Big Run is a

tributary A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage ...

West Branch Fishing Creek West Branch Fishing Creek is one of the northernmost major tributaries of Fishing Creek in Sullivan County, Pennsylvania and Columbia County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is long and flows through Davidson Township, Sullivan County a ...

in Sullivan County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is approximately long and flows through Davidson Township. The watershed of the stream has an area of . The stream is somewhat acidic, with a pH that ranged from 4.02 to 4.65 during a study on the watershed of Fishing Creek. Wisconsinan Till, Boulder Colluvium, and bedrock consisting of sandstone and shale all occur in the vicinity of the stream.

Course

Big Run begins on a plateau in Davidson Township. It flows southeast and almost immediately leaves the plateau and begins descending steeply through a deep and narrow valley. After several tenths of a mile, the stream gradually turns south. A short distance further downstream, it crosses Fishing Creek Road and reaches its confluence with West Branch Fishing Creek. Big Run joins West Branch Fishing Creek upstream of its mouth.

Hydrology

Between June 2010 and April 2011, the water temperature of Big Run was measured four times during a study of the Fishing Creek watershed. The highest temperature, occurred on June 18, 2010 and the second-highest temperature, , occurred on November 13, 2010. The second-lowest temperature occurred, on April 9, 2011. The lowest temperature, , occurred on January 4, 2011. Between June 2010 and April 2011, the

specific conductivity Specific may refer to: * Specificity (disambiguation) * Specific, a cure or therapy for a specific illness Law * Specific deterrence, focussed on an individual * Specific finding, intermediate verdict used by a jury in determining the fina ...

of the waters of Big Run was measured four times during the study of the Fishing Creek watershed . The highest specific conductivity was 20 micro-siemens per centimeter. This value occurred on June 18, 2010. The lowest specific conductivity occurred on January 4, 2011. The value was 6 micro-siemens per centimeter. The specific conductivity was 15 micro-siemens per centimeter on November 13, 2010 and April 9, 2011. The pH of Big Run was measured four times during the study of the Fishing Creek watershed between June 2010 and April 2011. The highest pH was 4.65 and it occurred on November 13, 2010. The second-highest pH was 4.37. This value occurred on June 18, 2010. The second-lowest was 4.13 and occurred on January 4, 2011. The lowest pH, 4.02, occurred on April 9, 2011. Big Run is designated by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection for use for aquatic life. It attains the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection's standards for this use.

Geography, geology, and watershed

The elevation near the

mouth In animal anatomy, the mouth, also known as the oral cavity, or in Latin cavum oris, is the opening through which many animals take in food and issue vocal sounds. It is also the cavity lying at the upper end of the alimentary canal, bounded on ...

of Big Run is above sea level. The elevation of the stream's source is between above sea level. In its lower reaches, Big Run is on a glacial till known as the Wisconsinan Till. This till is a diamict that is unstratified or poorly stratified. In part of the area where the stream is in the vicinity of Wisconsinan Till, the till is underlain by alternating layers of silt and clay. Each layer is approximately thick. Boulder Colluvium occurs near the stream's headwaters. The majority of the surface is covered in

boulder In geology, a boulder (or rarely bowlder) is a rock fragment with size greater than in diameter. Smaller pieces are called cobbles and pebbles. While a boulder may be small enough to move or roll manually, others are extremely massive. In c ...

s consisting of quartz, sandstone, or

conglomerate Conglomerate or conglomeration may refer to: * Conglomerate (company) * Conglomerate (geology) * Conglomerate (mathematics) In popular culture: * The Conglomerate (American group), a production crew and musical group founded by Busta Rhymes ** Co ...

Bedrock In geology, bedrock is solid Rock (geology), rock that lies under loose material (regolith) within the crust (geology), crust of Earth or another terrestrial planet. Definition Bedrock is the solid rock that underlies looser surface mater ...

consisting of sandstone and

shale Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock formed from mud that is a mix of flakes of clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4) and tiny fragments (silt-sized particles) of other minerals, especial ...

can be found in the vicinity of the stream, especially in its middle and upper reaches. The

watershed Watershed is a hydrological term, which has been adopted in other fields in a more or less figurative sense. It may refer to: Hydrology * Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins * Drainage basin, called a "watershe ...

of Big Run has an area of . The stream is entirely within the United States Geological Survey quadrangle of Elk Grove.

History

Big Run was entered into the Geographic Names Information System on August 2, 1979. Its identifier in the Geographic Names Information System is 1169569.

References

{{authority control Rivers of Sullivan County, Pennsylvania Tributaries of Fishing Creek (North Branch Susquehanna River) Rivers of Pennsylvania

Course

Hydrology

Geography, geology, and watershed

History

See also

References