UNION CITY, Tenn. – A retired biology professor says the formation of Reelfoot Lake was not as simple as the public generally believes.
Wintfred L. Smith of Martin, a former faculty member of the University of Tennessee at Martin, told the Union City Daily Messenger that there were meanders of the Mississippi River in channels before the earthquakes of 1811-1812.
The earthquakes are generally thought to have created the lake.
Smith said the quakes affected the lake but were probably not the only reason it was formed.
He said he’s writing a book about the lake.
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Information from: Union City Daily Messenger, http://www.ucmessenger.com