Obendoffers Creek (also known as Obendorfers Creek) is a tributary of the

Susquehanna River The Susquehanna River (; Lenape: Siskëwahane) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, overlapping between the lower Northeast and the Upland South. At long, it is the longest river on the East Coast of the ...

in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. It is approximately long and flows through Exeter Township. The watershed of the creek has an area of . It is designated as a Coldwater Fishery and a Migratory Fishery. The surficial geology in its vicinity consists of alluvium, alluvial fan, Wisconsinan Ice-Contact Stratified Drift, Wisconsinan Till, and bedrock.

Course

Obendoffers Creek begins in a valley to the northwest of Peterson Mountain in Exeter Township. It flows northeast for a few tenths of a mile before turning east-northeast as its valley deepens. After several tenths of a mile, the creek turns east-southeast for several tenths of a mile. It then turns southeast and crosses Pennsylvania Route 92 before turning east. The creek then turns east for several hundred feet before reaching its confluence with the Susquehanna River. Obendoffers Creek joins the Susquehanna River upriver of its mouth.

Geography and geology

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 Obendoffers Creek is above sea level. The elevation of the creek's source is between above sea level. The

surficial geology Superficial deposits (or surficial deposits) refer to geological deposits typically of Quaternary age (less than 2.6 million years old). These geologically recent unconsolidated sediments may include stream channel and floodplain deposits, beach ...

in the vicinity of the mouth of Obendoffers Creek consists of alluvial fan and alluvium, both of which contain stratified sand, silt, and

gravel Gravel is a loose aggregation of rock fragments. Gravel occurs naturally throughout the world as a result of sedimentary and erosive geologic processes; it is also produced in large quantities commercially as crushed stone. Gravel is classifi ...

. Further upstream, there is alluvium, Wisconsinan Ice-Contact Stratified Drift, and

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 coal,

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 ...

, 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 ...

. However, in the vicinity of the creek's upper reaches, the surficial geology mainly consists of the bedrock and a glacial or resedimented till known as Wisconsinan Till. One proposed route for the Susquehanna-Roseland 500 kV Transmission Line would pass through the watershed of Obendoffers Creek.

Watershed

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 Obendoffers Creek has an area of . The creek is entirely within the United States Geological Survey quadrangle of Pittston.

History

Obendoffers Creek was entered into the Geographic Names Information System on August 2, 1979. Its identifier in the Geographic Names Information System is 1182856. The creek is also known as Obendorfers Creek.

PPL Corporation PPL Corporation is an energy company headquartered in Allentown, Pennsylvania in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. The company is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange. History Pennsylvania Power & Light was founded in 1 ...

once requested a permit to discharge

stormwater Stormwater, also spelled storm water, is water that originates from precipitation (storm), including heavy rain and meltwater from hail and snow. Stormwater can soak into the soil ( infiltrate) and become groundwater, be stored on depressed la ...

associated with construction activities into Obendoffers Creek and a number of other nearby streams. A bridge carrying State Route 1038/Obendorfers Road crosses the creek as well. A bridge replacement/rehabilitation project has been programmed for the bridge, which is structurally deficient.

Biology

The drainage basin of Obendoffers Creek is designated as a Coldwater Fishery and a Migratory Fishery.

References