62 FLORIDA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY-THIRD ANNUAL REPORT.
rounding country is in general level or rolling and lies at an elevation approximating 2oo feet above sea. The basin along its western side is bordered by a bluff which rises to an elevation of from 50 to 75 feet above the level of the lake. \ Voi the eastern and southeastern side the basin passes gradually into low lying swampy hammock land, or cypress swamp. The sink of Alligator Lake occurs along the southwestern border. The escape of water at the present time is through this sink. In the coun try bordering the lake around this sink numerous other sinks occur. The lake is said to overflow at high water stage to the south through a small stream known as Clay Hole Branch.
A soil boring put down fifty yards from the edge of the basin along its southwest border gave the following section:
Black muck With admixture of clay............................ft.
Yellow sand loam ............................................. 2 ft.
Fine light gray sandI....................................i2 ft.
A pit made by Mr. Greer in his garden near the border of the lake gave the following section:
Brownish colored imperfectly decayed vegetable matter (peat) .... I ft.
Black muck with admixture of sand and clay.................2 ft.
Red very sandy clay......................................I ft..
It is reported that at the time of the early settlements in Columbia County, 1835 or thereabouts, Alligator Basin was a prairie or savanna and was used at that time by the Indians as pasture land. The lake was dry in the-fall of 1801, and again in the fall of 1899 or 19oo. It was dry again during the winter and spring of 19o9, but was partly filled by rains during the following summer.
Approximately complete records of rainfall are available at the Lake City station for the year 1897 and succeeding years. The rainfall for the year 1899, at which time the lake became dry, was much below normal, amounting for the year to, only 30.49 inches. The next period of unusually low rainfall was the year 19o8. During this year the rainfall amounted to only 29.83. The rainfall during the year 1909 was likewise slightly below normal, amounting at Lake City to 49.68 inches.
ALACIIUA LAKE.
Alachna Lake or Paynes Prairie is the central and largest of the several lake basins of southeastern Alachua County. This basin is about eight miles long and varies in width from one and a half