Saltlick Creek (Little Kanawha River tributary)

For other uses, see Saltlick Creek (disambiguation).
Saltlick Creek
Saltlick Creek (Little Kanawha River tributary) is located in West Virginia
Saltlick Creek (Little Kanawha River tributary)
Location of the mouth of Saltlick Creek in Burnsville, West Virginia
Location
CountryUnited States
StateWest Virginia
CountyBraxton
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationsouth of Flatwoods
 • coordinates38°41′44″N 80°39′15″W / 38.6956554°N 80.6542611°W / 38.6956554; -80.6542611[1]
 • elevation1,303 ft (397 m)[2]
MouthLittle Kanawha River
 • location
Burnsville
 • coordinates
38°51′24″N 80°39′22″W / 38.8567624°N 80.6562068°W / 38.8567624; -80.6562068[1]
 • elevation
741 ft (226 m)[1]
Length17.7 mi (28.5 km)
Basin size49 sq mi (130 km2)

Saltlick Creek is a tributary of the Little Kanawha River, 17.7 miles (28.5 km) long,[3] located in central West Virginia in the United States. Via the Little Kanawha and Ohio rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of 49 square miles (130 km2)[4] in a rural region on the unglaciated portion of the Allegheny Plateau.

Saltlick Creek flows for its entire length in Braxton County. It rises approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) south of Flatwoods and flows generally northward, through the communities of Corley, Rollyson, and Gem to its mouth at the Little Kanawha River in Burnsville. Downstream of Rollyson, the creek is paralleled by West Virginia Route 5.[5]

According to the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, approximately 80% of the Saltlick Creek watershed is forested, mostly deciduous. Approximately 18% is used for pasture and agriculture.[4]

According to the Geographic Names Information System, Saltlick Creek has historically been known by the variant names "Salt Lick," "Salt Lick Creek," "Salt Lick Fork," and "Saltlick Fork."[1] The creek was named for a nearby mineral lick.[6]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Geographic Names Information System. "Geographic Names Information System entry for Saltlick Creek (Feature ID #1546315)". Retrieved 2011-10-13.
  2. ^ Google Earth elevation for GNIS source coordinates. Retrieved on 2011-10-13.
  3. ^ United States Environmental Protection Agency. "Watershed Assessment, Tracking & Environmental Results: Assessment Summary for Reporting Year 2008, West Virginia, Little Kanawha Watershed". Archived from the original on 2021-10-31. Retrieved 2011-10-13.
  4. ^ a b West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection. "Little Kanawha River". Watershed Atlas Project. Archived from the original on 2005-04-04. Retrieved 2011-10-13. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  5. ^ West Virginia Atlas & Gazetteer. Yarmouth, Me.: DeLorme. 1997. pp. 35, 45. ISBN 0-89933-246-3.
  6. ^ Kenny, Hamill (1945). West Virginia Place Names: Their Origin and Meaning, Including the Nomenclature of the Streams and Mountains. Piedmont, WV: The Place Name Press. p. 550.