Uttle River Canyon, located on Lookout Mountain near Ft. Payne. Alabama (Figure 1), demonstrates water erosion on a colossal scale. The canyon sits on a plateau with side canyons, hanging tributary valleys, and underfit streams which testify of a massive amount of energized water involved in the formative process. The presence of sheer cliffs along the rim of the canyon and the close proximity of the canyon in two locations to the eastern margin of Lookout Mountain, indicate that the canyon was formed in the relatively recent past. Sapping features, such as alcoves, present evidence of the canyon's formation before complete lithification of the sandstone strata.
For this study, erosion and rapid canyon formation were researched in various publications. Information on the origin and formation of Little River Canyon could not be found in published sources. From the data gathered in this research, rapid and catastrophic events occurring during a singular hydraulic event best explain the formation of the canyon within the time constraints of a Flood-based, catastrophist interpretation.