Archives for January, 2015

Wissahickon Gorge and Schuylkill Gorge barbed tributaries

Wissahickon Creek after flowing for approximately six miles in a south-southeast direction through the Wissahickon Gorge turns to flow in an east direction where it is joined by southwest oriented Monoshone Creek. But, instead of continuing in a south-southeast or east direction Wissahickon Creek makes an abrupt turn to flow in a southwest direction along […]

Marble Hall Through Valley between Spring Mill and Wissahickon Creeks

The Marble Hall Through Valley between Spring Mill Creek and Wissahickon Creek is one of several through valleys linking the Wissahickon Creek valley upstream from the Wissahickon Gorge with the Schuylkill River valley and is located in Marble Hall between Lafayette Hill and Barren Hill. Wissahickon Creek flows in a south direction at the through […]

Whitemarsh Through Valley between Plymouth and Wissahickon Creeks

The Whitemarsh Through Valley between Plymouth Creek and Wissahickon Creeks is one of several low elevation through valleys linking the Wissahickon Creek valley upstream from Wissahickon Gorge with the Schuylkill River and is a west to east oriented valley underlain by easily eroded bedrock and bounded on the south by an erosion resistant upland and […]

Sandy Run Elbow of Capture near Fort Washington

Sandy Run originates in Roslyn and flows in a west direction along the Camp Hill ridge south flank or the Whitemarsh Valley north side toward the south oriented Wissahickon Creek, but instead of continuing in a west direction Sandy Run turns abruptly at the Sandy Run Elbow of Capture to flow in a north direction […]

Fort Washington Water Gaps (Wissahickon Creek and Sandy Run)

Two adjacent water gaps can be seen just south of Fort Washington. The first, the Wissahickon Water Gap, is where Wissahickon Creek flows in a south direction between Fort Hill (east) and Militia Hill (west). The second, the Sandy Run Water Gap, is where Sandy Run turns from flowing in a west direction to flow […]

Southwest Oriented Wissahickon Creek Headwaters

Wissahickon Creek originates near Lansdale at an elevation of approximately 400 feet and its headwaters flow in a southwest direction for a distance of approximately 4 miles before reaching an elevation of about 300 feet where the stream turns to flow in a southeast direction through its first water gap. Wissahickon Creek headwaters are bounded […]

Chalfont Elbow of Capture

Southwest oriented North Branch Neshaminy Creek and southwest oriented Pine Run join northeast oriented West Branch Neshaminy Creek at Chalfont to create the meandering and east oriented Neshaminy Creek, which eventually meanders in a southeast, south-southeast, and south direction to join a southwest oriented Delaware River segment. The Chalfont Elbow of Capture is just one […]

Laverock Wind Gap

The Laverock Wind Gap with a floor elevation slightly greater than 350 feet is located just south of the northeast trending Edge Hill Ridge and links the east oriented Tacony Creek headwaters valley with a west oriented Wissahickon Creek tributary valley (which drains to the Wissahickon Gorge north entrance). Wissahickon Creek drains to the southeast […]

Seminary Wind Gap

Route 309 and an abandoned rail line cross Edge Hill Ridge at the Seminary Wind Gap, with Westminster Theological Seminary being located on the wind gap northeast rim. The Seminary Wind Gap is one of three wind gaps cut into the Wissahickon Creek-Tacony Creek drainage divide along the northeast oriented Edge Hill Ridge with the […]

Edge Hill Wind Gap

The SEPTA Lansdale line between Glenside and North Hills and Limekiln Pike cross Edge Hill Ridge at the Edge Hill Wind Gap. The Edge Hill Wind Gap is one of three wind gaps cut into the Wissahickon Creek-Tacony Creek drainage divide along the northeast oriented Edge Hill Ridge with the other two wind gaps being […]

Ardsley Wind Gap

The SEPTA Ardsley station is located on the Ardsley Wind Gap floor and Jenkintown Road also crosses the Edge Hill Ridge at the Ardsley Wind Gap. The Ardsley Wind Gap is the deepest of three noticeable wind gaps or notches cut into the Wissahickon Creek-Tacony Creek drainage divide along the northeast oriented Edge Hill Ridge […]

Meadow Brook Through Valley

The Meadow Brook Through Valley is an east-northeast oriented valley used by the SEPTA West Trenton line between Jenkintown and Bethayres and links the south oriented Tacony Creek valley at Jenkintown with the deeper south oriented Pennypack Creek valley at Bethayres. Today south oriented Baederwood Creek flows into the the through valley’s west-southwest end and […]

Jenkintown Elbow of Capture

Tacony Creek flows in an east direction from its headwaters area through Glenside to the SEPTA Lansdale Regional Rail line, near the SPS technologies plant, and then turns to flow in a south-southeast direction between Jenkintown and Wyncote. The turn from flowing in an east direction to flowing in a south-southeast direction is here referred […]

Tacony Creek East Oriented Headwaters Segment

Tacony Creek originates as Tookany Creek just south of the Westminster Theological Seminary in Laverock and flows in an east direction on a route just north of the Arcadia University campus into and then through Glenside to reach its Jenkintown elbow of capture near the SEPTA West Trenton and Landsdale Regional Rail line junction located […]

Wissahickon Drainage Basin, Southeast Pennsylvania

Wissahickon Creek has a relatively small drainage basin in southeastern Pennsylvania, but is located along the Schuylkill River-Delaware River drainage divide southern end and includes a well-known and picturesque gorge in northwest Philadelphia. The stream rises near Lansdale in Montgomery County and flows for approximately 23 miles in a south direction to reach northwest Philadelphia […]

Philly Landforms Web Site Overview

To find specific landforms of interest use the category list on the side.  This Philly Landforms website is creating in a blog format a catalog of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area erosional landforms. Landforms of interest can be located by using the side bar category list where all landforms of a specific type or contained in a specific drainage […]