Groundwater Resources of Marshall County, Kentucky

Topography

Discussion from McGrain and Currens (1978)

Marshall County is near the northeastern corner of the Mississippi Embayment Region of western Kentucky. The Tennessee River marks the northern boundary, and Kentucky Lake, a Tennessee Valley Authority facility on the Tennessee River, forms the eastern boundary. The elevation of the Tennessee River at the Marshall-McCracken County line, the lowest point in the county, is 302 feet. Normal pool elevation of Kentucky Lake is 359 feet.

Topographically, Marshall County is a gently rolling plain. Highest elevations are found on the flat-topped ridges between the principal drainage lines and range from 550 feet in the southern part of the county to 450 feet in the northern part. Elevations of 550 feet, the highest in the county, occur on a ridge about 4 miles south of Benton and on a ridge just north of the Marshall-Calloway County line about 4 miles west of Hardin. Local differences in elevation rarely exceed 50 feet, except adjacent to drainage lines; here differences between valley bottoms and the upland surface may be 100 to 150 feet. Stream gradients are low. Some swamps are present along the broad, flat valley of the East Fork of the Clarks River.

The elevation of Benton, at the courthouse, is 430 feet. Elevations at other communities are Aurora, 463 feet; Briensburg, 495 feet; Calvert City, at the railroad, 350 feet; Draffenville, 471 feet; Elva, 346 feet; Gilbertsville, 350 feet; Little Cypress, 349 feet; Palma, 461 feet; Possum Trot, 345 feet; and Sharp, 407 feet. The elevations at the lodges at Kentucky Dam Village and Kenlake State Parks are 415 and 450 feet, respectively.

The 7.5-minute topographic quadrangle maps that cover Marshall County are shown, by name and by index code (Kentucky Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Cabinet) on the index map.

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