Turtle Creek (Susquehanna River)
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Turtle Creek (also known as Turtle 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 ...
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, in the United States. It is approximately long and flows through Conyngham Township. The watershed of the creek has an area of . Wisconsinan Bouldery Till, Wisconsinan Ice-Contact Stratified Drift, Wisconsinan Outwash, alluvium, alluvial terrace, fill, and coal dumps all occur in the vicinity of the creek. The creek has been the subject of a flood protection project. Its watershed is designated as a Coldwater Fishery and a Migratory Fishery.


Course

Turtle Creek begins in a valley near Lee Road in Conyngham Township. It flows west-southwest for approximately a mile and a half (2.5 kilometers) alongside Lee Road before passing through a
pond A pond is an area filled with water, either natural or artificial, that is smaller than a lake. Defining them to be less than in area, less than deep, and with less than 30% emergent vegetation helps in distinguishing their ecology from th ...
or small
lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...
and enters Mocanaqua. In Mocanaqua, the creek continues flowing west-southwest for a few tenths of a mile before turning northwest. After a few tenths of a mile, it turns west-southwest again and after a few tenths of a mile, reaches its confluence with the Susquehanna River. Turtle Creek joins the Susquehanna River upriver of its mouth.


Hydrology

Turtle creek is a perennial stream.


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 Turtle Creek is above
sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardised g ...
. The elevation of the creek's source is between above sea level. The surficial geology in the vicinity of the upper reaches of Turtle Creek mostly features
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 Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...
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, some patches of Wisconsinan Bouldery Till, a glacial or resedimented till containing numerous
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, occurs in the creek's valley. Large areas of strip mining land occur to the north of its valley. In its lower reaches, the surficial geology of the creek mostly features Wisconsinan Bouldery Till and Wisconsinan Ice-Contact Stratified Drift, which contains stratified
sand Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural class of s ...
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 ...
along with some boulders. Wisconsinan Outwash,
alluvium Alluvium (from Latin ''alluvius'', from ''alluere'' 'to wash against') is loose clay, silt, sand, or gravel that has been deposited by running water in a stream bed, on a floodplain, in an alluvial fan or beach, or in similar settings. Alluv ...
,
alluvial terrace Fluvial terraces are elongated terraces that flank the sides of floodplains and fluvial valleys all over the world. They consist of a relatively level strip of land, called a "tread", separated from either an adjacent floodplain, other fluvial te ...
, fill, and coal dumps (large piles of coal waste) also occur near the creek's mouth. The valley of Turtle Creek is a deep and narrow strike valley. During the late Wisconsinan glaciation,
basal ice A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires distinguishing features, such as ...
flowed along the valley. Penobscot Mountain is located to the south of the creek. A
bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...
carrying Paradise Avenue crosses Turtle Creek in Conyngham Township approximately northeast of the intersection of
Pennsylvania Route 239 Pennsylvania Route 239 (PA 239) is a state highway located in Luzerne, Columbia and Lycoming Counties in Pennsylvania. The southern terminus is at PA 93 in Nescopeck Township. The northern terminus is at PA 42 in North ...
and State Route 3004. In 1997, Conyngham Township received a permit to replace the bridge with another structure. The proposed structure contained a 10.9-foot by 4.25-foot
aluminum Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. It has ...
box
culvert A culvert is a structure that channels water past an obstacle or to a subterranean waterway. Typically embedded so as to be surrounded by soil, a culvert may be made from a pipe, reinforced concrete or other material. In the United Kingdom ...
.


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 Turtle Creek has an area of . The mouth of the creek is in the
United States Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, ...
quadrangle of Shickshinny. However, the source is in the quadrangle of Nanticoke. The drainage basin is part of the Lower North Branch Susquehanna drainage basin.


History

Turtle Creek was entered into the
Geographic Names Information System The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) is a database of name and locative information about more than two million physical and cultural features throughout the United States and its territories, Antarctica, and the associated states of ...
on August 2, 1979. Its identifier in the Geographic Names Information System 1189974. Turtle Creek, is also known as Turtle Run. This name appears on Patton's Philadelphia and Suburbs Street and Road Map of 1984. The
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is the agency in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania responsible for protecting and preserving the land, air, water, and public health through enforcement of the state's environmental laws. ...
has completed a flood protection project on Turtle Creek. Such a project was considered as early as 1957.


Biology

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


See also

* Rocky Run (Susquehanna River), next tributary of the Susquehanna River going downriver *
Black Creek (Susquehanna River) Black Creek is a tributary of the Susquehanna River in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is approximately long and flows through Conyngham Township. The creek's watershed has an area of . It is designated as a Coldwater Fis ...
, next tributary of the Susquehanna River going upriver * List of rivers of Pennsylvania


References

{{authority control Rivers of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania Tributaries of the Susquehanna River Rivers of Pennsylvania