Bear Creek (Tahltan River tributary)

Bear Creek
Bear Creek (Tahltan River tributary) is located in British Columbia
Bear Creek (Tahltan River tributary)
Mouth of Bear Creek
Location
CountryCanada
ProvinceBritish Columbia
DistrictCassiar Land District
Physical characteristics
SourceLevel Mountain Range
 • locationLevel Mountain
 • coordinates58°18′20″N 131°24′41″W / 58.30556°N 131.41139°W / 58.30556; -131.41139[2]
 • elevation1,578 m (5,177 ft)[3]
MouthTahltan River
 • coordinates
58°7′15″N 131°18′2″W / 58.12083°N 131.30056°W / 58.12083; -131.30056[1]
 • elevation
502 m (1,647 ft)[3]
Length28 km (17 mi)[4]
Basin size98.5 km2 (38.0 sq mi),[5]
Discharge 
 • average1.17 m3/s (41 cu ft/s)[5]
Basin features
Topo mapsNTS 104J6 Beatty Creek
NTS 104J3 Tahltan River

Bear Creek is a tributary of the Tahltan River in northwest part of the province of British Columbia, Canada. It flows generally south through the Nahlin Plateau about 28 km (17 mi)[4] to join the Tahltan River just downstream from the Tahltan and Little Tahltan River confluence.[1]

Bear Creek's watershed covers 98.5 km2 (38.0 sq mi),[5] and its mean annual discharge is an estimated 1.17 m3/s (41 cu ft/s).[5] The mouth of the Bear Creek is located about 25 km (16 mi) north of Telegraph Creek, British Columbia, about 115 km (71 mi) east of Juneau, Alaska, and about 222 km (138 mi) southeast of Whitehorse, Yukon. Bear Creek's watershed's land cover is classified as 35.9% shrubland, 19.1% conifer forest, 16.5% herbaceous, 13.9% mixed forest, 13.3% barren, and small amounts of other cover.[5]

Bear Creek is in the traditional territory of the Tahltan people.[6][7]

Geography

Bear Creek originates on the south flank of the massive Level Mountain shield volcano, about 15 km (9.3 mi) south of Meszah Peak, the highest peak of the Level Mountain Range, a cluster of bare peaks on the summit of Level Mountain. The creek flows south through Level Mountain's high and relatively barren lava plateau. After about 17 km (11 mi) Bear Creek enters a steep canyon carved into the escarpment on Level Mountain's southern edge. Shortly after this the creek is joined by several significant but unnamed tributaries that also flow south from Level Mountain's high lava plateau. These tributaries have also carved steep gorges into Level Mountain's southern escarpment. Below the escarpment the landscape is dominated by coniferous forests. Bear Creek continues south, collecting several more unnamed tributaries, until it reaches the Tahltan River about a kilometre east of the Little Tahltan confluence[8] and the Indian reserve of "Tahltan Forks 5"[9] of the Tahltan First Nation.[10][11][12]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Bear River". BC Geographical Names.
  2. ^ Derived using BCGNIS, topographic maps and Toporama.
  3. ^ a b Elevation derived from ASTER Global Digital Elevation Model, using GeoLocator, BCGNIS coordinates, and topographic maps.
  4. ^ a b Length measured using Google Maps path tool, BCGNIS coordinates, topographic maps, and Toporama
  5. ^ a b c d e "Northwest Water Tool". BC Water Tool. GeoBC, Integrated Land Management Bureau, Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, Government of British Columbia. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  6. ^ "Dah Ki Mi — "Our House"". Tahltan Band Council. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  7. ^ "Our Territory". Tahltan Central Government. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  8. ^ "Little Tahltan River". BC Geographical Names.
  9. ^ "Tahltan Forks 5". BC Geographical Names.
  10. ^ "Tahltan Indian Band". First Nations Land Management Resource Centre. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  11. ^ "Tahltan Forks 5 Indian Reserve". Crown–Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada. Government of Canada. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  12. ^ "Toporama (on-line map and search)". Atlas of Canada. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 20 August 2021.