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Elk River (Alberta)


FieldValue
nameElk River
source1_locationElk River headwaters
source1_coordinates
mouth_locationBrazeau Reservoir
mouth_coordinates
subdivision_type2Location
subdivision_name2Alberta
subdivision_type1Country
subdivision_name1Canada
source1_elevation1372 m
mouth_elevation976 m

The Elk River is a short river rising in the eastern portion of the Alberta foothills. The river begins south of the ghost town of Coalspur and heads east before draining into the Brazeau Reservoir created by the Brazeau Dam on the Brazeau River, a tributary of the North Saskatchewan River.

The river follows the Elk River Road for much of its course. The Elk River Provincial Recreation Area is also located on the river.

Physical characteristics

Alberta Environment, a Ministry of the Government of Alberta, undertook a survey of the Elk River in the 1980s. The following data was generated from the survey:

Reach number 1

  • Terrain Surrounding Valley: Rolling hills, ground moraine Valley characteristics
  • Description: Wide, stream cut valley
  • Terraces: 2 fragmentary levels Valley Flat
  • Width: 750 m
  • Description: Broad alluvial floodplain occasionally marked by oxbow cutoffs River Channel
  • Pattern: Irregular meanders
  • Islands: None
  • Bar type: Point bars
  • Bed material: Sand with local gravel
  • Bank material: Sand and gravel overlain by silt

Reach number 2

  • Terrain surrounding valley: Rolling hills, ground moraine Valley characteristics
  • Description: Broad glacial spillway channel now occupied by a smaller underfit stream
  • Terraces: None Valley flat
  • Width: 500 m
  • Description: Broad alluvial floodplain marked by numerous cutoffs River channel
  • Pattern: Irregular to tortuous meanders
  • Islands: None
  • Bar type: Point bars
  • Bed material: Sand with local gravel
  • Bank material: Sand and gravel overlain by silt, occasional till where channel is confined

Reach number 3

  • Terrain surrounding valley: Rolling hills, fluted ground moraine Valley characteristics
  • Description: Wide, stream cut valley
  • Terraces: None Valley flat
  • Width: 400 m
  • Description: Alluvial valley marked by oxbow cutoffs River channel
  • Pattern: Irregular meanders
  • Islands: None
  • Bar type: Point bars, side bars
  • Bed material: Sand with local gravel
  • Bank material: Sand, gravel, and till

Reach number 4

  • Terrain surrounding valley: Fluted ground moraine, some outwash Valley characteristics
  • Description: Narrow stream cut valley
  • Terraces: None Valley flat
  • Width: 100 m
  • Description: Highly variable River channel
  • Pattern: Irregular
  • Islands: None
  • Bar type: Point bars, side bars
  • Bed material: Sand with local gravel
  • Bank material: Sand, gravel, and till

Reach number 5

  • Terrain surrounding valley: Rolling hills, ground moraine Valley characteristics
  • Description: Narrow stream cut valley
  • Terraces: None Valley flat
  • Width: 100 m
  • Description: Fragmentary River channel
  • Pattern: Irregular to sinuous
  • Islands: None
  • Bar type: Side bars
  • Bed material: Gravel
  • Bank material: Gravel, outwash, and till

Reach number 6

  • Terrain surrounding valley: Rolling upland, ground moraine Valley characteristics
  • Description: Wide, stream cut valley
  • Terraces: None Valley flat
  • Width: 400 m
  • Description: Wide alluvial flat marked by oxbow cutoffs River channel
  • Pattern: Tortuous meanders
  • Islands: None
  • Bar type: Point bars
  • Bed material: Sand
  • Bank material: Sand overlain by silt

References

References

  1. Mussio Ventures. ''Central Alberta Backroad Mapbook.'' Burnaby: Backroad Mapbooks (2002), pp. 7-8
  2. Alberta Environment, Environmental Engineering Support Division. ''Brazeau-Pembina River Classification Study.'' Edmonton: Alberta Department of the Environment, 1980.
Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

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