Itkillik River

Itkillik River
Itkillik River is located in Alaska
Itkillik River
Location of the mouth of the Itkillik River in Alaska
Location
CountryUnited States
StateAlaska
BoroughNorth Slope
Physical characteristics
SourceEndicott Mountains
 • locationNear Oolah Pass, Brooks Range
 • coordinates68°05′18″N 150°00′22″W / 68.08833°N 150.00611°W / 68.08833; -150.00611[1]
 • elevation5,276 ft (1,608 m)[2]
MouthColville River
 • location
25 miles (40 km) southwest of Harrison Bay on the Beaufort Sea
 • coordinates
70°09′00″N 150°56′20″W / 70.15000°N 150.93889°W / 70.15000; -150.93889[1]
 • elevation
7 ft (2.1 m)[1]
Length220 mi (350 km)[3]

The Itkillik River[pronunciation?] is a 220-mile (350 km) tributary of the Colville River in the North Slope Borough of the U.S. state of Alaska.[3] The river flows northeast then northwest out of the Endicott Mountains near Oohlah Pass to meet the larger stream about 25 miles (40 km) southwest of Harrison Bay on the Beaufort Sea.[1] An Iñupiaq map, drawn in about 1900, identifies the river as It-kil-lik, meaning Indian.[3]

A melting permafrost formation exposed along the Itkillik River is the largest known yedoma in Alaska. The formation, deposited between 50,000 and 10,000 years ago, contains remains of bison, muskoxen, mammoths, and other animals embedded in an ice cliff that is 100 feet (30 m) high and 1,200 feet (370 m) long. The ice is rich in methane. Odors emitted by the gasses released when the ice thaws have led to the site's nickname, the Stinking Hills or Stinky Bluffs.[4]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Itkillik River". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. January 1, 2000. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
  2. ^ Source elevation derived from Google Earth search using GNIS source coordinates.
  3. ^ a b c Orth, Donald J.; United States Geological Survey (1971) [1967]. "Dictionary of Alaska Place Names: Geological Survey Professional Paper 567" (PDF). University of Alaska Fairbanks. United States Government Printing Office. p. 464. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 12, 2013. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
  4. ^ Rozell, Ned (May 26, 2011). "Alaska Science Forum: Far North Permafrost Cliff Is One of a Kind". Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks. Archived from the original on September 28, 2017. Retrieved December 19, 2019.



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