstream industries such as Armco Steel. Ultimately, these plans were abandoned.

Geology
Indian Creek exposes rocks of several geologic formations, dating back to the Missourian stage of the Pennsylvanian subperiod (from approximately 300 million years ago to 296 Ma ). These limestone and shale layers are all part of the Kansas City Group. The oldest such outcrops are those of the Swope Limestone and Galesburg Shale. Fossils are known from the Winterset Limestone and Stark Shale of the Dennis Formation, including Lingula and other brachiopods, bryozoans, and conodonts. The Iola Formation from later in the Missourian also includes fossiliferous limestone; crinoids are common, as are several brachiopod genera such as Juresania, Linoproductus, and Neospirifer.