Fortescue River
| Fortescue River | ||
 Ophthalmia reservoir in the course of the Fortescue River |
||
| Data | ||
| location | Western Australia , Australia | |
| River system | Fortescue River | |
| Drain over | Fortescue River → Indian Ocean | |
| source | Ophthalmia Range 23 ° 44 ′ 34 " S , 119 ° 33 ′ 34" O |
|
| Source height | 602 m | |
| muzzle | at Mardie Station in the Indian Ocean Coordinates: 21 ° 0 ′ 41 " S , 116 ° 8 ′ 43" E 21 ° 0 ′ 41 " S , 116 ° 8 ′ 43" E |
|
| Mouth height | 0 m | |
| Height difference | 602 m | |
| Bottom slope | 0.58 ‰ | |
| length | 1030 km | |
| Catchment area | 49,759 km² | |
| Drain |
MQ |
12,398.53 m³ / s |
| Left tributaries | Western Creek, Homestead Creek, Kalgan Creek, Fortescue River South, Weelumurra Creek, Caliwinga Creek, Mill Stream, Booyeemala Creek, Bandeeyer Creek, Macklin Creek, Wallanaring Creek | |
| Right tributaries | Warrawanda Creek, Shovelenna Creek, Kulkinbah Creek, Hooley Creek, Cowcumba Creek, Kanjanjie Creek, Howlett Creek, Dawson Creek, Portland River , Noondathoona Creek, Cheeraworadoona Creek, Booyeema Pond Creek, Tanga Tanga Creek | |
| Flowing lakes | Fourteen Mile Pool , Mungthannannie Pool , Mootana Pool , Upper Walloona Pool , Deep Reach Pool , Crossing Pool , Mungowarra Pool , Tarda Pool | |
| Reservoirs flowed through | Ophthalmia reservoir | |
| Small towns | Wittenoon, Fortescue River Roadhouse | |
| Communities | Ethel Creek, Roy Hill, Mulga Downs, Coolawanyah, Mardie | |
The Fortescue River is a river in the Pilbara region in the northwest of the Australian state of Western Australia . It is the third longest river in the state.
geography
course
The river has its source at Deadman Hill in the Ophthalmia Range , around 30 kilometers south of Newman . It first flows north along the Great Northern Highway . South of the Marble Bar exit , he passes under the highway that turns west. The Fortescue River now follows the Marble Bar Road further north and turns its course to the northwest at Roy Hill along the southern edge of the Chichester Range . To the north of Munjina (Auski) Roadhouse , it again crosses under the Great Northern Highway. Along the northern border of Karijini National Park and past the southwest corner of Millstream Chichester National Park , the river continues its course to the northwest. At Fortescue River Roadhouse he crosses under the North West Coastal Highway and turns north. At Mardie Station , about 70 kilometers southwest of Karratha , empties it into the Indian Ocean .
Catchment area
The catchment area of the Fortescue River drains the south slopes of the Chichester Range and the north slopes of the Hamersley Range . The floor of the river valley consists of earthy clay soils with deposits of dry clay, loam and hard red earth.
The water of the Fortescue River is dammed in the Ophthalmia reservoir . It has a volume of 32 million m³. Newman's drinking water supply requires a total of 6.29 million m³ / year.
Fortescue Marshes
The catchment area in the headwaters of the river at the confluence of the Western Creek and Warrawanda Creek with the Fortescue River is particularly flat and swampy. Up to Gregory Gorge (southwest of Millstream Chichester National Park) the river bed is extensive and the river consists of many arms. It is only downstream from this point that the river bed is more clearly delimited and passes through a series of pools.
The 960 square kilometers of Fortescue Marshes were of BirdLife International for Important Bird Area declared (IBA), because up to 270,000 water birds found there at high tide, including more than one percent of global stocks of 14 species of birds. Together with only one other site, populations of the endangered night parakeet were also found there for the first time since 1990 .
Estuary
The estuary is a large estuary . This estuary is largely unchanged and functions primarily through the flow energy of the river. The river delta is determined by the tides .
The estuary covers a total area of 23.3 km². Most of the estuary consists of salt marshes and marshland . A colony of mangroves uses the estuary as a habitat and covers an area of 1.2 km². Large female barramundi also live in the estuary.
Tributaries with mouth heights
- Western Creek - 545 m
- Warrawanda Creek - 507 m
- Homestead Creek - 505 m
- Shovelenna Creek - 501 m
- Kalgan Creek - 484 m
- Kulkinbah Creek - 412 m
- Fortescue River South - 393 m
- Hooley Creek - 366 m
- Weelumurra Creek - 345 m
- Caliwinga Creek - 330 m
- Cowcumba Creek - 324 m
- Kanjanjie Creek - 308 m
- Howlett Creek - 302 m
- Dawson Creek - 291 m
- Mill Stream - 283 m
- Portland River - 213 m
- Noondathoona Creek - 196 m
- Booyeemala Creek - 183 m
- Cheeraworadoona Creek - 163 m
- Bandeeyer Creek - 149 m
- Booyeema Pool Creek - 124 m
- Macklin Creek - 104 m
- Tanga Tanga Creek - 71 m
- Wallanaring Creek - 58 m
In 1975, cyclone "Joan" not only caused flooding in the Fortescue River, but also in its tributaries Weeli Wolli Creek and Weelumurra Creek . Both stepped over their banks, undermining the Hamersley Iron and Mount Newman railroad lines .
Lakes and reservoirs flowing through
- Ophthalmia reservoir - 515 m
- Fourteen Mile Pool - 413 meters
- Mungthannannie Pool - 399 m
- Mootana Pool - 340 m
- Upper Walloona Pool - 333 m
- Deep Reach Pool - 298 m
- Crossing pool - 293 m
- Mungowarra Pool - 80 m
- Tarda pool - 55 m
Origin of name
The river was named in 1861 by the explorer Francis Gregory during one of his expeditions after CS Fortescue , the then Undersecretary of State of the Colonies.
See also
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e Map of Fortescue River . Bonzle.com
- ^ Fortescue River . Australian Water Resources 2005. Regional Wager Resource Assessment. SWMA ( Memento of the original from October 7, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Surface Hydrology of the Pilbara Region . (2007) ( Memento of the original from May 19, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Australian Natural Resources Atlas - Water Resources - Overview - Western Australia . (2007) ( Memento of the original from October 4, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ IBA: Fortescue Marshes . Birdata. Birds Australia
- ^ Estuary Assessment Framework for Non-Pristine Esturaries - Estuary No. 664: Fortescue River . (2006) ( Memento of the original from October 20, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Severe Tropical Cyclone Joan Bureau of Meteorology (2009) ( Memento of the original from April 26, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
